Porn likes to present itself as the embodiment of fun and freedom. For many, the reality is the opposite. David Mura writes in “A Male Grief: Notes on Pornography and Addiction”, from Men Confront Pornography (1990, p.125-126)…
The addiction to pornography is not fun. Underneath all the assertions of liberty and “healthy fun” lie the desperation and anxiety, the shame and fear, the loneliness and sadness, that fuel the endless consumption of magazines and strip shows, x-rated films, visits to prostitutes. If addicts portray themselves as hedonists or carefree, this portrayal is belied in those moments and feelings they do not let anyone else see…
One defense of pornography is that it defies repression and therefore represents an act of freedom. Such a defense ignores the repression that takes place within the world of pornography, for the pornographic world is so limited that to list what it leaves out would require an endless encyclopedia.
The libertarian defense of pornography also misconstrues the nature of freedom. The defense argues that freedom is the liberty to do anything to anybody. But this defense ignores the fact that nowhere in this world can such liberty exist for everyone. In particular, certain acts require an abuser and a victim, and in such acts, to possess the liberty to play the abuser, one must deny another the freedom to be anything but a victim.
While I deeply sympathize with people trying to overcome this addiction, there’s a difference between giving people a venue for indulging in a legal vice and peddling an addiction. Do you criticize the liquor store by the Stop and Shop because some members of our community are alcoholics? Do all people who frequent that liquor store become alcoholics?
I’d also remind you that there was a porn shop right next to the Iron Horse for years run by two very nice and responsible women, and Northampton hardly descended to the level of Sodom and Gomorrah for their being there.
We have amply documented how Capital Video is different from, say, Oh My. I’m not saying it’s impossible to sell erotica responsibly, but Capital Video is far from doing it.
The dangers of porn addiction appear to be much less known than the dangers of alcoholism, so our job is to publicize them. If people have greater awareness about the harms, that might help them avoid addiction.
There’s no ‘message’ to alcohol, but much of porn clearly conveys harmful messages about ills like infidelity, abuse and incest–it makes them sexy. It’s hard to see how this can lead to a good result. You don’t have to advocate censorship to say businesspeople should avoid profiting from material like this.