An honest discussion on the effects of porn

[Smooth Operator]

Well for somewhat factual information you will need to look at some research data, and I do mean the data not the extremely exaggerated conclusions people pull out of their ass at the end.

In general when you start replacing reality with entertainment there are some severe issues building up that you need to address, especially if you start loosing the distinction between fantasy and real life (this is not at all limited to porn).
But if you can keep it to an occasional thing you probably won't catch cancer from porn, the reason it exist in such large quantities is because people have quite the appetite. Sure we all need to publicly claim we have no idea what kind of pervert would watch those nasty things in fear of getting ostracised, but the reality is we all got kinky shit on our mind and it's not going to happen anywhere except in fantasy land.
And by "we" I of course mean all you nasty buggers, I would never...

 

[Fdzzaigl]

I do think it breeds wrong expectations in terms of the pleasure and the "perfect" experience that sex should represent. As a source of sexual education, it's also pretty damn poor. In the actors porn circuit basically every guy has a circumsised shaved penis and every girl is perfectly shaven / lasered and super horny from the get-go.

That's a ridiculous situation. But because porn is often the first thing teenagers see on sex (as schools / parents usually are too uncomfortable talking about it until pupils are like 15-16 years), it also breeds some new sorts of social expectations. Sadly, male circumcision, which is pretty much genital mutilation in western societies, is on the rise.

The whole shaved thing is also annoying as fuck. Even though I admit I like them shaved too (and yes, porn was also my first sex ed, even though I'm 26), by the gods you get a horrible rash from that.

Personally, when I watch porn, I hate the "professional" material with a passion. It's just so damn fake. I've known some people who were addicted to it too, which is not a good situation to be in.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Most porn that's easy to find creeps me the hell out.
Of course, I'm not exactly the target audience for it, but nonetheless, some element of a lot of it creeps me out bigtime.
Which of course, means it has exactly the opposite effect of what you'd expect it to.
Something worth bearing in mind if someone thinks showing me porn will excite mw or something.

That being said, I never used to see much of an issue with it...
But that changed. Largely because of the most sexually abusive guy I've been with, actively demonstrating to me that he got his messed up ideas about what was OK to try and do to me from the porn he had been watching.

Make of that what you will. It is of course just a personal anecdote, but a very disturbing one.
(And if you're wondering just how bad it got, yes, this guy effectively did do that to me)

Worst part of it was the lack of any and all self-awareness. He had basically no conception of the fact that what he was doing was abusive...

 

[Rahkshi500]

Like others have said, the poor lack of sex education combined with the shady side of the adult industry and its messed up it treats the people who work for it has created a warp perception of sex that isn't healthy for people, and all of this should be fix.

That said, though, while porn can potentially have negative effects on someone, it can however, do a lot of good as well. It can provide a good release and satisfaction for those who aren't into relationships yet or choose to be single, and it can at least play a part(though it should not be the sole, only thing like some have pointed out) in helping you expand your horizon and develop your sexuality even further. Even if you are in a relationship with someone, it can still have its place, like when you both aren't up in the mood for actual sex but wanna at least enjoy something erotic together, or if you have a certain kink or fetish that your partner can't get into or the kink itself is just impossible to do in real life, porn can help scratch that certain itch of yours.

Now then, there is some debate over how much porn should try reflect real-life or not, and it might be different in many cases depending on what the content is exactly. I admit that I usually tend to favor the more fantastical elements, though granted there should be a disclaimer to let people know that it's not an accurate portrayal of real life. And even then when favoring the more fantastical elements, both parties should be shown fully, willfully consenting to acts featured in it, because consent should be a major factor in all of this.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Sadly, male circumcision, which is pretty much genital mutilation in western societies, is on the rise.

That's... not true. Circumcision is on the decline, and hilariously, people are bitching about it. It seems lopping a piece off a newborn is an appropriate response to the fact that uncircumcised men have a 1 in 3 chance of getting a UTI at some point in there lives, and that some studies find foreskin makes people get STDs easier.

Obviously, taking a knife to your baby is the answer, not teaching your damn kid how to use a condom and soap.

 

[Fdzzaigl]

Sadly, male circumcision, which is pretty much genital mutilation in western societies, is on the rise.

That's... not true. Circumcision is on the decline, and hilariously, people are bitching about it. It seems lopping a piece off a newborn is an appropriate response to the fact that uncircumcised men have a 1 in 3 chance of getting a UTI at some point in there lives, and that some studies find foreskin makes people get STDs easier.

Obviously, taking a knife to your baby is the answer, not teaching your damn kid how to use a condom and soap.

Depends where you live. It's on the rise near my region. Though porn is definitely not the only reason, the most major one is immigration by cultures who traditionally do the operation. Still, I find it striking that pretty much every professional male porn actor is circumsised.

Those studies you mention are not conclusive, nor do they represent some sort of consensus. There is a lot of discussion and controversity on the matter. The wikipedia article on male circumsision is actually one with the most toxic discussions and biggest edit-wars ever. Which just further shows how much the culture we grow up in forms our mindsets imo.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Sadly, male circumcision, which is pretty much genital mutilation in western societies, is on the rise.

That's... not true. Circumcision is on the decline, and hilariously, people are bitching about it. It seems lopping a piece off a newborn is an appropriate response to the fact that uncircumcised men have a 1 in 3 chance of getting a UTI at some point in there lives, and that some studies find foreskin makes people get STDs easier.

Obviously, taking a knife to your baby is the answer, not teaching your damn kid how to use a condom and soap.

Depends where you live. It's on the rise near my region. Though porn is definitely not the only reason, the most major one is immigration by cultures who traditionally do the operation. Still, I find it striking that pretty much every professional male porn actor is circumsised.

Most of them are circumcised because, 20-25 years ago, circumcision rates were about 85-90%. Nationwide, circumcision has been in decline since 1999, dropping as low as 75ish percent.

Mind-blowingly, the reason they attribute to this decline in snipping? Almost half of the states have removed the procedure from the approved list for Medicaid. People are only cutting foreskin, it seems, because it was free.

 

[Fdzzaigl]

You're talking about the US. I'm talking about Europe.

 

[DefunctTheory]

You're talking about the US. I'm talking about Europe.

Oh.

You guys are only rolling around 15 percent circumcised. That's pretty much the best rates in the world. Lucky.

 

[Something Amyss]

This is what I'm wondering about. Porn is unrealistic and I suppose people know that to an extent in the same way they know not to mistake reality shows for... reality, but coupled with the lack of proper sex education makes things a bit more concerning. The most obvious is how large the guys tend to be, but some of the acts depicted in porn are unhealthy if done improperly in actual sex and of course they completely ignore the use of condoms, foreplay and lube. Also they're acting, so the responses are exaggerated.

And pain. Even without foreplay and lube, a lot of the things I've seen have me wincing in sympathy.

It's also funny seeing guys argue with women over what women like when it's clear they got their ideas from porn.

Well, funny and irritating both. For the same reasons. And sometimes just scary.

 

[DefunctTheory]

This is what I'm wondering about. Porn is unrealistic and I suppose people know that to an extent in the same way they know not to mistake reality shows for... reality, but coupled with the lack of proper sex education makes things a bit more concerning. The most obvious is how large the guys tend to be, but some of the acts depicted in porn are unhealthy if done improperly in actual sex and of course they completely ignore the use of condoms, foreplay and lube. Also they're acting, so the responses are exaggerated.

And pain. Even without foreplay and lube, a lot of the things I've seen have me wincing in sympathy.

It's also funny seeing guys argue with women over what women like when it's clear they got their ideas from porn.

Well, funny and irritating both. For the same reasons. And sometimes just scary.

Ok, lets be fair here - It's not just guys. I have had my oil checked by surprise twice by females who later admitted they saw it in porn and thought it would be exciting and I'd love it (Both of them also had nails as long as butter knives, or so it seemed when they were two knuckles deep). And I think everyone has at least one female friend (I've had over a dozen, because why not) that learned how to 'play the flute' from pornography.

 

[Something Amyss]

Ok, lets be fair here - It's not just guys. I have had my oil checked by surprise twice by females who later admitted they saw it in porn and thought it would be exciting and I'd love it (Both of them also had nails as long as butter knives, or so it seemed when they were two knuckles deep). And I think everyone has at least one female friend (I've had over a dozen, because why not) that learned how to 'play the flute' from pornography.

I don't really see women arguing with men about what men really like sexually in the open, which is what I was talking about.

Plus, I can only really talk from my own experiences. >.<

 

[Piorn]

I just know that I'm horribly imbalanced when it comes to sexual emotions.
I'm either a sappy wimp, or dead inside, depending on the passed time. I guess you can track that back to porn, but I don't know.

 

[thepyrethatburns]

I suspect porn is to our sexual drives/urges what violent video games are to our aggressive urges. Some people can't handle it and too much is probably detrimental but, for the most part, it is an entertaining release.

 

[mecegirl]

Porn isn't the problem. Mainstream porn is. Especially the stuff that is easy to get for free. It would be nice if the mainstream industry changed but the scariest part is how many people must be buying into what they sell. Its not that I don't think that people would like mainstream porn if the issues with it were corrected, its just that they have no incentive to change course if they are making money now.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Ok, lets be fair here - It's not just guys. I have had my oil checked by surprise twice by females who later admitted they saw it in porn and thought it would be exciting and I'd love it (Both of them also had nails as long as butter knives, or so it seemed when they were two knuckles deep). And I think everyone has at least one female friend (I've had over a dozen, because why not) that learned how to 'play the flute' from pornography.

I don't really see women arguing with men about what men really like sexually in the open, which is what I was talking about.

Plus, I can only really talk from my own experiences. >.<

I'll concede that. Was just trying to point out that men aren't the only ones that learn some... questionable things from pornography.

Honestly, I would have preferred it if those women had argued with me about surprise butt sex. I would have at least seen it coming.

So, if there are any young people here, at least you've learned one thing today - always discuss potential penetration avenues with your partner before you give them a try. That goes for men and women.

 

[Paragon Fury]

OOOH, OOOOOH! I HAVE A QUESTION!

*raises hand*

What if you really don't like porn because you don't find most of the women in it attractive, find it bland and dull and the sex in it mostly fulfilling and gross? But still like things like ecchi, pin-ups models etc. and know that my likes and dislikes for women are still out-of-whack with the norm because my primary experiences with and around women were through manga and anime, and the one girl (who wasn't a relative of mine - but my relatives didn't help either) I did meet/know before college looked like this?

Spoiler

 

[RedRockRun]

once a porns film video caused a fluids to trickle out of my wilkins

 

[Something Amyss]

Honestly, I would have preferred it if those women had argued with me about surprise butt sex. I would have at least seen it coming.

Oh my god, you owe me a new monitor for that!