Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dallas (on hiatus) on March 10, 2010 at 12:53pm

Damn straight it's good for us. I love my porn! : )

Good article. Thanks for posting.

Permalink Reply by Hilde on March 10, 2010 at 12:57pm

does this mean that when my girlfriend chastises me for my porn habits i can respond with "don't knock it, it's keeping me from raping you?"

Permalink Reply by The Secular One on March 10, 2010 at 10:12pm

I'd not recommend threatening your girlfriend with rape otherwise you'll be using that porn A LOT MORE...

At least that is one possibility. =P

Permalink Reply by Max Polun on March 10, 2010 at 12:58pm

This is interesting, but basically doesn't prove anything. There could be all sorts of reasons for those correlations (for child molesters especially, the illegality of porn that they would be interested in might be a large factor). But I think this does give some evidence that porn is, at the very least, not harmful.

Permalink Reply by The Secular One on March 10, 2010 at 10:11pm

If I had to guess, I'd say it is only correlation between porn and sex crimes. I'd guess that being open and honest about sex decreases crimes by making people more aware and more able to get what they need. The increased porn is only incidental to a population open about sexuality.

What we can definitely say, though, is that usage of porn doesn't drive up sex crimes, as many opponents of porn claim.

Permalink Reply by MaleficVTwin on March 10, 2010 at 11:09pm

I am the healthiest M-Fer here!!!

Permalink Reply by JayBarti on March 11, 2010 at 12:39am

I agree with Max and Stephen for the most part.

It is still mostly a casual relationship, ie needs more study.

They sum it up nicely though.

There is no doubt that some people have claimed to suffer adverse effects from exposure to pornography—just look at testimony from women’s shelters, divorce courts and other venues. But there is no evidence it was the cause of the claimed abuse or harm.

The public sense of moral outrage swings so wildly you never know where it is going to land next.

Violence, yaaaaa.
Sex, boooooooo.

Granted I like my fictional violence so don't try and take that away from me as well.

Permalink Reply by Luke on March 31, 2010 at 1:00am

There is no doubt that some people have claimed to suffer adverse effects from exposure to pornography-just look at testimony from women's shelters, divorce courts and other venues. But there is no evidence it was the cause of the claimed abuse or harm.

If people have suffered from marriage problems as a result of porn use they should also look at some other factors. Did someone council them towards some misguided ideas, such as:
. porn use is evil
. porn use is the same as cheating
. only deviants use porn
. normal porn is a gateway to having an affair
. normal porn leads to child sexual abuse
. masturbation is unnatural
Stuff like this.

There is a lot of misinformation spread about sex. The demonisation of sex and porn is a corner stone for the religion.

Permalink Reply by Ken Dodge on March 11, 2010 at 5:18pm

I'm not certain that porn is good for society as a whole. Perhaps in the short term if we're to believe the numbers. But I can't help feeling it's just one more part of a society that increasingly seems to be gravitating toward the lowest common denominator among us. Just because I would never deny someone the right to look at porn doesn't mean I think it's good for us. I've looked at my share but it's such a bore, really, isn't it? Now an artist's rendition of the human form (I mean painting, sculpture, photographs, etc.) can be uplifting. I guess I prefer my "porn" be on a higher plane. ;-)

Permalink Reply by Dallas (on hiatus) on March 11, 2010 at 5:25pm

...doesn't mean I think it's good for us.

I don't think the article is suggesting that it is good for us in the sense that eating a high fiber low fat diet is good for us, or telling the truth is good for us. Rather, I think that what it suggests is that porn does not damage us like some people often claim, and that it is useful to us as a means of sexual release and expression.

...but it's such a bore, really, isn't it?

I don't think so. Not good porn anyhow.

Now an artist's rendition of the human form (I mean painting, sculpture, photographs, etc.) can be uplifting. I guess I prefer my "porn" be on a higher plane. ;-)

You're comparing apples to oranges. Both have their place, and both have value for what they are. I don't even put them in the same category.

Permalink Reply by Luke on March 31, 2010 at 12:51am

The Porn Report talked about liking or disliking porn as part of the rich tapestry of human sexuality. For example, a person may be strongly gay and like porn a little bit. On a Kinsey like scale this person is a 6 - Exclusively Homosexual.

If we take their taste for porn and scale it with 0 being unable to function sexually during or after viewing porn and 6 being unable to function without viewing porn. Ken, if I can suggest, might be a 1 or a 2, ie he can still function but can't really see the point. I'm a bit more in the middle. I like it but don't need it.

As I said, the Porn Report discusses this. They indicate that 1/3 of people like porn and this number seems pretty static. So, the idea that more porn breeds more and more porn and decadence might not be valid. It's just that people are allowed to be honest about it now. This figure should cap out at about 1/3.

Obviously, I've only read the Porn Report and going from memory. I'd be very happy to be corrected.