Porno loses sex appeal

Connor de Bruler

Opinion Editor 

Connor de Bruler Opinion Editor I don’t like pornography very much. Similar to cigarettes and Prozac, it does serve a societal purpose. Its benefits, however, are few and far between compared to its glaring problems. 

We can’t always have a companion. Sometimes a stimulus such as erotic imagery is helpful and convenient. But it’s always important to know porn is a fantasy and doesn’t reflect the actual wants and needs of real human beings. 

Many friends of mine, both male and female, have admitted to watching pornographic films with their significant other. It doesn’t have to be so taboo or macabre. I think that if we’re open about the things we enjoy, we are ultimately less perverse. 

 My mother had the misfortune of discovering a rather obscene French magazine in the bottom compartment of my bookshelf this summer. She was a little overwhelmed by some of the depictions and the fact I owned this publication in the first place. I admitted it was degenerate but not as disgusting as the majority of pornography released today. She almost couldn’t believe it. My mother grew up during a time when Playboy magazine was still considered porn. Now, it’s simply a men’s magazine. 

Today, mainstream porn has become horribly misogynistic. I couldn’t begin to illustrate some of the things I’ve seen on the Internet. What used to be considered “hardcore” is now commonplace, and the new hardcore is disturbing and violent to say the least. Typical pornographic films today depict women being assaulted and degraded. 

The change from simple nude scenes to this semi-violence occurred in the 1990s during the Clinton administration’s decision to downplay obscenity laws, according to a PBS Frontline documentary. Many entrepreneurs who would have been prosecuted in earlier years were able to make billions off their intense material. Gradually, the paradigm of porn shifted to meet changing demand- to fit the desensitization of the porn’s biggest customer: young men. 

Jackson Katz writes in his book “The Macho Paradox” that being exposed to violent imagery intertwined with sex does destroy men’s ability to engage in normal intimacy. He claims this problem leads into other possible issues, such as general disrespect of the opposite sex as well as rape and violence. 

Not only is the majority of porn anti-women, but it’s also extremely dangerous for actors and actresses to perform under such conditions. On any list of notable adult-performers, one can find a cornucopia of venereal disease-related deaths and suicides. 

Sasha Grey, an 18-year-old porn star, said she already had an STD while being interviewed on “The Tyra Banks Show.” Angela Devi, an Indian porn star, committed suicide in 2006 at her home in Scottsdale, Ariz. Former actress Jerzy Jaxin said, during a radio interview, she was hurt on a daily basis while working for the industry. 

Porn is essentially a drug. It can be harmless or detrimental. It’s up to the individual to decide what drug to use and how often to use it. 

I’ve been exposed to a lot. I don’t care for porn. It’s weird and unnatural. 

Nothing comes close to actual human contact.