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Porn as a public health hazard

Started by GSOgymrat, April 22, 2021, 05:07:16 PM

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GSOgymrat

I noticed that anti-porn activists have recently been citing pornography as a "public health crisis." As Rebecca Watson points out, these Biblical literalists have no problems with science as long as it doesn't challenge their cherished beliefs, such as sex is bad, bad, BAD. “Politicians cite science tactically, not sincerely: ‘You can’t say anymore, ‘We want to get rid of porn because of its wickedness.” But it’s completely legitimate to say, “We want to get rid of porn because it’s a public health crisis like opioids or meth.’” Unfortunately for the prude brigade, there is no good science that proves pornography is bad for individuals or society.

Rebecca Watson also discusses people, some of whom are atheists, who believe "no fap" gives one superpowers. I'm not on Reddit but I vaguely remember reading something about this fad. I confess back when I was a sophomore in college I did this experiment after studying addictions and wondering if I would have trouble not masturbating. I initially decided to stop for a month but then kept going. After five months I had sex with someone and that ended the streak. Not masturbating wasn't difficult and I noticed no changes in my mood, focus, physical ability and sadly didn't acquire telekinesis.

https://youtu.be/dxnwf0_Wmp8

I agree with this psychotherapist:

- Pornography is not an addiction.
- Pornography does not cause sexual, relationship, or mental health problems.
- The anti-porn movement ignores the science of sexology.
- If you struggle with your pornography use, seek a therapist who is sex-positive and doesn't work with the addiction framework.

SGOS

Quote from: GSOgymrat on April 22, 2021, 05:07:16 PM
Unfortunately for the prude brigade, there is no good science that proves pornography is bad for individuals or society.
Who needs science when you've got God on your side!

GSOgymrat

Quote from: SGOS on April 22, 2021, 05:13:13 PM
Who needs science when you've got God on your side!

Even God needs help when it comes to the dirty, dirty heathens.

SGOS


Hydra009

#4
Quote from: GSOgymrat on April 22, 2021, 05:07:16 PMRebecca Watson also discusses people, some of whom are atheists, who believe "no fap" gives one superpowers.
I'm not sure what started it, but imho it's a mix of people who treat it like a joke (I saw an extra curvy piece of driftwood today, and well...) and a much, much smaller group who legitimately seem to have a hard time (*rimshot*) controlling themselves and desperately want to establish some measure of control, even if it means censorship.  Exhibit A.  I suspect that this "no fap" stuff descends from athletes claiming that they perform better if they hold off before the big game. This is factually incorrect.

In addition to the usual suspects of super religious people and extreme political positions, there's a tiny subgroup of "sex-negative" people who honestly give me the willies (*double rimshot*).  These people essentially consider sex acts to be inherently disgusting, degrading, and/or harmful.  I gotta tell ya, that's a weird stance to take for a species that drops a deuce twice or three times a day or whatever the normal number is.  Basically, sex = bad and whatever logic they have to adopt to get there, they'll adopt it.  Prudes, man.

My hot take is that pornographic art isn't inherently bad, in fact it's a fertile ground for creativity, and I've seen some stuff that's a laugh riot which unfortunately I can never show another living soul.  And masturbation isn't bad either - in fact, there are significant health benefits.  So I don't get the outrage or censorship.

Mike Cl

Isn't it odd that the heaviest use of porn is recorded in those areas/states that claim to be the most religious?! :))  Except it isn't really all that odd when one considerers that the religious are the most likely to lie about what they really think and feel.   
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?<br />Then he is not omnipotent,<br />Is he able but not willing?<br />Then whence cometh evil?<br />Is he neither able or willing?<br />Then why call him god?

Hydra009

#6
Quote from: Mike Cl on April 22, 2021, 06:22:40 PM
Isn't it odd that the heaviest use of porn is recorded in those areas/states that claim to be the most religious?! :))  Except it isn't really all that odd when one considerers that the religious are the most likely to lie about what they really think and feel.
A few years ago when "cuck" was the average right-winger's every third word, cuck pornography was a slightly more popular search term in right-leaning states.  Definitely a lot of restroom stall tapping on that side of the aisle.

Blackleaf

Quote from: Mike Cl on April 22, 2021, 06:22:40 PM
Isn't it odd that the heaviest use of porn is recorded in those areas/states that claim to be the most religious?! :))  Except it isn't really all that odd when one considerers that the religious are the most likely to lie about what they really think and feel.

It's funny how being told not to do something makes it all the more tempting. These people may act all holier than thou in church, but they have to delete their search history, just like everyone else. I'd rather they satisfy their urges through porn than take advantage of the choir boys. Seriously, these people are not ones to lecture on sexual purity. If I had kids, a pastor, priest, or other church staff like the worship leader would be the last person I'd trust to be alone in the same room with them. They all know that's an issue too. They just think it's an issue for everyone else, but not my denomination, because we're the true Christians. We would never stoop so low.

As for the harmful effects of pornography, I'm open to the facts, but I haven't seen anything to suggest that it is a public health crisis. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure sex crimes declined after internet porn became a thing.
"Oh, wearisome condition of humanity,
Born under one law, to another bound;
Vainly begot, and yet forbidden vanity,
Created sick, commanded to be sound."
--Fulke Greville--

Hydra009

Quote from: Blackleaf on April 22, 2021, 07:07:43 PMAs for the harmful effects of pornography, I'm open to the facts, but I haven't seen anything to suggest that it is a public health crisis. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure sex crimes declined after internet porn became a thing.
I dunno about that.  The internet also allows predators easy access to potential victims.  But on the other hand, increased awareness and decreased tolerance of sex crimes and prosecution of otherwise untouchable sex offenders in high places may be driving it down.  Hard to tell for sure because sex crimes often go unreported.

Shiranu

#9
I think pornography is a vice for a reason, and as such needs to be treated as such; like drugs or gambling, regulated but not restricted. People with a tendency for addiction will abuse it regardless of the legality, and we should be looking to help them rather than punish them for something we find icky.

The porn industry itself though... I like the shift towards independent pornography, due to the industries' abuse of it's workers. However there is still a lot of social and internal abuse that comes with the job, regardless of if you are working for the exploitative corporate model we grew up on or the more modern home-grown, home-made style that is really exploding over the last couple of years.

I do legitimately believe that pornography and the consumption of it is nearly as high up as greed in terms of moral failures of modern society; so much of modern art is heavily influenced by it to a certain extent at the cost of meaningful expression, because it appeals to a base instinct that the wealthy can exploit rather than a true selfless expression of the soul... and at a philosophical level I do believe it does more harm to an individual than good.

But again, the answer is cultivation of a more healthy individual through education and self-reflection, not through vindictive laws that exist only to punish those we disagree with. And perhaps there is not a scientific answer for why it is detrimental to the individual, but perhaps a scientific reason is not the only thing we should look for.
"A little science distances you from God, but a lot of science brings you nearer to Him." - Louis Pasteur

drunkenshoe

#10
It's pretty simple in my opinion. It's old world kind of population, family, law, inheritence, class control. And it works perfectly.

If you don't brainwash people from childhood about sex in some scale; that it is bad, dirty, dangerous, that it is a sin...that only in certain circumstances they should have sex -which is related to with whom they should have sex- if you do not load some social, religious, soco-economic, class meaning and etiquette on to it, give them sexual education from a very young age and let them free with their peers, most of the people would all fuck each other randomly all their lives. At some point, they would stop thinking of in leagues of physcial traits or finance when hooking up. Traditional marriage would perish. Thats a huge shift in social life.

What happens then? The family unit would be something very different. Traditional norms would collapse. It also means the collapse of many industries, lol. The capital would get affected badly, get scattered. The class system would be affected, lol.

Defining, coding sex as something baaad is more about mass control and preserving the traditonal society. The rich 1% couldn't care less, rules are not for them. But anyone under that... ordinary people need to believe, to be afraid, restricted, herded...etc.

Sexual revolutions are dangerous, they are the doors to all kind of other revolutions...lol
"science is not about building a body of known 'facts'. ıt is a method for asking awkward questions and subjecting them to a reality-check, thus avoiding the human tendency to believe whatever makes us feel good." - tp

GSOgymrat

Quote from: Shiranu on April 23, 2021, 02:40:18 AM
The porn industry itself though... I like the shift towards independent pornography, due to the industries' abuse of it's workers. However there is still a lot of social and internal abuse that comes with the job, regardless of if you are working for the exploitative corporate model we grew up on or the more modern home-grown, home-made style that is really exploding over the last couple of years.

I think the rise of OnlyFans has created concern for traditional porn studios and people who oppose pornography. It gives individuals complete control of the content they create and can be a lucrative home business. It doesn't address the concern some people have about sex as a product in a capitalistic system or the objectification of people.

I do think when people discuss pornography they sometimes forget money isn't involved in a lot of porn. The "boudoir photo" exchanged among romantic partners has a long history. Gay men exchange nudes or partial nudes online as a matter course. Let me add that guys with all body types do this, not just the ones with chiseled bodies.

Hydra009

Quote from: Shiranu on April 23, 2021, 02:40:18 AM
I think pornography is a vice for a reason, and as such needs to be treated as such; like drugs or gambling, regulated but not restricted.
Do you mean regulate production or consumption?  And how?

Hydra009

#13
Quote from: drunkenshoe on April 23, 2021, 05:18:56 AMIf you don't brainwash people from childhood about sex in some scale; that it is bad, dirty, dangerous, that it is a sin...that only in certain circumstances they should have sex -which is related to with whom they should have sex- if you do not load some social, religious, soco-economic, class meaning and etiquette on to it, give them sexual education from a very young age and let them free with their peers, most of the people would all fuck each other randomly all their lives.
I dunno about all that, I don't think people would naturally do it like it's the Discovery Channel lol, but afaik humans are naturally not quite monogamous (iirc, bird species are generally way more monogamous than mammals).  So I'd expect people to form couples that last for months to decades, with some incidence of multiple partners.

drunkenshoe

#14
I don't mean people would go into a global orgy mode, lol. I mean the inflicted inhibitions about sex is not just about the physical action of it. It's about who you 'should' have sex with, what kind of a person you 'should' have sex with. Personal preferences are not that personal and freely produced preferences as we wish. We learn them because they are imposed on us strongly and we feel, act according to them unconsciously. 

I've observed that the less sexually inhibited environments people grow up in, the more diverse partners they choose in every way; physical traits, background, education or economic class.

E: OK, I have no idea what is going on with the last sentence, it is out of control, can't do it.
"science is not about building a body of known 'facts'. ıt is a method for asking awkward questions and subjecting them to a reality-check, thus avoiding the human tendency to believe whatever makes us feel good." - tp