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The Question of Pornography & Society

Why is that discussion political and this one isn't?

just askin'
I think it was because it would've gotten lost in the shuffle over there; you know we talk about everything there. :lol:
 
Consider Before Consuming: SHAWN BLYMILLER, RECOVERING SEX ADDICT, YOGI, HUSBAND, & FATHER
Shawn is a husband, father, yogi, and a student of overall wellness. He is also a recovering sex and porn addict. After being exposed to pornography at a very young and impressionable age, Shawn found himself grappling with addiction before he had the chance to learn about healthy sexuality. Despite his efforts to quit and even after confiding in his wife, Shawn struggled with his compulsion to watch porn. Eventually, his addiction escalated to having affairs with multiple women. Hear podcast host Garrett Jonsson and Shawn discuss how his addiction escalated over time and how his wife and him have since taken steps toward recovery, both for Shawn and their marriage.

 
Consider Before Consuming: HEIDI OLSON, SEXUAL ASSAULT NURSE EXAMINER (SANE)
Trigger warning: This episode contains graphic depictions of child sex abuse- listener discretion is advised.

Full disclosure: the topics discussed in this episode are heavy, but absolutely essential to consider when it comes to protecting children in our community. In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, we sat down with Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Heidi Olson. Heidi works specifically with children at a children’s hospital in Kansas City near the border of Kansas and Missouri. Fully expecting to be dealing with cases where adults were the perpetrators, Heidi was shocked to see that, in 2017, almost half of the perpetrators who walked through her hospital’s doors were minors. After learning more about what pornography is like today and how easy it is for a child to access it on their devices, Heidi describes to podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, “all of the dots started to connect in my mind…a lot of these young perpetrators are being exposed to mainstream pornography and they are acting out what they are seeing.” Listen as Heidi explains the risk of kids becoming victims and perpetrators of sexual assault due to exposure of pornography, and learn what we can do as members of society to combat this rampant issue.
 
Consider Before Consuming: CLAIRE, ACTIVIST & RECOVERED COMPULSIVE PORN CONSUMER
Think porn is just a “guy” problem? Think again. This week’s conversation is with Claire, a former compulsive porn consumer and anti-porn activist. Claire stumbled across porn at a young age, and what started as a natural curiosity of human sexuality turned into something else completely—a compulsive behavior to watch more and more explicit content, in more hardcore versions. It wasn’t until she was in high school, when her dad brought home some information he learned from a live presentation by Fight the New Drug, that she realized she struggled with pornography. Even then, she kept her compulsion a secret. She now describes how she is “grateful” her parents caught her when she was sixteen, and perhaps even more so for their loving reaction. Listen to Claire and podcast host Garrett Jonsson swap stories about their individual struggles, and learn how Claire has found her way from feeling shame about her struggles to freedom in her story recovery.
 
Hopping into this thread thinking someone would defend porn as some sort of "artistic expression" or "practicing their freedom of speech" or whatever buzzwords they'd throw to make it sound empowering.

Holy shit these headlines are depressing.

Reminds me of the term "EPI" floating around the circles I'm in. Sucks to be in any online fandom without fan nerds defending pornification of their special interest as "normal".
 
But men will think about naked women, but the Bible explains it's not wrong until it turns into an obsession.
This. Basically! Honest discussion with this is rare in online spaces nowadays. I can't even argue against it (porn) without ad hominem coming in my way
 
Sucks to be in any online fandom without fan nerds defending pornification of their special interest as "normal".
#Rule34. :o

Anyway.....
Consider Before Consuming: MARISOL NICHOLS - ACTRESS, ACTIVIST, & FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SLAVERY FREE WORLD
You may know Marisol Nichols as Hermione Lodge in the hugely popular Warner Bros and Netflix critically-acclaimed hit television series Riverdale. To some, the Chicago native is an actress, but to others she’s a hero. After learning about the rampant issue of human trafficking, Marisol has worked with law enforcement and state and federal legislators for over a decade to help catch child sexual predators and human traffickers by going undercover. She also founded Foundation for a Slavery Free World, a non-profit that produces events in Hollywood to raise awareness on trafficking and awards individuals and other non-profit groups for their heroic work in this field.

You can learn more about Foundation for a Slavery Free World at www.slaveryfreeworld.org and connect with Marisol on Instagram at @marisolnichols.
 
Pornography had dangerous addiction properties, aside from just any moral and/or religious objections.

I find it boring myself, but then again, I'm at an advanced age where I have to eat certain foods just have high enough testosterone.

The fact of the matter remains that pornography can be extremely addictive. It actually stimulates dopamine and other neurotransmitters in the brain in such a way, that it becomes impossible to escape the addiction. I think that these politicians should have thought about it earlier. The irreversible damage has now been done.
 
I don’t think the conversation around this topic gets anywhere when it’s framed as “support it or ban it.” The reality is that when a controversial industry is pushed into the shadows, the problems surrounding it usually get worse, not better. If something is driven off mainstream, moderated platforms, people, including minors, don’t stop looking for it. They just end up finding the unregulated, unmoderated corners of the internet where there are no safeguards at all.

What makes this even harder is that we don’t seem able to have a mature, realistic public conversation about the subject. Government discussions tend to swing between extremes, and communities often treat the entire topic as taboo. The result is an industry that operates with very little structural support, oversight, or accountability. That vacuum is exactly where exploitation and abuse thrive. If banning something actually solved those issues, the illegal side of the sex trade wouldn’t be as widespread as it is today.

Addiction is another part of the conversation that gets flattened. It’s a real issue, but we don’t handle it consistently. We condemn one type of addictive behavior while casinos and sports betting run ads that are basically designed to trigger compulsive habits. Making something illegal has never been an effective cure for addiction; we’ve seen that with drugs, gambling, and alcohol. Restriction without support just pushes people toward more dangerous versions of the same behavior.

So for me, the question isn’t “should this exist,” but “does banning it actually fix anything, or does it remove the few safeguards we currently have and create something worse?” If we can’t talk about the topic honestly, we can’t fix the problems surrounding it. And the honest truth is that porn is here and full of problems, and simply banning it will not remove that part.
 
Consider Before Consuming: CAROLYN WEST, PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR, FILMMAKER, AUTHOR, SPEAKER, & DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EXPERT
Dr. Carolyn M. West is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Washington where she teaches courses on human sexuality, family violence, sex crimes, and sexual violence. She is nationally recognized for her scholarship on gender-based violence in the lives of African American women and specializes in domestic violence, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. During Dr. West’s 30 years in the field of healthy sexuality and racial equality, she has traveled internationally to consult, lecture, and deliver training seminars on topics related to intimate partner violence and sexual assault. Dr. Carolyn West sat down to talk with Consider Before Consuming podcast host, Garrett Jonsson, to discuss the role pornography plays in perpetuating racism and sexual violence. Listeners can also learn more about her documentary, “Let Me Tell Ya’ll ’Bout Black Chicks: Images of Black Women in Pornography.” You can find Dr. Carolyn West at DrCarolynWest.com.
 
The fact of the matter remains that pornography can be extremely addictive. It actually stimulates dopamine and other neurotransmitters in the brain in such a way, that it becomes impossible to escape the addiction. I think that these politicians should have thought about it earlier. The irreversible damage has now been done.
Porn has been around for thousands & thousands of years. It goes as far back as Ancient Rome.
"Pornography existed in Ancient Rome, though viewed differently; evidence includes erotic frescoes in Pompeii, phallic imagery of gods like Priapus, brothel tokens depicting sex acts (like the Putney Disk), and a widespread sex industry with low-status prostitutes, showing that while social norms existed, explicit depictions and practices were common and documented, even influencing later art.
Forms of Roman "Pornography":
  • Erotic Art: Excavations in Pompeii and Herculaneum reveal extensive erotic frescoes and mosaics in homes, bathhouses, and brothels (lupanaria), depicting various sexual acts openly.
  • Phallic Imagery: Statues and depictions of Priapus, the god of fertility and gardens, often with prominent phalluses, served as symbols of protection, luck, and sometimes explicit decoration, according to Wikipedia.
  • Brothel Tokens: Artifacts like the Putney Disk (a first-century AD bronze disk) show explicit scenes and were used as tokens or currency within the sex industry, notes New York Times / Archive.
  • Literary References: Roman texts sometimes describe sexual acts, though often within specific contexts of satire, mythology, or as a reflection of societal views on sexuality.
 
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