Posted on 12/09/2004 1:16:14 PM PST by Lindykim
Pornography is Anything But a 'Victimless Crime' 12/8/2004 By Cheri Pierson Yecke How many more expert studies do we need to convince ourselves of this fact?
Jud Fry -- one of the characters in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! lives in a shack that is papered with pornographic images. He is a loner, lacks social skills, and is feared by his neighbors. He is clearly capable of murder. This insight into the character of a porn addict hit the Broadway stage in 1943.
Fast forward to 2004. A sexual assault and several attempted abductions of girls in the St. Paul, Minnesota, area are allegedly the work of 19-year-old Ryan Mely, who has been charged (for starters) with second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He apparently was a loner who was feared by his neighbors. Jud Fry is a fictitious character who bought his porn from an itinerant peddler. How did Ryan Mely get his start? Apparently, pornography was a family pastime. While some dads bond with their kids by fishing or playing hockey together, it appears that Mely and his father (a convicted sex offender) shared an interest in pornography. It was reported that sexually explicit material was found at the family home and on their computer.
Is anyone really surprised that pornography is involved here? It has been 60 years since a Broadway musical portrayed what social scientists and criminal analysis have now found to be true -- addiction to pornography can lead to violent sexual behavior. Dr. Victor Cline, a clinical psychologist and expert on sexual addictions, has identified four stages of progression among his patients.
The first stage is addiction, where the attraction to porn is overpowering and the viewer keeps craving more. The next stage is an escalation to more shocking and deviant images, as the earlier ones have lost their power to stimulate. Third is desensitization, where anything earlier seen as disturbing and repulsive becomes viewed as commonplace. Finally, satisfaction cannot be reached unless the perpetrator begins acting out the activities witnessed in the pornography. In effect, fantasy must become reality.
The events in which Mely was allegedly involved appear to follow this pattern. Perhaps the same is true for Alfonso Rodriguez, the man who allegedly abducted and murdered Dru Sjodin. Rodriguez apparently had an infatuation with Dru, who worked at Victoria's Secret, an upscale lingerie shop. On several occasions he allegedly called the store where she worked, asking for her by name.
Victoria's Secret is well known for its racy, soft-porn "fashion show" where voluptuous young models strut the runways in revealing lingerie. The liberal National Organization for Women called it "exploitative" and the conservative Concerned Women for America condemned it as a "high-tech striptease." Regularly protested by both sides of the political spectrum, the company announced in April that it will no longer air this event
The last Victoria's Secret "fashion show" aired on network television November 19, 2003. Dru was abducted three days later. Could it be that Alfonso Rodriguez, a convicted sex offender, watched the show and was propelled into Dr. Cline's fourth stage of sexual deviance? This is a question his judge and jury may consider.
In an interview the night before his 1989 execution, serial killer Ted Bundy revealed the influence of pornography on his life.
A case study for Cline's four stages of addiction, Bundy started his descent into sexual deviance and murder with magazines he found in the neighbor's trash. His addiction escalated until he felt compelled to act out his desires in more than 30 murders that were accompanied with violent sexual acts.
He warned Americans: "There are those loose in [your] towns and communities, like me, whose dangerous impulses are being fueled, day in and day out, by violence in the media, in its various forms -- particularly sexualized violence ... . There are lots of other kids playing in the streets around the country today who are going to be dead tomorrow, and the next day, because other young people are reading and seeing the kinds of things that are available in the media today."
Abundant evidence has demonstrated the tragic impact of pornography. How many more expert studies do we need to convince ourselves of this fact? The elections of 2004 have sent politicians the message that morals matter, so now is the time to focus on the impact of pornography -- the so-called "victimless crime."
Cheri Pierson Yecke is a Distinguished Senior Fellow for Education and Social Policy at the Center of the American Experiment, a conservative think tank in Minneapolis. She is a former Minnesota commissioner of education and is author of The War Against Excellence. This article first appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Used with permission.
Concerned Women for America 1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: (202) 488-7000 Fax: (202) 488-0806 E-mail: mail@cwfa.org
Yeah, it's true that most people who look at porn don't become psycho. However, that doesn't mean that it doesn't have societal effects. The contraceptive mentality, adultery, divorce, and other societal ills are being aided by the effect of pornography on people's relationships.
You're correct in that regard. Different people, for whatever reasons, are more or less susceptible to pornography addiction, just as some are more prone to alcoholism than others.
However, repeated, consistent exposure to pornography does have real, negative consequences, particularly for male/female relationships (e.g. marriage). Psychological studies have proven as much.
See posts #19 and #21.
I don't think they addressed the issue specifically, but I'm pretty sure that the Founding Fathers probably would have had a few choice words for governmental enforcement of moral views.
I'm not saying I agree with Pornography, but what it boils down to is I don't believe we can enforce laws banning it, but it IS our responsibility to point out what's wrong with it, and hope people listen.
Well, they certainly didn't intend the Constitution to prevent them from cheating on their wives (Hamilton) or banging their slaves (Jefferson).
The Declaration of Degradation. Our founders fought to protect our God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of smut. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are weak, base, self-indulgent and vile.
I have a comparison to make in this instance. I think almost all FReepers are concerned with the threat of Islam to our civilization, and are willing to empower our government to defend us against that threat. However, sexual permissiveness in all of its manifestations also threatens our civilization, but the personal freedom argument always seems to "shut people up" on this.
Go to the local County Courthouse. Chat with a DA, and assistant DA, a Baliff, a Judge. Ask them what they think causes most murders -- a list of the things. If one of them even mentions porn -- without you first clueing them -- I'd be surprised.
I just bought Coke from the vending machine. There was no sex involved.
What do I win?
Now, anyone who's ever seen one of their models knows that they all look like emaciated malnourished heroin addicts. There is not one "voluptuous" feature about them, except maybe their botox-laden lips.
I see. It wasn't his fault, Victoria's Secret made him do it. Rodriguez is therefore not responsible for his actions and should be set free.
New evidence shows porns kicks off a chemical addition (pleasure center in the brain, like heroin)linked to behaviorial changes...antisocial, addictive behavior.
I'll look for the news item again.
Ok, tell ya what - the day this country goes against one of the very ideals behind it's foundings, and bans Islam, I'll agree to a federally-mandated ban on Pornography. How's that?
Great idea. Put a bunch of sex addicts into a room together.
Ping
In a free society, people are free to do things you find disgusting, so long as they do not harm others.
The same scoffing could be directed at alcoholics, who often display anti-social behavior. The groups, whether SA or AA are moderated, and anyone who isn't their for support and help are kicked out. It's sad to do that, but until you recognized that you have a problem, you cannot be helped.
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