The Truth About Pornography What is it? “Pornography refers to material dealing with sex designed to readers or viewers. Writings, pictures, etc. intended to primarily to arouse the sexual desire.”1 Sex Before Tech The first sexual drawing was made by the cave man, and dates back almost a thousand years prior to the discovery of the first written document. Since then, human sexuality has played a major role in majority of the developing societies. The difference between now and then being that most depicted nudity was used for instructional purposes, not sexual for gratification. In the 1960s the belief that oppression of human sexuality caused problems in society became more prevalent. This was such a concern that a variety of movements sprung up that advocated free expression of human sexuality and we got what is now known as “the Sexual Revolution.” Many health care professionals began to rely on pornography as a means of alternating of human sexual behavior. In their eyes pornography was simply one of the tools that they could use to help their clients. Even so, pornography was easily accessed before the Internet. People had to go through a lot of trouble to get involved in any sort of external sexual activity. In order to get a prostitute, engage in affair, or even go to a strip club an individual had to take a risk of being caught and exposed.2
Every second, approximately 28,258 Internet users are viewing porn worldwide.3 The Internet Age With pornography being marketed as a healthy behavior, many people turned to it to satisfy their sexual desires. All of that changed with the development of the Internet because people could watch an unlimited amount of obscene material from the comfort of their home.2 Porn is readily available on desktop computers, laptops and smartphones. Because of this, the nonprofit organization Family Safe Media reported that every second $3,075.64 is spent on pornography, 28,258 Internet users view pornography, and 372 Internet users type adult terms into search engines.4 The Internet also encouraged many amateurs to post images of themselves that often challenged traditional concepts of beauty and sex appeal. The use of webcams opened the industry even further to amateurs, allowing individuals to post live depictions of themselves, often for fees.5
A Hardcore Influence Porn that is considered to ‘hardcore” is much more sinister than the hardcore porn of the past. Dr. Norman Doidge, explains, “Now hardcore has evolved and is increasingly dominated by the sadomasochistic themes…all involving scripts fusing sex with hatred and humiliation.6 The sad truth is that softcore porn is now what hardcore was a few decades ago. And softcore porn of yesteryear is now shown in the mainstream media in our television, music videos, and even our advertisements. The mainstream media is much more accessible too. Families have gone from having one shared computer to often having multiple personal laptops, smartphones, and tablets. With the launch of Google Glass, it’s now possible to have an Internet-enabled screen in front of our eyes nearly every minute of the day.18
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“This (pornography) is no longer just a private problem. It is a public health problem” -John Woods6
Devastating Effects
The Viewers There are 3 types of viewers: Recreational viewers: view pornography a few hours a week, “Mostly they seek it out for sexual stimulation and entertainment, and it’s not a substitute for their social or love life” this can lead to full blown addictions.
As Porn’s Availability has risen, so have its devastating effects on people. Porn affects us as a society as well. Pornography has been linked to: •
Sexually Compulsive viewers: viewing for years, more “hardcore” viewing, using pornography to escape problems, to self meditate, really fuels the fire for addiction. At-Risk viewers: view it habitually and regularly, They have likely tried stopping but it has become a habit, partners aren’t happy with them, often feel depressed or sad after finishing viewing.7
The hyper-sexualization of teens and children
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Normalization of sexual violence and abuse of women and children
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Skyrocketing levels of child on child sexual abuse
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Addiction, like cocaine or heroin
7 levels of addiction Levels one and two are not considered an addiction. Starting at level 3 there is an addiction forming but thoughts of viewing are not interfering with day to day thoughts or activities and viewing content is now stronger than levels one and two. Level four is viewing content 3-4 times a month or about once a week and viewing more “hardcore” and getting discouraged to try to stop Levels five and six now impact the person’s life of a daily basis. Their relationships are at risk, feels of sadness, depression lead to more viewing, the person will start lying to cover up what they are doing, money begins to be spent on their addition Level seven viewing hardcore material, has given up trying to quit, person feels powerless and hopeless.8
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Sex trafficking Job loss and overall lowered productivity
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Mental health issues like depression and anxiety
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Destroyed marriages that put kids at risk6
The fantasy of porn is based a lie that porn producers tell us. The lie that porn is made by glamorous people who are enjoying their work. The reality is that some of those people look like they’re having fun because they have a gun pointing to their head and if they stop smiling, it will go off. Human trafficking is a big part of that a lie. (cont.)
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We’re learning more and more about situations where women are lured into human trafficking traps and are drugged, kidnapped, rapped—and the violence is captured on camera and sold to businesses that sell pornography.15 Another type of pornography that receives no First Amendment protection is child pornography. In 1982, the Supreme Court ruled in New York v. Ferber that states could prohibit child pornography even if somehow the material in question did not meet the Miller obscenity standard. The high court noted that a work taken as a whole could have serious artistic value but also “embody the hardest core of child pornography.”9
Your Brain on Porn The problem with porn is that it floods the brain with dopamine or the chemical that makes you happy. This might sound good short term but consistent use of porn our brains get overwhelmed from an overload of chemicals. The brain fights back by taking away some of its dopamine receptors—which are like tiny ears on the end of the neuron that hear the dopamine’s message. The issue from having a fewer receptors is that you can’t feel dopamine’s effect as much. The porn you were looking at doesn’t seem as exciting and you have to constantly build up to more and more hardcore porn to get the dopamine high you want to experience. This ruins your life outside of porn too. Regular activities that would normally set off a burst of dopamine and make people happy aren’t strong enough to register much anymore, leaving you feeling down or uneasy whenever you a while without looking at porn. That’s one reason why pornography can be so addictive.2
The Psyche Pornography has a circular relationship with low self-esteem. Low self-esteem is often a driving force leading to porn addiction but that low self-esteem also increases with heavy use. Doctors often find that the porn addict is dealing with some deep wounds of rejection or pain from childhood trauma. This lowered self-esteem leads a person into seeking out Pornography as a source of release. Unfortunately, the high they get from porn only lasts briefly and the causes the addict to feel worse about the content they saw and gets paranoid of being discovered. This makes the user’s self-esteem plummet even more.16
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Porn culture doesn't only affect men. It also c hanges the way women and girls think about their bodies, their sexuality and their r elationships.17 No Escape: Work + Relationships Porn is something usually consumed by the individual but it profoundly affects our relationships too. Isolation is one of the most common—most significant—stumbling blocks faced by addicts.3 Education expert Jonathan Doyle argues that pornography is what makes us feel isolated from our relationships and often harms them: "In all the years I have delivered live seminars on the topic of porn addiction I have never had someone come up to me and tell me how wonderful pornography has been for them and how much it has helped their relationships. What we do find is a trail of personal pain and damaged capacity for genuine intimacy."2 As addiction grows, a person frequently takes increased risks to view it, such as accessing it at work or at home with family members nearby. In fact, 20% of men and 13% of women admit to accessing porn at work.10 This, of course, can lead to embarrassment, guilt, marital destruction, social ostracism, termination of employment and so forth but the viewer often feels out of control and unable to stop.11 Embarrassment from porn usage can make people to keep it a secret from their partners. 70% of women keep their cyber activities a secret out of the 17% of all women who struggle with porn addiction. Hiding an addiction from your partner drives wedge between the two of you and your family overall.10
Is There Hope? The best way to address the rise of internet pornography to raise public awareness about its actual content, and name it as a public health issue by bringing together educators, health professionals, community activists, parents and anti-violence experts to create material that educates the public. Just as we had anti-smoking campaigns, we need an anti-porn campaigns that alert people to the individual and cultural harms it creates. 12 Pornography has been declared a public health crisis and we must protect our children from it. When children understand what pornography is and how it can harm their growing brain, they become a powerful force for protecting themselves, as well as their friends and family.6 The main defenses against pornography are close family life, a good marriage and good relations between parents and children, coupled with deliberate parental monitoring of Internet use. Traditionally, government has kept a tight lid on sexual traffic and businesses, but in matters of pornography that has waned almost completely, except where child pornography is concerned. Given the massive, deleterious individual, marital, family, and social effects of pornography, it is time for citizens, communities, and government to reconsider their laissez-faire approach.13
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7 Steps For the Individual: 1) Address the Trauma of Betrayal 2) Share safely 3). Rebuild spiritual confidence 4) After these three steps then get help 5) The last steps: be open and honest, set boundaries, practice self-care14
A Last Word Recognizing pornography for what it is and addressing in our society and in our personal life is the best defense we have against this dangerous epidemic. If we strive to shift our society’s view on pornography towards a more realistic and educated one, we’ll have a greater chance of distancing ourselves from its reach.
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Sources: Hudson, David L. "Pornography & obscenity." First Amendment Center . N.p., 13 Sept. 2002. Web. 10 Mar. 2017. <http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/pornography-obscenity/>. Doyle, J. Porn Addiction Drives Low Self-Esteem Says Educational Expert Jonathan Doyle. PRWEB. 22 Feb. 2013. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/2/prweb10449719.htm Accessed 16 Mar. 2017 Gray, D. 3 Ways to Begin Recovery From Porn. 15, Oct. 2016. Utah Coalition Against Pornography. https://utahcoalition.org/3-ways-begin-recovery-porn/. Accessed 16 Mar. 2017 Winkfield, E.L. Pornography’s Devastating Impact. https://realtruth.org/articles/232-tpo.html . Accessed 16 Mar 2017 Jenkins, J.P., Pornography. Encyclopedia Brittanica, 2 Nov. 2006, https://www.britannica.com/topic/pornography. Accessed 16 March. 2017. Glen Cove Press LCC. Protect Young Minds. C 2017 https://protectyoungminds.org/share/. Accessed 16 Mar 2017. "The 3 Most Common Types Of Porn Viewers." Fight the New Drug. N.p., 25 Jan. 2017. Web. 9 Mar. 2017. <http://fightthenewdrug.org/the-3-types-of-porn-viewers-how-porn-affects-them/>. Skinner, K. B. (2005). Treating pornography addiction: The essential tools for recovery. Provo, UT: GrowthClimate, Inc Hudson, David L. "Pornography & obscenity." First Amendment Center . N.p., 13 Sept. 2002. Web. 10 Mar. 2017. <http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/pornography-obscenity/>.) Logue, Jeff. "PORNOGRAPHY STATISTICS: WHO USES PORN?" Thought Hub. Nap. 22 Oct. 2015. Web. 10 Mar. 2017. <http://www.sagu.edu/thoughthub/pornography-statistics-who-uses-pornography>. Davis, V. Elder Jeffery R. Holland- The Plague of Pornography. Parents, Recovery, Relationships, Research, UCAP Conference. 15 Mar 2016. https://utahcoalition.org/elder-jeffrey-r-holland-the-plague-of-pornography/. Accessed 16 Mar 2017 Dines, G., Pornland: How Porn has hijacked our sexuality. The National Center on Exploitation. 21 Nov. 2016. http://pornharmsresearch.com/2016/11/pornland-porn-hijacked-sexuality/. Accessed 16 March 2017 Fagan, Pat. The Effects of Pornography on Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community. www.frc.org/issuebrief/theeffects-of-pornography-on-individuals-marriage-family-and-community. Accessed 10 March 2017. "Heartbreak and Hope." Ensign Feb. 2017: 34-39. Print. “The Inseparable Link Between Porn And Human Trafficking” Fight the New Drug. N.p., 25 Jan. 2017. Web. 9 Mar. 2017. http://fightthenewdrug.org/the-internet-can-be-a-very-unsexy-place-we/> Doyle, J. Porn Addiction Drives Low Self-Esteem Says Educational Expert Jonathan Doyle. PRWEB. 22 Feb. 2013. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/2/prweb10449719.htm Accessed 16 Mar. 2017 Dines, G., Pornland: How Porn has hijacked our sexuality. The National Center on Exploitation. 21 Nov. 2016. http://pornharmsresearch.com/2016/11/pornland-porn-hijacked-sexuality/. Accessed 16 March 2017 Stoner, J. And Hughes, D. The Social Costs Of Pornography: A Collection Of Papers (Pp. Xv–Xix). Witherspoon Institute, 4 Aug. 2014, http://fightthenewdrug.org/porns-harm-is-changing-fast/. Accessed 10 March 2017