Freakonomics style Blogger looks at the stats surrounding the consumption of pornography and its social effects. He begins with the undeniable fact that pornography availability and consumption is related to a reduction in sexual crime :
We can dismiss the feminist (and sociological) charges of porn increasing sexual violence and leading to sexism. The USA, Sweden, Germany, Netherlands (2) and Japan were just some of the countries that suddenly went from no legal pornography to quite widespread availability and consumption of it. These studies all found that greater availability of, and exposure to, pornography does not increase the rate of sexual assaults on women, and probably decreases it (3). Japanese porn is quite frequently violent and yet even there rape decreased from an already very low base. It’s interesting that an increase in porn exposure decreases sexual violence only, and has no effect on other crime. Economists would put this down to a substitution effect.
He does admit, however, that porn can undermine certain social and moral values – such as monogamy.
The sociological and religious charge that pornography undermines monogamy and family values does however receive support. From GSS (and controlling for IQ, education, income, age, race and ideology) I found that men who are pro legalizing porn are less likely to marry and are more pro cohabitation. There was no such association for women. A higher propensity to watch porn movies is also associated with a lesser likelihood of marrying but is unrelated to cohabitation attitudes – in both men and women. So a pro porn attitude is consistent with a reduced respect for marriage.
Interestingly, he has something of a answer for that (which femiservatives base their arguments upon, whilst feminists are simply motivated by its truth) :
Typically at this point the therapist says “therefore stop watching porn and learn to be happy with what you have”. The assumption here is that the solution to unhappiness always lies in going back to the pre-shock situation. While this may sometimes be the best option it is not always and necessarily the best option. Sometimes embracing the shock will not only solve the unhappiness but raise the relationship to a new high. For example what if the other partner comes to the party and is willing to try some of the pornographic possibilities? There are some findings that viewing porn together as a couple can provide some shared excitement and adventure, and lead to a more closely bonded and satisfactory relationship. Isn’t that a better result than what the therapist had in mind?
And..
The sociological and religious critique would say, correctly, that porn undermines the value of monogamy, marriage, children and a certain kind of staid vanilla sexuality. However they assume that these things are all indisputably good, or better than the alternatives. The Smart Vote (direction of difference between intelligent and stupid opinion) strongly contradicts that assumption. It says not getting married, cohabiting and having fewer children (both in and out of wedlock) are the smarter things to do….
Monogamy and family values have historically both preserved civilisation and met the sexual needs of women (and, arguably, the mass of beta men who had no sexual alternatives pre-pornography and pre-contraception). This former truth is rapidly becoming redundant, the second stubbornly remains constant.
The mass production of pornography, the invention of the VHS video tape, and then the internet, has given even 40 year old male virgins relatively rich sexual lives. For other men, the pill opened the doors of promiscuity and the bachelor life, the invitation and ability to get laid with a variety of women without having to expect the consequence of a shotgun wedding.
Increasingly, in an ever more populated world with dwindling resources and likely radical extension of life spans, marriage and raising children will likely become a minority activity, or something that most people only do for a fraction of their lives.
This process began with the invention of the pill and the inevitable sexual revolution, but the transition to a society where sex is completely divorced from reproduction has been messy and destabilizing – not least because aging feminists have begun vainly and rabidly to try to put the genie back into the bottle (of course, many second wave feminists actually claimed credit for letting it out).
What makes ‘sexual trade union’ theory optimistic is that quite soon, technology might even solve the problem of the mal-adaptive female sexual needs and disempowerment that drive feminism – including, even, through developments in pornography. Quite soon augmented reality and virtual sex will allow women to appear as whoever they, or their lover, want them to appear. A few decades hence, and rejuvenation therapies will allow 50 year old women to actually become their nubile fresh-faced teenage former selves again. Cosmetic bio-surgery will allow frumpy housewives to look like supermodels…or pornstars. There will likely be drugs developed – ‘female viagras’ – that increase the ability of women to truly enjoy casual sex, without demanding commitment, and without the feelings of regret afterwards. Given that women who take such drugs will enjoy a competitive sexual advantage over other women (in a greatly levelled playing field), doing so will likely become as necessary as the daily mascara and lipstick routine.
Meanwhile, back in the real world of present day post-menopausal sexual jealousy, Raquel Welch has slammed our culture for being obsessed with sex and porn :
She has made a career out of being one of the sexiest women in the world.
But now Raquel Welch has claimed that our culture is saturated with pornography and that everyone is a ‘sex addict’.
The Hollywood legend said that we are so obsessed with sex that that we equate happiness with ‘having as many orgasms as possible’.
She claimed ‘this era of porn’ was responsible – and that men rather than women are exploited because they can’t control their libidos.
Welch’s comments will have a certain irony for a generation of men for whom she has long been a sultry icon.
The 71-year-old has reigned as a sex symbol ever since she emerged from behind a rock wearing a doeskin bikini in the 1966 classic One Million Years BC.
The poster took pride of place on the bedroom walls of millions of adolescent boys and made her a star.
But in an interview with Men’s Health US Welch said: ‘I think we’ve gotten to the point in our culture where we’re all sex addicts, literally.
‘We have equated happiness in life with as many orgasms as you can possibly pack in. I think this era of porn is at least partially responsible for it. Where is the anticipation and the personalisation?
‘It’s an exploitation of the poor male’s libidos. Poor babies, they can’t control themselves.’
Welch, who has been married four times, added that she does not care if people think she is prudish because she is sure she is right.
She said: ‘I don’t care if I’m becoming one of those old fogies who says: ‘Back in my day we didn’t have to hear about sex all the time’.
Notice also her sarcastic statement that it is men who are being exploited (which is, in some senses, perfectly true). I wonder if, as the men’s rights movement continues to grow, that this might become a common tactic of the sexual trade union, and in particular femiservatives ‘sympathetic’ to men’s rights?
As usual, the best comments at the Daily Mail are the worst rated :
Which one of my loyal and esteemed readers is Gorbernt Sheepgood, haha?
