While I was getting some writing done recently, I had the television on and an episode Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was on. It was actually a pretty interesting episode entitled “Smut” and because of what we talk about on this site, I’m sure you can see just what caught (and held) my attention.
Anyway, a serial rapist had a lawyer who was actually attempting to use his addiction to porn as a defense for his crimes. To some of you, that might seem a bit of a stretch, but I actually know a woman who was brutally (and I mean brutally) murdered several years ago by a 15-year-old who was addicted to snuff films. (Yeah, porn doesn’t get too much more disturbing—or demonic—than snuff films.) However, there were a few things that were stated in the episode that I found myself jotting down and now I want to pitch out to you gals (and guys) to get your thoughts:
“Porn is like alcohol. Some people can watch a little bit of it and not be affected while for others, it turns into a full-on addiction.”
“Porn makes women want to look like hookers and teaches men that rape is OK.”
“The brain’s chemical response to the images in porn can be as addictive as a drug.”
“Porn takes away the complications [of a having an actual relationship].”
If you’re curious to know what I think about these statements, it’s this:
As far as the alcohol comparison, the main thing I feel someone needs to think about before watching porn is their motive. Why would you want to watch two (or three or 12) people having sex with one another? What are you wanting that experience to do for you? When you get to the root of that answer, I’m not sure you can say that there’s a way you can watch it and not be affected. Eh hem, infected. Motive reveals a lot.
Porn/hookers/rape. First of all, I used to watch porn and while it definitely had its influence on me, it didn’t cause me to want to look like the women in the porn. As a matter of fact, a lot of them look more like Barbie dolls than real people and that kind of freaked me out, so I’m not sure about it making women (or at least all women) want to look like hookers. Although I will say that if you use that as a gage for what’s sexy, you might end up with some bowling balls for breasts rather than being happy with what God gave you. And as far as rape? Well, I already shared the story about someone who connected porn and rape to his horrific crime. Still, not all people who watch porn are rapists. I will pose this, though: I’m not sure how many people who watch porn are selfless, gentle and attentive lovers “in real life.” After all, porn is so selfish so how could it help you to connect with your mate? But again, I’ll wait for y’all on that one.
Porn has a chemical response to the brain. There’s science to support that. No dog in the fight there.
Porn takes away complications. In other words, porn takes the humanity out of sex. There’s no caring about someone else’s feelings or needs. There’s no looking to be intimate. It’s basically about doing what dogs do when they’re in heat: getting a release. And here’s the thing. When God made sex, I’m pretty sure that he had a lot more in mind for us than “being in heat”. God and sex deserve more respect than that.
That’s my two cents but again, I’m curious to hear what you think. In the meantime, I’ll say this: The episode gave me even more to think about. Although a lot of people seem to think that porn is not “all that bad,” I continue to see evidence to the contrary.
How about you?