"Is pornography driving men crazy?"

That's the question Naomi Wolf floats in this CNN.com piece:

http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/30/is-pornography-driving-men-crazy/?hpt=hp_c2

I've always liked Wolf's work, even if I don't always agree with her in lockstep. But I think she's passionate and thoughtful, etc., etc.

There are a couple things to tease out of that column. First is the whole Anthony Weiner thing. Wolf talks about that kind of behavior being compulsive, addictive, etc., etc. Personally, I think the reaction to those kinds of things are way out of whack. And forget Weiner for a second, but even were it a single person. Or Rex Ryan and his wife. For thousands of years, people have engaged in, for lack of a better term, dirty talk with their partners. And dirty actions. The only thing that's changed is that people communicate differently now. And since people communicate differently, some of that communication will be sexual in nature, just like it is in the physical world. I wish it weren't considered so embarrassing. Perhaps as time moves along, people will get used to it and stop being prudes and voyeurs.

The second thing is the "Clockwork Orange" undertones. I guess in some ways, Wolf is a few years too late, now that social media have eclipsed pornography, for example, for Web trafficking. That's a story that just came out this week. There seems to be some truth to the idea that pornography can be desensitizing. But, then again, so can violence, and I think after Columbine we put to rest the idea that violent movies and music should be blamed for people going off the deep end. We discussed the Supreme Court decision this week on video game violence pretty vigorously. Is pornography driving men crazy? I guess the answer is, it depends on the person. Some couples actually use it together. For others, it drives them apart.

Anyway, thought it was an interesting topic for a media site where we do more than occasionally ponder how mass media affects us.

 

Of course pornography doesn't dri....OH NO, TEH ALIENS ARE ATTACKING ME!!! SMOJNFSDHFSADNDSFA

 

Ahh, but the browser history, that's... that's where I had them. They laughed at me and made jokes but I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt and with... geometric logic... that a link to SportsJournalists.com DID exist.

 

Seriously, I believe Web porn addiction is just another symptom of our increasing attachment to computers and electronic devices, and increasing separation from real human contact. People become passive spectators seeking stimulation through artificial means.

As far as the shenanigans of Weiner and his ilk, it seems like they have more of a hubris problem than a porn problem. The accessibility of the Web and social media just makes it that much easier for their behavior to be exposed quickly and to a wider audience.

The column headline, by the way, sucked. Sensationalistic.

 

Blind, perhaps, but not crazy.

 

Nothing to see here. Move along. Ha!

 

There is a good chance that there can be negative repercussions, some way, some how, for men who look at too much internet porn.
For folks who look at too much of it, yes ... there's a good chance it's often a source of mental anguish/backlash/negativity/disconnect from relatives/spouses.
That's just the overall take on it and some may disagree with any or all of those thoughts.

Now, if you believe there's a God (and many of you I'm sure do) you can be doubly sure that all of the above is true.

So, in a nutshell - 1) internet porn has a good chance of causing negative things in your life; 2) If God exists, you can be certain that looking at lots of Internet porn is gonna cause problems for you one way or the other.