[hotdogg]

a study does not conclude evidence!

i do not care what the so called studies concluded! you can conduct a study and get pretty much any conclusion you want.

also it has already been proven that rape is a crime about power and control over the victim not sex!

and the few porno producers you have homed in on are the ones who make porn for sickos, not all porn producers would make those comments.

you have proved my point that you are an anti porn fruit cake who is closed minded!

[Guest]

"a study does not conclude evidence!"

you're the one who kept asking for studies. why were you so interested in me posting them if you have no faith in their findings?

maybe you could find a study - just one - that concluded that porn was healthy and users did not become desensitized.

"and the few porno producers you have homed in on are the ones who make porn for sickos, not all porn producers would make those comments."

really? why don't you visit the AVN (adult video news) site & check out the most rented top 50 for this week. or last week. or last year.

you'll find that the most rented videos are the ones that - as you said - are for "sickos." just remember, you're the one who called them sickos. not me.

the ones i mentioned happen to be the ones who are selling the most videos. and you say their videos are for sickos.

assuming you are right - what does that tell us about popular porn?

maybe you could find some evidence that contradicts what i've shared with you.

you have proved my point that you are an anti porn fruit cake who is closed minded!

oh. ok.

[hotdogg]

thier is no proof that porn is harmful

The Effects of Exposure to Sexually Explicit Material
Since the 1960s, research has been conducted to assess the effects of exposure to sexually explicit material. Primary attention has been paid to commercially produced materials intended to generate sexual arousal and/or activity in adult audiences. Three components have been of principal interest: (a) the degree of explicitness, (b) whether the material also contains aggression, and (c) whether it depicts women in demeaning and degrading ways.

Types of Materials. Most explicit books, magazines, and videos are marketed to heterosexual men. In recent years, more material has been produced by and for heterosexual women. There is also explicit material for gay men and lesbians, and other distinct groups. Nearly all of the material depicts nudity and explicit sexual acts ("hard core"). Less than 10% of the X-rated or hard-core material contains aggression, and very little of that aggression involves physical violence or rape (1%-3%). Although the volume of hard-core material has increased in recent years, it is no more violent today than in the past. R-rated material contains much more violence, but most R-rated films contain neither full nudity nor explicit sexual acts. Indeed, this material is often not even considered pornographic.

Some of the explicit material (15%-33% depending on the study), shows men in power over women, contains rape myths (e.g., the idea that women are sexually aroused by rough, abusive treatment) or demeans women in some other way. Very often it depicts people engaging in nonmarital, casual sexual encounters involving coitus, oral-genital, and other acts, and contains considerable variety in partners and positions.

Reactions. People vary in response to sexual materials: Some react negatively to all depictions, whereas, others find at least some material acceptable and arousing. Materials that are liked produce more positive emotions and greater sexual arousal than those that are disliked, for both sexes. Nonetheless, sexual arousal may occur even when people are mildly offended. Men tend to respond more positively to the more hard-core and male-dominated material; women tend to react more negatively to this material.

Individuals who hold authoritarian beliefs and have conservative social and religious attitudes tend to experience more sex guilt and react more negatively to explicit materials. Even if they do experience arousal, they judge the material to be undesirable.

Hypermasculine men tend to hold more negative and sexist attitudes toward women. They also are likely to believe that women respond positively to dominant, aggressive men. These men react more positively to scenes of sexual aggression and degrading portrayals of women. Most people, both men and women, respond negatively to this type of material.

Changes in sexual attitudes and sexual behavior. Repeated exposure generally increases tolerance of explicit material and to the behaviors depicted, except for those who start out with negative attitudes. Those who are aroused by the material are likely to engage in sexual acts, such as masturbation or coitus, within a few hours of exposure. Repeated short-term exposure results in increased disinterest and satiation, but after a period of no exposure, the impact is regained.

Attitudes toward women and aggressive behavior. For obvious ethical, moral, and legal reasons, researchers have not conducted experiments to determine whether exposure to material in which high levels of sexual explicitness and violence are both present leads to increased sexual violence. They have, however, looked at whether men with a history of such exposure are more likely to have committed sex crimes. Sex offenders tend to come from restrictive and punitive home environments. Compared to nonoffenders, they have had more undesirable experiences during childhood, including heightened exposure to sexual and physical abuse. Some offenders have had more exposure to explicit materials than other men, but early exposure alone does not increase the risk of becoming a sex offender.

In controlled laboratory research, individuals have been exposed to material containing (a) both aggression and explicit sex, (b) only aggression, and (c) only the sexual material. The results suggest it is exposure to aggression that triggers aggressive behavior. Exposure to sexual material alone does not increase aggression toward women. For most people, aggression and sex are incompatible. For a small percentage of men predisposed to aggression toward women, however, combining sex and aggression does stimulate arousal and aggressive responses.

The impact of exposure to sexist, demeaning material depends on the person's pre-existing attitudes. Under some conditions, those predisposed to negative views become more calloused and accepting of these negative views.

Is Pornography Harmful?
The answer is complex: "It depends." For those who believe that anything fostering more permissive attitudes toward sexuality or that even viewing others engaging in sexual acts is morally wrong, then exposure to explicit sexual material is clearly unacceptable. Others, however, believe that there is nothing wrong with permissive attitudes and being stimulated by explicit materials. Indeed, materials depicting consensual activity have been used in beneficial ways by therapists and educators to reduce anxiety and to improve sexual knowledge, and by individuals and couples to enhance their sexual pleasure.

There is complete agreement that material involving minors or promoting sexual acts with children is unacceptable. Although only a small proportion of explicit material clearly depicts sexual abuse, violence, and exploitation of women, material that promotes such behavior is also condemned. Explicit material blending sex and violence or depicting women in degrading ways may reinforce and possibly increase sexist attitudes and sexual aggression among those who already have those kinds of attitudes.

R-rated materials, although not extremely explicit, are very sexually suggestive, and they are the most violent. They promote sexist attitudes more than the X-rated materials. They are also far more prevalent and more easily accessible to younger, impressionable individuals. Sexist attitudes and violence toward women also are depicted frequently in everyday television fare, and sexual suggestiveness and somewhat explicit material are parts of many commercials. These are seen regularly by even younger audiences. Clearly, young people acquire beliefs and attitudes about men, women, sexuality, and relationships from this material. To the extent that our society views these attitudes as undesirable or harmful, there is reason for concern about such material.

Policy Implications
Exposure to material that contains sexist or violent depictions can promote undesirable attitudes and behaviors. Increased censorship, however, will not be effective in addressing the problems, for three reasons. Firstly, censorship is most often directed toward only the most sexually explicit material, leaving the much more problematic sexist and violent content of R-rated material untouched. Secondly, censorship would not end sexual exploitation or violence. The roots of those behaviors are far deeper in the culture. Sexist, sexually explicit material is more a symptom than a cause of female subordination and sexual violence. Finally, restrictions beyond the existing obscenity laws and protection for minors would create numerous other problems in a free, democratic society. Few sexual scientists judge the evidence as warranting additional restrictions.

Recommended Readings
Davis, C. M., & Bauserman, R. (1993). Exposure to sexually explicit materials: An attitude change perspective. Annual Review of Sex Research, 4, 121-209.
Donnerstein, E. L., & Penrod, S. (1987). The question of pornography: Research findings and policy implications. New York: Free Press.
Fisher, W. A., & Barak, A. (1991). Pornography, erotica, and behavior: More questions than answers. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 14, 65-83.
McCormick, N. B. (1994). Sexual salvation: Affirming women's sexual rights and pleasures. Westport, CT: Praeger.


Written by Clive M. Davis, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Syracuse University and Naomi B. McCormick, Ph.D., Department of Family Studies, University of Northern Iowa.

Series Editor: Edward S. Herold, Ph.D.
Reviewers:
Patricia Aletky, Ph.D.
Carol Pollis, Ph.D.
William Fisher, Ph.D.

Volume 3 (1), 1997

[Guest]

hotdogg.

i'm pleasantly surprised. this is a departure from the typical "shutup! i don't care what you say!" responses i get from you.

don't be offended by that - it's meant as a joke. but seriously. this is great.

give me some time to take it in. maybe i can refute it - or maybe you'll have changed my mind.

[Guest]

ok HD.

now don't think i'm just arguing with you for the sake of arguing. i have thoughtfully read the article. the guy makes several points that are valid - or at least i think they're considerable, although it was written ten years ago (a lot has happened in the wonderful world of porn during the last ten years).

my problems with this article are:

"Since the 1960s, research has been conducted to assess the effects of exposure to sexually explicit material."

this is not a study - but rather it's an article written refering to studies that have been done. not a problem - just want to mention that.

the problem is that the research he's refering to is so varied, it can't be taken as a "lump" like this. it would be like saying, "for the past 4 decades, studies have been done about germs." and then drawing a conclusion.

what studies - who participated? what findings? i'm not splitting hairs - it really does matter.

here's why:

"Less than 10% of the X-rated or hard-core material contains aggression, and very little of that aggression involves physical violence or rape (1%-3%). Although the volume of hard-core material has increased in recent years, it is no more violent today than in the past."

10% of what?? he didn't do a study. where is he drawing this figure from? 10% of videos from a certain decade? a certain company? 10% of video's rented by a certain population?

why would i care? because his statement here doesn't make sense, hotdogg. it contradicts everything any one of us can observe about the porn industry & what it has been producing over the past several years. it also contradicts what the makers of porn are saying about their product.

why would a porn producer admit that he's having to be creative to come up with more extreme material to meet the demands of fans - if it wasn't true? it's an indictment of what antiporn people have argued for years: that people crave harder stuff. a porn produxcer would NEVER concede that point if he didn't have to.

to say that porn is no more violent and/or degrading today than it was in the past is to ignore blatant evidence to the contrary. again, even producers of this stuff aren't that ******.

"For obvious ethical, moral, and legal reasons, researchers have not conducted experiments to determine whether exposure to material in which high levels of sexual explicitness and violence are both present leads to increased sexual violence."

not true. this research HAS been done - and it was not allowed to be repeated because the effects were so detrimental to the particpants.

"Although only a small proportion of explicit material clearly depicts sexual abuse, violence, and exploitation of women..."

i guess i'm a broken record - but, again, this directly contradicts what anyone can observe for themselves, simply by visiting a local adult rental place.

if this were true, how do we account for the degrading dvd's that are consistently in the top 50 most rented lists generated by AVN?

if it is a small percentage (again, this guy didn't do any research - so, small in comparison to what??), then it still is the most rented/bought stuff - which menas that it is the most consumed by viewers.

the porn industry would be the first in the history of capitalism to ever produce smaller amounts of what is selling the most. typically, companies make the most of what the market indicates people want the most of - ie, what they buy the most.

since it is evident that people buy the deghrading stuff the most (see AVN), i can't believe this guy's statement that the degrading stuff is only a small part of porn. that makes no sense.

"Exposure to material that contains sexist or violent depictions can promote undesirable attitudes and behaviors."

this is the best statement the authors make. hotdogg, can we agree on this statement? just this statement?

let's forget everything else - do you agree that eposure to material that contains sexist or violent depictions can promote undesirable attitudes and behaviors.

[hotdogg]

first of all i never said it was a study!

it is much better than a study it looks at so much more, like the whole picture!

personally i will go with the information that i have found, i watch porn i have never been drawn to harder stuff like you predict will happen, i know what i like and i know what i do not like.

every man i have known looks at porn and i have never seen them treating women badly!

porn does not turn someone bad they were bad to begin with.

[Guest]

OK, but hotdogg:

do you agree that "exposure to material that contains sexist or violent depictions can promote undesirable attitudes and behaviors"?

[hotdogg]

i believe that a person who is already violent and abusive would be reinforced by watching abusive and violent images, but that would also include many 18 rated movies, not just porn movies.

[rachel-816]

i definately think what he did was cheating. some women like to say thats just what guys do, but no. if you dont think that a certan behavior is acceptable then dont accept it. there are respectful men out there.

[hotdogg]

lol! if you think that watching porn is cheating you have issues!