Porn Myths: “Porn is an outlet or safety valve for men who might otherwise do Bad Things”


Some people have suggested that porn shops are a safe place to help people relieve their impulses. Research suggests that, on the contrary, porn can “decrease sensitivity to the crime of rape” and “increase the acceptance of violence against women”. Here is information adapted from oneangrygirl.net.

“The relationship between particularly sexually violent images in the media and subsequent aggression…is much stronger statistically than the relationship between smoking and lung cancer.”

–Researcher Edward Donnerstein
Despite the obvious growth of all kinds of porn during the last few decades, reported rapes increased 500% between 1960-2004.

Consider the 1996 murder of Kristen Crowley, aged 27 when she died.

Crowley was murdered by two men leaving a strip club in Peabody, Massachusetts.

Timothy Dykens and John Keegan had enjoyed an evening at the “Golden Banana” when they encountered their victim at a Mobil Mini-Mart off the highway.

Observing Crowley, one of the drunken men commented that he “wanted a piece of that.” His friend responded, “You know what we’ve got to do.” The mini-mart clerk heard these comments, saw them leave after her, but decided not to call the police.

The two ex-Marines followed Crowley to her condo door, dragged her into the woods, tried to rape her, dug up a 35-pound boulder, then smashed her head in with it. Dykens is now serving a life sentence without parole for her murder, while Keegan is eligible for parole in 10 years (his lawyer established that he was too drunk to lift the boulder).

Ironically, it turned out that Kristen Crowley was a part-time stripper who worked bachelor parties and such.

Nevertheless, she was murdered by the very sort of men she was paid to work her magic upon, so their impulses could be extinguished safely. For another account of crime tied to porn, click here.

Here are summary findings from ten porn-related laboratory experiments. These studies show that viewing both violent and non-violent pornography can:


  • increase the acceptance of rape myths
  • increase male aggression toward females
  • decrease sensitivity to the crime of rape
  • predispose willingness to rape
  • increase the acceptance of violence against women
  • decrease support for women’s rights
  • alter perceptions of “common” sexual behavior
  • decrease sexual satisfaction with self and partner
See more details about these studies.

One thought on “Porn Myths: “Porn is an outlet or safety valve for men who might otherwise do Bad Things”

  1. I agree. the availability of pornography is not a free speech issue, its an issue of HATE speech, and it negatively impacts on the civil rights of women. capital video’s porn shop will make women’s lives in northampton less safe in many ways.

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