Gail Dines: Living in a porn culture
Living in a porn culture
New Left Project, Alex Doherty, 4.15.,2010
“The question I pose in Pornland is, what does it mean to grow up in a society where the average age of first viewing porn is 11 for boys, and where girls are being inundated with images of themselves as wannabe porn stars?”
Social Costs of Pornography: Statement of Principles, DVD available from Witherspoon Institute Consultation
The Witherspoon Institute’s 2008 Consultation on the Social Costs of Pornography “assembled leading experts in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, neurophysiology, philosophy, sociology, law, and political theory to present a rigorously argued overview of the problem of pornography in our society and to make recommendations. The primary purpose of the meeting was to examine the real nature of pornography in its moral and social consequences.”
Pamela Paul: The cost of growing up on porn
Pamela Paul, author of Porn Generation, writing at the Washington Post: “An entire generation is being kept in the dark about pornography’s effects because previous generations can’t grapple with the new reality. Whether by approaching me (at the risk of peer scorn) after I’ve spoken at a university or via anonymous e-mails, young people continue to pass along an unpopular message: Growing up on porn is terrible. One 17-year-old who had given up his habit told me that reading about porn addicts ‘was like reading a horrifying old diary, symptoms, downward spirals, guilt, hypocrisy, lack of control, and the constant question of to what degree fantasy is really so different from reality. I felt like a criminal, or at the very least, a person who would objectively disgust me.’”
Porn addiction destroys relationships, lives
San Francisco Chronicle: “Millions of Americans struggle with porn addiction for years in secret, without getting caught, and continue their behavior even after it begins to have negative consequences in their life. For some individuals, images are enough, and they remain locked in the fantasy world of pornography. For others, Internet porn is a gateway to compulsive and risky sexual behavior with others.”
The Effects of Pornography on Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community
Marriage and Religion Research Institute: Pornography generates numerous negative outcomes for individuals and families, according to a comprehensive overview of pornography research by Dr. Patrick Fagan of the Marriage and Religion Research Institute at the Family Research Council.
Effects of cybersex addiction on the family: Results of a survey
“A brief survey was completed by 91 women and 3 men, aged 24-57, who had experienced serious adverse consequences of their partner’s cybersex involvement. In 60.6% of cases the sexual activities were limited to cybersex and did not include offline sex. Although not specifically asked about this, 31% of partners volunteered that the cybersex activities were a continuation of pre-existing compulsive sexual behaviors.”
