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Internet pornography is corrupting children and hooking adults into an addiction that threatens their jobs and families, a panel of anti-porn advocates told the hearing organized by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., chairman of the Commerce subcommittee on science.
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Not to go off Mal's topic but I work for a firm that has fired people (both men and women) for viewing pornography from company equipment. Our policies are very clear about use of company equipment and for me ... frankly ... when I sneak a peak at tfp during the daytime even if I'm only visiting "General Discussion" I am running a risk of termination. Companies that enforce their policies have a more limited occurance of abuse. The drastic case of firings in my opinion have been isolated circumstances but there was one individual who worked for me on a project who was fired for having 4.5 gb's of porn on his hard drive. The company spyware picked it up and he was promptly shown the door.
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Mary Anne Layden, co-director of a sexual trauma program at the University of Pennsylvania, said pornography's effect on the brain mirrors addiction to heroin or crack cocaine. She told of one patient, a business executive, who arrived at his office at 9 a.m. each day, logged onto Internet porn sites, and didn't log off until 5 p.m.
Layden called for billboards and bus ads warning people to avoid pornography, strip clubs and prostitutes.
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I would love to know more about the study that concluded that the brain's reaction to porn mirrors that of heroin or crack. What specifically was the study and how were reactions measured?
The idead that billboards need to be put up to tell me to avoid prostitutes who've likely had 15 snausages in her mouth before she got to me is ludicrous. I have a story that I'll post in a different thread about a business trip I took to Detroit circa October 1998. Regardless I think that line discredits her motivations and the underlying data (if any exists) from her study on this matter.
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Brownback, an outspoken Christian conservative who has championed efforts to curb indecency on television and the Internet, said the public is beginning to realize "they don't just have to take it."
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Brownback said scientific data is needed to help his cause.
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But he pointed to studies that show prolonged use of pornography leads to "sexual callousness, the erosion of family values and diminished sexual satisfaction."
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Brownback's link to the Christian right immediately makes me speculative about his motivations. I'm not saying that all Christian conservatives are religous zealots because in fact (and some of you will find this hard to believe) I qualify as both of those. I am Christian and I am an economic conservative that leans a little more toward a centerists views on some "right wing nut job issues". Again that's for a different thread.
Brownback discredits himself by saying that scientific data is needed to back up what he believes to be true in order to "help his cause". If that doesn't smell of ulterior motive I'm not sure what does.
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Judith Reisman, a vocal critic of the Kinsey Institute and the field of sexology, suggested Congress require police officers to gather evidence of pornography at crime scenes to further research
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I'm not really sure what the hell this means? Do all criminals really carry porn with them before or during the perpetration of an act of crime? This is a complete speculative leap that reaks of I-want-this-to-be-true-so-make-the-stats-prove-it.
There are three kinds of lies in this world. Lies, damn lies, and statistics!
The bottom line is for me is that I believe that porn can be addictive. Is it like heorin? I have no reference for that. In fact my only addiction is coffee and don't keep me from it. When I put it in that context in my own mind then I belive porn can be addictive. You must first have the predeliction of being an addict but if it's porn or heroin or crack cocaine that triggers your addictive response then is there really a difference?
The Cambridge definition of an addict is:
"a person who cannot stop doing or using something, especially something harmful:
a drug/heroin addict
a gambling addict
a sex addict
HUMOROUS I'm a chocolate/shopping addict"
"Especially something harmful". Overuse of porn -- even as reported by some posters to this web site -- has been shown to be harmful in some cases. Not all cases but some certainly qualify as porn addiction. I believe that based on the definition of addict as stated above that a porn addiction for someone who cannot stop using porn to the point that is causes them to store 4.5 gb's of it on their work pc is harmful. They are using work assets to enalbe their need/want/desire to use porn knowing the consequence could be that they might get fired. This is reckless bevoir that I would certainly classify as harmful.
Is porn as addictive as heroin? Again if you consider the definition I don't think there is a fundemental differnce. It might be easier to conceptualize the heroin addicts toubles from their addiction because of the mental image you have of a person living in the street who hasn't bathed in weeks with tract marks all over their body who is suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms. Obviously a porn addict is much more difficult to see as troubled because by most visual means they can appear to be functional people.
Is there a pro side to porn? Well....on a lighter note if it weren't for porn I'd have never seen women from the likes of Bo Derek to Denise Richards in photos where they appear naked!
Thank you Hef! That's if you consider Playboy to be porn. And really..for most adolecent boys who sneak a peak at their father's Playboy magazines it's really all about learning what the opposite sex is all about and the majority of us never really develop an addiction. My belief is that if you have the genetic traits or other predilictions for addicive behavior then you are at risk of becoming an addict and that may include heroin, crack cocaine, coffee or even porn.
That's my 0.02c!