Reply #223: No, it is NOT speculation. Porn can be VERY damaging.

[debbierlus]

Here are some facts about porn:

A 1992 survey of 14 year olds, 87% of boys and 61% of girls reported having viewed video pornography. Boys who were frequent consumers of pornography and/or reported learning a lot from pornography were more accepting of rape myths and violence against women, and were also more likely to say that it was "OK" to hold a girl down and force her to have intercourse.
- Dr. James Check, York University

non-aggressive" pornography (pornography prominently available in mainstream market), that which excludes rape and violence but graphically depicts all other forms of sex (group, homosexual, switching, anal, oral, etc.) was found to:

desensitize the viewers to the material's breaking of sexual taboos, causing the viewers to become more accepting of it and much less concerned about its negative effects;
cause the viewers to regard rape as a more trivial offense, with men particularly showing major increases of sexual callousness toward women;
increase the viewers' loss of compassion for women as rape victims. In a sense, then, this kind of pornography as male entertainment promotes the victimization of women.
- Dr. Victor Cline, University of Utah


From the above study:

Those who treat pornography victims report that many who are exposed to pornography progress through four stages:

ADDICTION: This addiction of the mind can be as powerful as any drug, alcohol, or cigarette addiction of the body. Flashbacks are also experienced.
ESCALATION: Need for rougher and more sexually shocking material in order to get the same sexual stimulation as before.
DESENSITIZATION: With continued exposure, what at first was gross, shocking and disturbing becomes acceptable and commonplace.
ACTING OUT: There is an increased tendency to start "acting out" the sexual activities seen in the pornography.

On liberal men
“For the last 30 years and more, I have watched liberals in America…try to repackage pornography and prostitution as a hip and groovy thing, a liberating thing, something novel and progressive and good for us all, men and women alike. Allegedly Leftist, Progressive men declare their loyalty (both as customers and partisans) to one of the biggest and most exploitative sweatshop industries of them all. Men who would not be caught dead wearing Reeboks or Nikes, or drinking Starbucks coffee, can still kid themselves into thinking Larry Flynt is some kind of People's Hero.”

-D.A. Clarke in Not For Sale

I realize that there are people who could watch a porn video without much, if any ill effect. But, what about the people in that video? Do you really think that is a good way for anyone to make a living?

I think porn has consequences and implications that people on this board do not want to acknowledge.

http://www.mincava.umn.edu/documents/arpornography/arpo...

As pornography has become more acceptable, both legally and culturally, the level of brutality toward, and degradation of, women has intensified ( Jensen, 2004). As one pornography director put it, "People just want it harder, harder, and harder...what are you gonna do next?" ( Adult Video News, 2003, p. 60). Another director was blunt in describing his task: "ne of the things about today's porn and the extreme market, the gonzo market, so many fans want to see so much more extreme stuff that I'm always trying to figure out ways to do something different. But it seems everybody wants to see a girl doing a d.p. (double penetration) now or a gangbang. For certain girls, that's great, and I like to see that for certain people, but a lot of fans are becoming a lot more demanding about wanting to see the more extreme stuff. It's definitely brought porn somewhere, but I don't know where it's headed from there" (p. 46).