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Pornography

Pornography


Overview

Thanks to the focused and concentrated efforts of pornography moguls like Playboy magazine’s Hugh Hefner, pornography has now become mainstream fare on television, film and in literature. In fact it has become so prolific that those who express their disdain for pornography are looked down upon with suspicion and ridicule.

Magazines like Playboy which were once considered gross obscenity are now touted as a cultural rite of passage, or even a form of modern art. The most frightening aspect of pornography is that it is so widely accepted while the research regarding its true effects on society and the human person is almost completely ignored.


What’s wrong with pornography?

Pornography reduces the human person to a mere object for someone else’s gratification

Pornography turns its human subjects into sexual objects who then become nothing more than a method of sexual gratification for the person who views the pornography.

The people who appear in pornography are stripped of human dignity and in effect they have become dehumanized so that someone else can use them and then throw away for their own selfish ends.


Pornography desensitizes it’s viewers

It has been well and truly established that pornography desensitizes the tolerance and appetites of its viewers.

Pornography users start with soft-core pornography and then progress to harder and harder forms of pornography, and ever more deviant forms of pornography as they become desensitized to the material they are viewing and fantasizing about.

Most child pornographers began with soft-core adult images and then progressed into harder and more deviant content before they progressed into child porn.

There have also been well document cases of people who have progressed from watching pornography to committing sexual crime after they found that merely viewing pornography no longer provided them the excitement they initially gained from it.

Obviously not every person who views pornography will go on to commit sexual crime or to engage in child-porn, etc, but it is definitely a very serious issue that affects many people, and even those who don’t take it this far will still experience a desensitization and a change in attitudes towards women, sexuality, etc.
 

Pornography is seriously addictive

Recent research has shown that pornography addiction is just as powerful as addiction to drugs like methamphetamine and crack cocaine.

One researcher has even documented internet pornography addicts who became aroused merely by sitting in front of a computer monitor, which is similar to drug addicts who begin to experience excitement just by being around drug paraphernalia.

Pornography triggers one of the most powerful desire/arousal mechanisms in the human body, and as a result it effects the human brain in a very powerful way. In the user’s mind pornographic images become connected to powerful chemical reactions and as a result they become addicted to the chemical high that their body experiences during pornography use.


Pornography is not good for the human body

Aside from the addictive properties of pornography, recent research has shown that pornography causes the same reactions in the human body as are caused when the body is under stress. The simple fact is that the human body is not designed to be in a state of constant stress, yet many pornography users are placing themselves in such a state on a regular basis.


Pornography destroys marriages and families and other relationships

Many marriages and families have been broken apart by pornography addiction, and therapists are now dealing with increased incidents of relationships that have been harmed by pornography.

When someone becomes absorbed in pornography they become totally immersed in a world of fantasy, illusion and lies. Firstly; pornographic images are technically altered to present a totally unrealistic version of the human body and sexual relations. In the world of pornography there are never any consequences, like sexual disease, unplanned pregnancy and emotional hurt.

Pornography is a total fantasy world where reality plays no role. It is a form of escapism from the real world where the user ultimately begins to try and incorporate the myths and lies of pornography back into the real world – with devastating effects. This can manifest itself in many ways, from expecting a partner to perform exactly like the subjects in pornography, to incorporating pornography into sex and even visiting prostitutes or massage parlours, or engage in sex with multiple partners, etc.

The ultimate aim of pornography is the sexual gratification of the user, and it’s totally inward and selfish nature means that the user becomes totally self-obsessed through pornography use.


Pornography deforms human sexuality

Pornography completely deforms the sexuality of its users.

It teaches men that all women are sexual objects for their personal gratification and that women always want sex.  It damages the self-esteem and the identity of the user, and it harms their ability to form healthy relationships with members of the opposite sex.

Pornography encourages men to develop disrespectful and aggressive attitudes towards women, and it increases acceptance and practice of deviant sexual behaviors. Much of the pornography found on the internet contains images of violence, bestiality and other deviant behaviors.

Pornography also impacts upon employment and education, as work and class time is often used  to view and download pornographic material.

Pornography has spawned a generation of young women who believe that they must be like the girls in Playboy, and become sexually available for men at all times. Younger and younger girls are dressing and acting exactly how pornography falsely portrays women to be.


Pornography is linked to violent crime

More and more research is linking violent crime with pornography.

We already have the well known cases of Ted Bundy and Gary Bishop, two serial rapist murderers who have publically stated that pornography was hugely influential on their heinous criminal acts. Other research has shown that many sexual offenders use pornography immediately prior to committing sexual crimes. Although this research is in its infancy, it is already clearly indicating that there is an association between pornography and violent or sexual crime.


Pornography is bad for society

Pornography promotes an unhealthy attitude towards women and sexuality that is becoming more and more prevalent in society, and it is inevitable that as more and more people become desensitized to pornography it’s influence will become more and more pervasive in our culture and its attitudes and practices.

Already we are witnessing an alarming escalation in many areas.

Figures released by the NZ Department of Internal Affairs and the police show 106 offences were committed under the Films, Videos, Publications and Classifications Act in 2005, this is a five-fold increase since 1996.

Official NZ crime statistics released in 2006 showed that sexual offending in New Zealand had increased by 9.7% since the previous year.


Recommended Reading:

Dangers and Disappointments of Pornography
An excellent article by Ryan Hosley and Steve Watters, M.A.

Subtle Dangers of Pornography
An excellent article about some of the research which highlights the problems with pornography

Private Acts, Public Interests
An excellent article by Robert P. George, a McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, about the harm caused in society by pornography


Catholic Church Teaching:

Blessed Are The Pure In Heart
An excellent pastoral letter from Bishop Robert W. Finn, from Kansas City, Missouri, about why pornography is gravely immoral

John Paul II’s Theology of the Body
A complete catalogue of Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, which explains the Catholic understanding of sexuality and the human person