The Negative Effects of Porn (May be NSFW)
 

I know many of you are avid pornography lovers, which is all well and good. But there are many people have become obsessed with it, to eventually develop and addiction to porn. It can ruin relationships and their mental health if it isn't dealt with. Now I understand it does not mean everyone who watches porn will become addicted to it in an highly unhealthy way, but don't you think it's becoming a problem? It is so easy to access, especially for free!

Article on the increase in porn addiction:

Porn addiction increases across the country

Interesting Statistics

1. Every second - $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography.
2. Every second - 28,258 internet users are viewing pornography.
3. Every second - 372 internet users are typing adult search terms into search engines.
4. Every 39 minutes: a new pornographic video is being created in the United States.

Adult Internet Pornography Statistics

1. Men admitting to accessing pornography at work: 20%
2. US adults who regularly visit Internet pornography websites: 40 million
3. Promise Keeper men who viewed pornography in last week: 53%
4. Christians who said pornography is a major problem in the home: 47%
5. Adults admitting to Internet sexual addiction: 10%
6. Breakdown of male/female visitors to pornography sites: 72% male - 28% female

And even more interesting:

Women and Pornography

Women keeping their cyber activities secret: 70%
Women struggling with pornography addiction: 17%
Ratio of women to men favoring chat rooms: 2X
Percentage of visitors to adult websites who are women: 1 in 3 visitors
Women accessing adult websites each month: 9.4 million
Women admitting to accessing pornography at work: 13%
Women, far more than men, are likely to act out their behaviors in real life, such as having multiple partners, casual sex or affairs.

Source

Statistics are from credible sources according to the article, but the main point is to see that a lot of people are really affected by porn.

The second part of this thread is to discuss the effect on porn stars in the industry. Many of the stars abuse drugs, alcohol and catch STI's. Here is a 5 part video of Shelley's story as a ex-porn star and what she had dealt with. The video can be religious as times, but it's what worked for her, so please don't get in a huff about it. If you can't be bothered watching the whole thing perhaps watch the first and second parts.

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:



Part 4:



Part 5:



What is your opinion on the effect of porn? Do you believe it negatively affects porn stars mental and physical health? Is the porn industry ruining lives by sucking people in? Or is it really a choice for people to get into it or get out? Is it really worth doing when an alarming number of stars get chlamydia, herpes and HIV?

A particular question I have is, do you actually think women enjoy it? Do you know that they spend hundreds of hours filming the shots and they have to hold positions for ages?

i only know my hands shake if i choke the monkey too much

and my cock ring hurts

i'm hardly a porn addict, though, it's controllable

only problem i have these days is that i'm feeling more and more ennui for the conventional stuff and my tastes have become rater eccentric

and no worries about the health of porn stars, i'm hardly into hardcore porn and more into objectification and voyeurism (which might be worse, depending on your point of view)

When are you addicted to porn? When you have to watch porn? That sounds so weird to me.

yo son, if you jerk off to porno flick bitches a least you dont get burned wif gonnorhea (twice) an have some kracka doc stick a ****in qtip down your dick an have to take 2 weeks of cipro just to get rid of that ****, goddamit.

Does my obsession with Japanese girls licking doorknobs count as an addiction to pornography?

Moderator cut: image removed

yeah, that too

You're back? Haha, awesome!

Dirt McGirt :laughing: champion.

About the effect on actors, I believe the specifics vary widely on a case to case basis. Some may have gotten into it because of a history of abuse while that's not true for others. Some may become exploited by cynical producers while others are not. I know there are female porn actors who have gone on to produce their own movies and becoming more so part of the industry than before when they just acted and I guess that shows they are into it willingly. Perhaps women producing porn are more sensitive to other female actors in movies, so that could be a good thing.

There are undoubtedly a dark side to porn. Generally speaking, I guess the more unknown/cheaper the production, the darker it is.

As for the consumers, I think it can be unhealthy. As an example, I worry that niche porn which features the sexualization of very young girls (common in Japan) can help enable pedophilia. For normal porn which includes consenting adults not doing anything very dangerous, I'm not too worried.

i think it's even harder for the men - they get paid like 1/10th of what the women get, if they're doing straight porn - even when they do gay porn, they only somewhat reach the salary of the women if they play the passive part

if women has to hold positions, the men have to hold erections - i've seen documentary footage where often chemicals are used or other bizarre methods to sustain erections - i don't think most men in the porn industry enjoy it that much

What about the fact that a lot of porn stars are prostitutes as well? They don't get paid much and are often forced to perform sexual acts that they didn't want to do. The sets are filthy, the same furniture is used over and over which is incredibly unsafe.

I'm not sure what you're asking. Do you want to know if I acknowledge the existence of such stuff or are you asking how I feel about it? I already acknowledged there is a dark side to porn.

Well I guess I just wanted to enlighten you.

I think no one would dispute the fact that there's a lot of crap related to that industry.

On a side note, if anyone's interested, I got a bit curious about what porn actors would say about their careers and found a lighthearted and seemingly honest interview with a porn actress who was only in it for 6 months before she quit. She highlights some good sides to porn as well as some bad and overall, it's a fun read. :)

Interview with a Former Porn Star

^^yeah, that's pretty funny

she seems to be taking everything in with good stride

(i dunno how i come up with these puns, most of it is actually unintentional)

Are there not laws against that? I was under the impression Japan outlawed content that depicted minors a while back.

i think he means "hentai" - underaged sex can still be depicted in cartoon form

It demeans and objectifies women, which is highly unfortunate. It's a pastime that I wish society would overcome.

well, pornography is prohibited here, but there is no censorship on the Internet and there are pirated porn for sale everywhere

Yeah, not gonna happen. Porn is just one of those things that's morally ambiguous, but will never go away, like alcohol. So, you've just gotta get used to it.

That was a defensive retort. Did I push a button?

its on tv in stores online not to mention they play it on HBO like everynight.. dont sleep with the tv on just saying

It wasn't defensive. Just sayin'.

Well, if everyone treats the topic with the same white-male attitude that you just have, I can see it's a futile discussion to be having, and I'll be on my merry way. :)

Some women absolutely love the attention, I think. There are always going to be very visual-leaning type of people (male body builders, female porn stars...even male porn stars, I guess) and then there's everybody else. If porn can help somebody relieve some frustration rather than going out and stalking (maybe potentially taking it further than that), then I'm all for it.

I get annoyed with how dirty and shameful most cultures have made sex. It's a vital part of human - actually make that any creature's - existence. It should be celebrated. There would be a lot less dysfunction if it were.

Personally, I support porn. Most days I have my girl...when we are apart I have porn. Guys have to relieve the tension regularly. I see no issue with it.

Ahh good ol' southeast Asia. I remember many a trip across the bridge to JB for some bootlegged porn VCD's. And gum.

Obsessions/Addictions are not good, but doing something you enjoy, often, certainly is.

Do you mean that by the fact that you enjoy something, it makes it right? Many people enjoy smoking, but it's bad for them, ultimately filling their lungs with tar and limiting their ability to breathe properly.
As such, there is the possible emotional damage with porn - breaking up relationships and generally becoming addicted to something which has the potential to damage the way you see love.

Kids who grow up watching porn are likely to have very different ways of viewing sex, and probably changing the way they act as well.


This is true, in Japan there seems to be some sort of revulsion against pubic hair (personally, I hate it), but considering it offensive makes as much sense as being offended by the sight of any other functional part of the body.

Clearly, according to the stats posted by Vanilla in the first post, watching porn is something both men and women do. So instead of just focusing on the possibility porn has of breaking up couples, isn't it something a couple can also enjoy together?

If it's done in the right way.

There's porn out there that neither objectifies or humiliates either sex that's designed to be enjoyed by both sexes. It's probably in the minority but it is there.

It's also futile to have a discussion with someone who has no desire to discuss, but has already made up their mind based, most likely, on preconceived prejudices, and just wants to shame everyone who believes differently.

Oh, and nice passive aggressive emoticon BTW.

Yeah, exactly. If I start watching something and it starts to involve really aggressive slapping or choking, my mood is immediately killed. I really can't get into that ****. I like watching porn where it appears both sides are satisfied.

Have you ever tried watching something like that with your partner? Would you be comfortable doing something like that?

I don't mind slapping an ass here and there, but choking just doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.

If my partner was into it and wanted to watch it, I guess I would...but I don't think I would enjoy it. I definitely still wouldn't DO it.

Awww no, I don't mean the weird violent stuff: I am referring to when you talked about porn where both people seemed to be happy and enjoying the experience. If that's the case, watching it with your partner ought to be OK, surely, and shouldn't really be awkward or discomforting?

Indeed :)

I suppose my personal opinion is that relationships are personal and important, and I feel a lot of porn is cheapening that and making something which ought to be private and the most special part of a relationship public and very impersonal. We never know anything about the people we see in porn, which for me is a bit uncomfortable: I never like the distinction between loving someone and wanting to have sex with someone.

This is again, merely my explanation of why I'm uncomfortable with it, and the test is to watch it with someone else. Don't think I'm trying to tell you that you're evil or anything, I accept that the OP was right about the uncertainty of it all.

This is exactly what I was going to say!

Porn's great isn't it?

When you're in a long term relationship/marriage with someone, you don't necessarily want to make love every time you have sex. To put it in crude terms, sometimes you both just want to fuck. To keep it interesting, I think people should have a relaxed relationship with sex and an open mind - as long as it's consensual and doesn't flirt with outright illegal stuff. As such, I think enjoying porn together can be a good way to mix/spice things up in a relationship. If both go into it willingly with an open mind and can laugh about it, then I don't see why it should hurt a couple.

I saw a mention of animated porn with minors in this thread. It's a-ok in Japan, but people who have "lolicon" type stuff in the US can actually be prosecuted and pretty much put in the slammer. Did I mention we are talking about drawings?

ps. my brain feels like pudding, so sorry if this isn't up to par MB's standards for grammar.

To each his or her own. I look for a certain degree of openness in regards to sex in my partner, so it usually goes to say that we both can enjoy porn. To me, it just serves to get us both in the mood. Or to try new things. It's like when you are watching a movie with a sex scene or even just really attractive actors and you both get turned on. Porn is just the next level.

This.