Legislating Internet Porn

[whoami]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

Well, I never saw a single porn magazine when I was growing up; not at my house, and not at my friend's houses. The one time I did see a pornographic video was a Japanese anime film that one of our neighbors was watching while I played with her daughter. I was shocked, and left the house--I think I was about 13. I never told my parents.

So I understand that porn has always existed, and has always been accessible to some extent. However, it has NEVER been as accessible as it is now, and yes, there are free sites that offer streaming porn. I won't list the link here, but I'm aware of at least one in particular.

I DO agree that online, you pretty much get what you go searching for. However, I would like it if my children couldn't access it even if they went searching for it. We have good filters on their computers, but as they get older, that interferes with research and access to some sites they actually need, so I sometimes have to turn the filters off. *sigh*

I realize that at some point they will probably be exposed to it, but I'm not happy about that, and I certainly don't view it as some sort of *harmless* part of growing up. Hard core and fetish pornography is a twisted representation of sex between a married couple, and further, I think sexuality should be explored in the marital bed; not online or in magazines with pictures and videos of someone besides your spouse. I am completely against couples using pornographic images and videos to "spice up" their love life, and it always shocks me when Christians find these types of things acceptable.

But, I digress.

I'm suspicious of the government's motives in this as well, because we certainly don't want them filtering out other sites that they deem politically incorrect, etc. Hoovie's right; if private companies would handle the opt-in process, that would be a superior option. That said, I'm in support of the idea.

Totally agree. I like the idea, not so sure about our government's capability to carry it out without using the opportunity.

[Socialite]

Originally Posted by Aquila

How exactly does porn work like a drug? Can someone elaborate? I want to know what is meant by this idea because I had a question fielded to me on this once.

The same way drug and alcohol addiction work.

A chemical is released in the brain (actually several): dopamine, norepinephrine and phenylethylamine. These work together like an amphenmine high... the taboo of certain things increases these endorphins, and this is the difference between sex addiction and porn/immoral acts comes into play.

Sexual addiction is best described as a progressive intimacy disorder characterized by compulsive sexual thoughts and acts. Like all addictions, its negative impact on the addict and on family members increases as the disorder progresses. Over time, the addict usually has to intensify the addictive behavior to achieve the same results.

For some sex addicts, behavior does not progress beyond compulsive masturbation or the extensive use of pornography or phone or computer sex services. For others, addiction can involve illegal activities such as exhibitionism, voyeurism, obscene phone calls, child molestation or rape.

Sex addicts do not necessarily become sex offenders. Moreover, not all sex offenders are sex addicts. Roughly 55 percent of convicted sex offenders can be considered sex addicts.

About 71 percent of child molesters are sex addicts. For many, their problems are so severe that imprisonment is the only way to ensure society’s safety against them.

The deceit of porn is intimacy on a "quick fix." It's phony. Fantasy. Addicts tend to lose track of reality and act out in "fantastic" ways. It harms their social life, their family life and usually ends pretty bad. For a male sex addict, it can greatly hinder his sexual performance with his wife as well. This is why some men bring porn into the relationship, arguing that it's a good thing. In reality it satisfied temporarily but usually things continue to worsen from here.

[Twisp]

Originally Posted by Hoovie

I have the same concerns as some others concerning what might BECOME when the government gets power...

Here is the deal though... I think this is a great feature. It need not be the government implementing it. If my local internet service provider had this as an option, I would want it!

I want to see this done on the private level with the free market running it - not a mandated government/bureaucratic power grab.

Oh yeah, if it were local ISPs offering this as an option, that would make more sense. Although, I would want it more as a opt-out option, rather than an opt-in option. I would want it to be a free flow of internet traffic standard, and then each customer has the ability to opt-out of questionable content, if they so choose.

Of course, you still get into the tricky issue of someone else deciding what is questionable and what is not. Still, I could see this being feasible for ISPs, allowing you to opt-out.

[ILG]

Originally Posted by Twisp

Have you tried looking it up? I am sure you could google it. Perhaps that would help your analogies.

Here is a good jumping off point for you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornogr...tates#Legality

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_s...#United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_test

Nah, I'm comfortable with the analogy, personally.

As many here have said, it's a nice idea but a slippery slope in the hands of the government. It could work, it might work, but it could be an open door for lots of regulation.

I was discussing this with my (adult) kids at lunch and my daughter brought up the point "what is pornography? Is is nude photos on facebook"? I thought that was an excellent point, because if you have to "opt in" to use facebook....this would just give the govenrment an open door to regulation but would be worthless in reality.

[Twisp]

Originally Posted by ILG

Nah, I'm comfortable with the analogy, personally.

As many here have said, it's a nice idea but a slippery slope in the hands of the government. It could work, it might work, but it could be an open door for lots of regulation.

I was discussing this with my (adult) kids at lunch and my daughter brought up the point "what is pornography? Is is nude photos on facebook"? I thought that was an excellent point, because if you have to "opt in" to use facebook....this would just give the govenrment an open door to regulation but would be worthless in reality.

Agreed. Who gets to decide what is acceptable and what is not? People have different moral viewpoints.

[ILG]

Originally Posted by Twisp

Agreed. Who gets to decide what is acceptable and what is not? People have different moral viewpoints.

Well, that's the whole problem in a nutshell plus the fact that the government often uses things like this as an excuse to gain control.

[NotforSale]

Originally Posted by Socialite

The same way drug and alcohol addiction work.

A chemical is released in the brain (actually several): dopamine, norepinephrine and phenylethylamine. These work together like an amphenmine high... the taboo of certain things increases these endorphins, and this is the difference between sex addiction and porn/immoral acts comes into play.

The deceit of porn is intimacy on a "quick fix." It's phony. Fantasy. Addicts tend to lose track of reality and act out in "fantastic" ways. It harms their social life, their family life and usually ends pretty bad. For a male sex addict, it can greatly hinder his sexual performance with his wife as well. This is why some men bring porn into the relationship, arguing that it's a good thing. In reality it satisfied temporarily but usually things continue to worsen from here.

Excellent response. I wrote a book on this subject, and the sex addict is no different than a drug addict.

As with all addictions, progression is the real danger. An extreme case would be Ted Bundy. He was executed 1/24/1989 for at least 28 murders. He apparently confessed to 50, but some believe it was a 100 or more. His home life was a Christian one, with good parents and a stable environment, but one day he found a magazine. He said this about his family, "I grew up in a wonderful home with two dedicated and loving parents, as one of 5 brothers and sisters. We, as children, were the focus of my parent’s lives. We regularly attended church. My parents did not drink or smoke or gamble. There was no physical abuse or fighting in the home."

The addict will find satisfaction in the small doses (Pictures/magazines/film) at first. These will suffice in the beginning, but soon the pictures and self gratification don't soothe the pain any longer; the acting out stage will eventually snare the addict. He/She will begin to need more to get the same affect. In other words, tolerance numbs the current experience so the individual must find a deeper experience for the same affect.

Ted Bundy told James Dobson before he died that the society which allowed the very magazines he found in a dumpster, starting this addictive trend, was now putting him to death. He said this, "As we have been talking, there are forces at loose in this country, especially this kind of violent pornography, where, on one hand, well-meaning people will condemn the behavior of a Ted Bundy while they’re walking past a magazine rack full of the very kinds of things that send young kids down the road to being Ted Bundys. That’s the irony."

Here is a link to the interview;

http://www.pureintimacy.org/piArticles/A000000433.cfm

Here is a video of that interview. This will break your heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAHgJFPcOvY

[houston]

Originally Posted by ILG

At the library where I work, I've seen people watching streaming porn. I didn't see them whipping out a credit card. I have seen juveniles watching it.

Right. There are free sites. Allthe kids have to do is click the little box that says "I am 18 yrs old or older." The honor ...system. :-/

[ILG]

Originally Posted by NotforSale

Excellent response. I wrote a book on this subject, and the sex addict is no different than a drug addict.

As with all addictions, progression is the real danger. An extreme case would be Ted Bundy. He was executed 1/24/1989 for at least 28 murders. He apparently confessed to 50, but some believe it was a 100 or more. His home life was a Christian one, with good parents and a stable environment, but one day he found a magazine. He said this about his family, "I grew up in a wonderful home with two dedicated and loving parents, as one of 5 brothers and sisters. We, as children, were the focus of my parent’s lives. We regularly attended church. My parents did not drink or smoke or gamble. There was no physical abuse or fighting in the home."

The addict will find satisfaction in the small doses (Pictures/magazines/film) at first. These will suffice in the beginning, but soon the pictures and self gratification don't soothe the pain any longer; the acting out stage will eventually snare the addict. He/She will begin to need more to get the same affect. In other words, tolerance numbs the current experience so the individual must find a deeper experience for the same affect.

Ted Bundy told James Dobson before he died that the society which allowed the very magazines he found in a dumpster, starting this addictive trend, was now putting him to death. He said this, "As we have been talking, there are forces at loose in this country, especially this kind of violent pornography, where, on one hand, well-meaning people will condemn the behavior of a Ted Bundy while they’re walking past a magazine rack full of the very kinds of things that send young kids down the road to being Ted Bundys. That’s the irony."

Here is a link to the interview;

http://www.pureintimacy.org/piArticles/A000000433.cfm

Here is a video of that interview. This will break your heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAHgJFPcOvY

I'm not sure we can conclude that Ted Bundy killed because he watched porn, otherwise all porn watchers would eventually be serial killers. However, it is true that porn is addictive like a drug and needs more and more for the same high. I have read that repeatedly.

[MissBrattified]

Originally Posted by Socialite

Hey, why picking on fetish! Not fair!
But seriously... Some good stuff said here.

The fact is, as much as we want to protect our kids and keep them from it (and we should), at some point, we release them into the world and their faith must keep them from venturing down that road. Your words were sober when you said "they will eventually see it." That's the sad reality. Hopefully, in that moment, they see the disgusting wretchedness and never forget it that way. What gets people coming back is the chemicals released when they see it -- they remember that sensation later and it begins to stimulate them. But many can testify that it's a battle, with the help of the Lord, we can overcome.

I think Hoovie's idea was a good one as well (private company offering). If it's at a server level, it's harder to get around. If your child is working that hard to get to porn, there's already a heart problem that should be discipled. However, I obviously recognize the difference between a heart problem and a porn addiction (still a heart problem, but now a real bodily addiction).

May God give me the wisdom with this subject with my own children.

My best hope is that by keeping the topic approachable, by trying to create a good example of wholesome sexuality within marriage, and by pointing out how the secular world twists God's intent into something harmful, they can at least have the tools to make good decisions. I'm less concerned for my girls, even though I know women can become addicted to porn, too. Our son, on the other hand...we may not turn off his internet filters until he's married.

They've had lessons on this in class at church, too, which is fine with me. (Although, in some churches, I would probably want to sit in on the class! Thankfully, we have some teachers who seem to be able to address sex appropriately without bringing prudishness and puritanism to the table.)

The more discussion, the better.

My thoughts on the impact of pornography are not just about the sin aspect of it, although that is a concern, but also about preventing the future relationships of my children from being warped by exposure to pornography. (In the sense of unreasonable expectations of what *real sex* is like, developing fetishes, needing porn to be turned on, having unrealistic ideas about what men and women look like naked, and developing addictions.)

Addiction to pornography negatively affects a person's relationship with God and their relationships with other people.

I realize this thread is about a third party protecting your children from porn, but it concerns me when so many parents give their children unfettered access to the internet. How on earth can someone think that it's okay to give a child unsupervised access???? I really don't get it. We're supposed to protect our children's minds just as we protect their bodies. Gradual exposure to an adult world is necessary; gradual exposure to smut is not. There are a lot of parents who need to be accountable for what their children access online.