The papers in this volume build the case that citizens need to revisit this issue and look squarely at a problem many would rather ignore.
Widespread pornography consumption appears to pose a serious challenge to public health and to personal and familial well-being.
The proceedings from The Social Costs of Pornography consultation present the interdisciplinary insights into the problem of pornography in the internet age.
NOTE: The following videos may contain graphic language that conveys the reality of contemporary pornography and its impact on men, women, and children.
Even without a change in misguided first-amendment rulings, the law can be an important force for upholding standards of decency. A novel legal approach can yield powerful and appropriately sensitive legal tools for discouraging the production and consumption of pornography.
Too often research looks at the effect on pornography users but not at its effect on their spouses or children—some of pornography’s unseen victims. Social-science data shows that compulsive pornography use can damage marriages and lead to negative consequences including divorce.
The purpose and limits of sex are not just the product of social conventions. The meaning of sex goes much deeper—to a human nature that is unchanging. It is important to remember this nature and to be reminded that pornography is not simply objectionable because of its negative effects, it is wrong in itself.
In articulating why pornography is wrong, we must remember the positive alternative. The practice of moderation and restraint makes possible the enjoyment of goods and beauties that lust puts out of reach.
The urgency of addressing the rise of pornography doesn’t remove the need to move ahead with political consensus and sensitivity. History suggests an appropriate response can and will be found.
Women can no longer be categorically described as the objectified, the victimized, or the consumed in the pornographic culture. Increasingly, they are also the objectifiers, producers, and consumers. Despite this fact, pornography continues to have a special and negative impact on women.
Much is still unknown about the economics of pornography consumption. The fact that so few people are currently willing to pay for pornography suggests that even small financial disincentives can effectively discourage pornography use.
The human brain is an adaptable organ, and exposure to pornography can rewired so that sexual desire can only be satisfied by pornography. At the same time, the very adaptability of the brain means that it is possible for those addicted to pornography to break the habit.
Pornography is everywhere, and as it becomes more common in all forms of media, it is also becoming more sexist, violent, and graphic. These forms of pornography are also becoming more and more common among children and teens. Why we should worry about pornified America.
The members of a culture that buys into false philosophies of sexual desire will instrumentalize others and themselves, and risk losing the ability to love. We need to recall that sexual desire directs us not to objects but to human persons.
Pornography is a teacher and trigger of a host of negative behaviors and attitudes. These attitudes and behaviors have a broader social impact that affects even those who do not use pornography. It is an immensely damaging and equal-opportunity toxin.
©2010 by the Witherspoon Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.