I mentioned war in response to your comment relating to mass killing. Again, it's not ideal. But it is necessary, evil as it may be. Like capital punishment.
A part of me agrees with the statement. But how do you gauge what kind of an effect (negative, specifically) porn consumption has? Excessive usage does affect an individuals life negatively. What about minimal to moderate usage?
I suppose in many ways it's similar to alcohol. The ones who can handle their booze and drink responsibly have no issues.
I know that you haven't made any explicit statement about whether pornography should be banned. According to you, what would an ideal solution to this problem look like?
I was recently looking into the science of porn and its effects. I think there is much to be desired. It is so tangled with religious morals, and what few studies exist beg the cliche "correlation does not prove causation".
Pornography also has many definitions and covers a wide range of media. It's awkward to talk about and people avoid being specific which furthers confusion. I imagine at least some disagreements arise because one party is thinking of ASMR when they hear the word "porn", and another is thinking of violent rape videos (acted out by consenting adults, hopefully!), two very different things.
The only thing I'm personally certain about is partners should be honest about their values and behaviors, preferably early in the relationship.
What you say is right, but one thing to consider is the images porn might create of how a sucessful sex life and the persons having it (have to) look like.
While I have no data here I know of cases where especially people whose sexuality is not developed, or people who never had sex can land in a sexually and personally very frustrating place because they don't read the overexaggerated, sometimes comical and distorted acts for what they are.
Having good sex with someone in the real world is all about being able to express one's desire and form a connection. Having very fixed images of how the whole thing must look can and will get in the way of that.
For young people the backdrop of porn can really fuck things up. Where two people where meant to discover their sexuality together, they might now wrongly feel like experts already, unable to connect at all.
I hear this a lot, but this has to only affect the most dense of people.
I saw the stuff and never once did I think porn was "real."
It's ridiculous.
I don't think that Wiley C Coyote falls 2000 feet off a cliff, you see a hole in the ground with his profile, and he climbs out and dusts himself off and walks away. This may seem REALLY bizarre to some people, but I don't think that is real either.
No, I think the whole "You watch porn and people think it is real and that is the way it is" has to be some kind of weird scare tactic.
It may not be unique, but it may still create false standards in your monkey brain that wasn't built for this.
I know a few people that seem extremely picky when it comes to looks, let's say much more than their own looks allow, destroying potential happy relationships, because they have impossible standards.
Ok but if you're saying it's a reason why porn is bad, you have to also accept that all the other things are bad.
And as society only seems to single this out for porn while ignoring the other things (apart from perhaps beauty) then it's a bit of a double standard.
Not saying you have a double standard personally though.
> you have to also accept that all the other things are bad.
Exactly, I think all these things are bad in the same way. They distort your sense of normalcy.
I do think porn might have a special place here though. As with any addictive drug, you have a ritual, with a dopamine hit that accompanies an activity you can do quite frequently and that doesn't keep you satisfied. That's really the kind of stuff that shapes your brain more than passive activities like TV.
Social Media is probably on a similar level of insidiousness.
Since priests aren’t allowed to get married and have children (which is ridiculous in the first place), they should at least be able to watch porn, which doesn’t hurt anyone. Just my 2 cents. I understand how it goes against Christian tenets though.
That is church specific - there are plenty of christian churches that don't put chastity constraints on priests.
Obviously others have pointed out that various churches, including the catholic, have spent decades allowing and protecting priests and nuns who rape and abuse children, which kind of undermines this kind of "porn is dangerous" message.
There is/was a very popular “source texts from the Middle Ages” used for undergraduate Medieval Literature.
It included a translation of medieval pornography written by German nuns in the 12 century.
It was … interesting. “The Martrydom of Saints Faith, Hope, and Charity.” Basically a group of nuns in Ancient Rome forced to commit blasphemy or be tortured to death in the sexiest way possible. 50 Shades of Grey meets Martyrdom of St SomethingOrOther.
The Middle Ages has a well-studied tradition of high erotica, but the low level pornography popular in convents is less interesting.
My point is just that pornography isn’t new. But that doesn’t mean it’s great literature either.
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[ 2.2 ms ] story [ 92.8 ms ] threadMy point is that even if it were sometimes necessary, any incidental benefits derived from it do not suddenly make it desirable or good.
I agree.
I suppose in many ways it's similar to alcohol. The ones who can handle their booze and drink responsibly have no issues.
I know that you haven't made any explicit statement about whether pornography should be banned. According to you, what would an ideal solution to this problem look like?
Pornography also has many definitions and covers a wide range of media. It's awkward to talk about and people avoid being specific which furthers confusion. I imagine at least some disagreements arise because one party is thinking of ASMR when they hear the word "porn", and another is thinking of violent rape videos (acted out by consenting adults, hopefully!), two very different things.
The only thing I'm personally certain about is partners should be honest about their values and behaviors, preferably early in the relationship.
While I have no data here I know of cases where especially people whose sexuality is not developed, or people who never had sex can land in a sexually and personally very frustrating place because they don't read the overexaggerated, sometimes comical and distorted acts for what they are.
Having good sex with someone in the real world is all about being able to express one's desire and form a connection. Having very fixed images of how the whole thing must look can and will get in the way of that.
For young people the backdrop of porn can really fuck things up. Where two people where meant to discover their sexuality together, they might now wrongly feel like experts already, unable to connect at all.
I saw the stuff and never once did I think porn was "real."
It's ridiculous.
I don't think that Wiley C Coyote falls 2000 feet off a cliff, you see a hole in the ground with his profile, and he climbs out and dusts himself off and walks away. This may seem REALLY bizarre to some people, but I don't think that is real either.
No, I think the whole "You watch porn and people think it is real and that is the way it is" has to be some kind of weird scare tactic.
This isn't unique to porn.
I know a few people that seem extremely picky when it comes to looks, let's say much more than their own looks allow, destroying potential happy relationships, because they have impossible standards.
And as society only seems to single this out for porn while ignoring the other things (apart from perhaps beauty) then it's a bit of a double standard.
Not saying you have a double standard personally though.
Exactly, I think all these things are bad in the same way. They distort your sense of normalcy.
I do think porn might have a special place here though. As with any addictive drug, you have a ritual, with a dopamine hit that accompanies an activity you can do quite frequently and that doesn't keep you satisfied. That's really the kind of stuff that shapes your brain more than passive activities like TV.
Social Media is probably on a similar level of insidiousness.
Technically illegal in the UK. But hey, I can watch James bond murder a few dozen people before breakfast, and he hangs out with the queen.
a lot of people think it hurts you/yourself, as if it is a drug/addiction/harmful stimulant
Obviously others have pointed out that various churches, including the catholic, have spent decades allowing and protecting priests and nuns who rape and abuse children, which kind of undermines this kind of "porn is dangerous" message.
It included a translation of medieval pornography written by German nuns in the 12 century.
It was … interesting. “The Martrydom of Saints Faith, Hope, and Charity.” Basically a group of nuns in Ancient Rome forced to commit blasphemy or be tortured to death in the sexiest way possible. 50 Shades of Grey meets Martyrdom of St SomethingOrOther.
The Middle Ages has a well-studied tradition of high erotica, but the low level pornography popular in convents is less interesting.
My point is just that pornography isn’t new. But that doesn’t mean it’s great literature either.
I don't think any curb on the supply and how it is produced is worthwhile or practical, just circuiting consumer behavior with other options
yourbrainonporn.com