The article Pornography: Harmless Fun or Public Health Hazard?, is so packed full of good information regarding the harmful effects of pornography that I don’t even know where to start. I’ll just leave you with a couple of quotes.
More than 25 years ago, Dr. Victor Cline identified the progressive nature of pornography addiction. Once addicted, a person’s need for pornography escalates both in frequency and in deviancy. The person then grows desensitized to the material, no longer getting a thrill from what was once exciting. Finally, this escalation and desensitization drives many addicts to act out their fantasies on others.
The report goes on to say:
At a Senate hearing last fall, medical experts corroborated Cline’s early breakthroughs. New technology is allowing doctors to look inside addicts’ brains to determine just how damaging pornography is. The witnesses described research showing the similarity of porn addiction to cocaine addiction. Further, because images are stored in the brain and can be recalled at any moment, these experts believe that a porn addiction may be harder to break than a heroin addiction.
Now I’m usually against government interfering in our personal lives, but I seriously wonder how this stuff still be legal in any form.
2 Comments
That’s a fascinating article, and I’m right with you on your last comment.
Porn censorship is a major issue in the UK right now, as new legislation to ban possession of extreme material is being proposed by the government. It was triggered by a real life (though unusually extreme) case of acting out dangerous fantasies for real.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6237226.stm
Striking a balance between public protection and freedom of speech seems an impossible challenge when peoples’ sexual lifestyles are concerned.
Thanks for your comments Jason. Something really does need to be done. It’s tough though, because no one should be told what they can and can’t look at (by a government); at the same time it’s so addictive that if you start you will almost surely become an addict in some form or another. What’s the solution?