Most Men Are Victims of Porn - Pornography as Social Engineering

This is a fascinating essay by Henry Makow, PhD.

Given the recent thread on the "healthiness" of porn, this would serve as a counterbalance.

Below find the introductory paragraph, which in the main essay is followed by the author's personal experience.

A note those that enjoy and digest pornography:
This post is not addressed to you.

I have no interest in you or your notions of pleasure.

Please, please, please move to another thread as this is not for you. I certainly do not want to argue with you, debate with you, or attempt to convince you out of your chosen enjoyment.

Quite the contrary, I wish you well and ask that you depart in peace.

A Note to Those that Understand Porn is Corrosive and Detrimental:
This thread is intended for you, who understand already that pornography is a form of social suicide. I think we can learn from Dr Makow's thinking and observations, to protect ourselves and our children from the corrosive affect of pornography on our immediate families and to integrate these ideas as we attempt to further our generations and the ultimate happiness of our children.

A Note to the Ambivalent:
Further, I hope those that have experimented with porno, but who remain ambivalent or unconvinced as to its propriety and ultimate value, will consider Dr Makow's exhortation and use it as the motivation to leave this practice before irreversible harm is done to your lives.

In the rear view mirror, it's now clear porn is used as a form of political control. Get us to think about sex, and we won't think about how our freedom is being taken away.

I doubt if women were always seen as sex objects. They had to sexualize women. PLAYBOY undressed the "girl next door." That was for my generation. Now they are sexualizing children. Next it will be animals. And finally fence posts.

The idea is to get us thinking of nothing but our genitals and short term relationships.

PLAYBOY changed the habits of my (baby boomer) generation resulting in sexual chaos and broken families.

PLAYBOY was presented as advanced thinking. But in retrospect we can see that it really was sophisticated social engineering. With messianic fervor, Playboy took its message of sexual freedom to the American male who, in the 1950's and 1960's, still consecrated sex for marriage. But the freedom was illusory. Playboy's aim, the aim of all pornographers, was to hook men on the glossy fantasy.

To do this, they had to prevent them from finding true satisfaction in marriage. In Judith Reisman's words, "Playboy was the first national magazine to exploit college men's fears of women and family commitment. Playboy offered itself as a reliable, comforting substitute for monogamous heterosexual love." ("Soft Porn Plays Hardball," p 47)

Read the Entire Essay at This Link

reply to post by joeofthemountain


It seems more like an Opinion and this is just me being a little critical, than it does an informative essay. If you want to counterbalance the other thread, your going to have to come out shooting some fire, this can't hold a flame to my bic.

Sorry Mate, it was an indeed interesting read, but nothing a regular visitor to this site hasn't already realized in there own mind.

I will add this, I ended my casual viewing with the stuff years ago, when I started losing the everyday sexual attraction I had with my significant other. Sure enough cut the crap, relationship stays good.

[edit on 13-3-2010 by ThirdJohnAdams]

Whilst I respect your opinion - I find the whole counter/thread thing really irritating, this would be much more valid in the other thread, or are you just trying to garner stars and flags?

You make some good points, some I agree with a lot - I'd hope you're here for reasoned and rational debate, the quality of your OP does suggest this.

so...this post is ONLY for people who agree with you, you must live a simple and uncomplicated life. so...why are you on ATS??? it does not fit your current state of mind.

I didn't bother reading the whole essay, just the caption in the OP. I don't feel like I have a reason to read the whole thing since every single point made in the caption is easily argued against and none of it holds any water at all. Makes me wonder how people as stupid as whoever wrote this thing ever get published at all.

I'm not gonna argue because the OP doesn't want any arguments...which i also think is pretty stupid.

thread fail.

Originally posted by joeofthemountain

A note those that enjoy and digest pornography:
This post is not addressed to you.

I have no interest in you or your notions of pleasure.

Please, please, please move to another thread as this is not for you. I certainly do not want to argue with you, debate with you, or attempt to convince you out of your chosen enjoyment.

Quite the contrary, I wish you well and ask that you depart in peace.

Ah, you post in a debating forum, (ATS), and pusillanimously try to take away the right of those who disagree to debate the topic with you.

I'm sorry, my friend, but making a thread in a public forum does not give you ownership of that thread. Anyone may reply who does so within ATS guidelines.

Personally, I've seen several men benefit long-term from the use of pornography. It can be educational, it can help people learn more interesting ways of sharing themselves with their partner, and it can substitute for shared sex for those with no opportunity to get a partner.

The world would be a better place if people who go out looking for casual sex stayed home and watched a porn video instead.

reply to post by liquidsmoke206


Hahaha I was trying to be subtle.
Guess I need to pick up on being an unreasonable jerk to fit in on ATS.

You do realize that by creating a thread and specifically stating that you do not want people who disagree to post, you are going to get more of those people than the other right?

I mean, this is a dicussion forum.

This is part that cracks me up however.

This post is not addressed to you.

I have no interest in you or your notions of pleasure.

Please, please, please move to another thread as this is not for you. I certainly do not want to argue with you, debate with you, or attempt to convince you out of your chosen enjoyment.

Then right afterwards..

A Note to Those that Understand Porn is Corrosive and Detrimental:
This thread is intended for you, who understand already that pornography is a form of social suicide.

You are pandering to your audience here friend. When you use the words understand and already, this means that no matter what anybody tells you, your opinion is valid and the other person's isn't.

Very slippery slope.

I will give you my opinion however, your just gonna have to ignore it if it's not to your liking.

I think that the Western Culture are a bunch of prudes. Nudity never hurt anybody and this is the reason god gave you a neck, it's so you could look the other way.

Personally, I'm not a fan of porn, use to get the odd one here and there as a teenager, but it's just not something I dwell upon in these times.

Do I think it's harmful to society? No.

Do I think people have a right to film people having sex? Yes.

Do I believe it's degrading to women? Depends on the porn at hand. Although these people all have a choice, nobody is twisting their arm.

Do I think it corrupts families and ideologies? Yes, when people such as conservatives try to paint it as evil or part of Satan's Programming.

Live and let live. Porno is a release, and I'm willing to be that without it, we'd see much more rape and sexual predators out on the street than safely just watching porn in the privacy of their own homes.

~Keeper


[edit on 3/13/2010 by tothetenthpower]

reply to post by ThirdJohnAdams



how was a jerk?

the OP is being unreasonable...."dont argue, and don't question, don't think either."

pretty wimpy way to start a thread if you ask me.

reply to post by liquidsmoke206


Well when you contribute not a thing, counter argument or otherwise, then attack the guy, seems jerkish.

The author of the essay had a PHD, doesn't sound to stupid to me. While it was more of an editorial than an essay, you've got no right to say anything, you were to lazy to even read.

Yet not to lazy to attack someone, yeah that qualifies as a jerk to me.

[edit on 13-3-2010 by ThirdJohnAdams]

reply to post by ThirdJohnAdams


That's the problem with the world today. Some how putting 3 letters in front of your name makes you better and smarter than everybody else.

Also seems to make your opinion more valid.

Strange isn't it?

~Keeper

reply to post by tothetenthpower


While I don't disagree with you on that.
I mean the guy had to take the time and effort to earn it. Makes him smarter than me in my book. I think I'm going to go back to letting the OP get ravaged, I couldn't care one way or the other.

It's just a shame how people who get beat to the punch, or do find something that they think is worthwhile, get attacked on this site, for the most mundane things. It's not very new user friendly on here.

Real aggresive forums lol.

There's no hidden agenda behind the Playboy magazine or the pornography company. Human beings have enjoyed sex for thousands and thousands of years.

There are Indian philosophies that follow the "four main goals of life", know as the purusharthas.

They are:
Dharma: Virtuous living.
Artha: Material prosperity.
Kama: Aesthetic and erotic pleasure.
Moksha: Liberation.

The Kama being Kama Sutra of the group of texts Kama Shastra.

Also, remember that prostitution is the oldest job profession in the world.

Man has been trying fill his sexual pleasure cup since the begining of time

reply to post by ThirdJohnAdams


I see where your coming from.

Here's the problem.

He specifically stated he did not want ANYBODY who disagreed with him to post in the this forum. That's why it's all going to hell..

Sure you can make some rules as an OP. Mine are usually along the lines of " Don't turn this into a poo flinging contest", but to sensor people's point of view because they are different is exactly what we try to avoid here.

"Deny Ignorance"

The OP is ignorance. Not him personnaly, as I don't know him, but to ask something like that, on here, it's just..well dumb.

~Keeper

reply to post by ThirdJohnAdams

Well when you contribute not a thing, counter argument or otherwise, then attack the guy, seems jerkish.

I can't attack people if they don't set themselves up for it. I didn't contribute anything at the request of the OP. see I am playing nice.

The author of the essay had a PHD, doesn't sound to stupid to me. While it was more of an editorial than an essay, you got right to say anything, you were to lazy to even read.

yer gonna have to do more then wave around a piece of paper to prove you have any brains around here. I don't give a crap about a PHD, his opinions are stupid, plain and simple. I wasn't too lazy, I don't know what laziness has to do with any of this, maybe yer just tryin to be a jerk? I stated why I didn't read it, because the piece that was posted didn't hold my interest...it was too stupid. Maybe there are some good points to be made in the essay and the OP just failed post those in favor of some really stupid opinions. I reckon thats entirely possible considering everything else about this thread has been a complete fail.

Yet not to lazy to attack someone, yeah that qualifies as a jerk to me.

I've always got the energy to deny ignorance. I do it my way, if that makes a jerk in your eyes, then fine, I'll wear it like a badge of honer.

The only thing important here, is that it's legal porn. I believe anything non-legal in this area has to do with under-aged children and any sickos mucking around with under-aged children must be incarcerated for life.

Decoy

Great essay OP!

The thing is it’s so easy to see the grotesque flaws in porn that it’s insulting to any intelligence.
Not just "men" are victim of porn, the whole damn society is but since it’s the only thing still easy and accessible, people lash out their frustrations in/with porn. It’s more like a rebellion tool(against something) rather than just true sexual liberation.
Some think it’s so "liberal” but it’s just sublimely reinforces the traditional gender roles, hence men’s obsession with the size and performance of their penises (power because the stronger sex) and women with their looks (weaker sex).

Porn bastardizes sex and gender. Porn is like a sort of like sexual abortion, so predictable and deprived of the complete sexual experience, no matter what the sexual practices are.

Giving the aggressive Knee-jerk reaction of those who “venerate” pornography, it would be great if we could have a serious “in depth” debate on about it.

But then again, isn’t a happy healthy consummation of porn supposed to “mellow” you out? Why so aggressive?




[edit on 13-3-2010 by Exv8densez]

[edit on 13-3-2010 by Exv8densez]

Originally posted by ThirdJohnAdams
The author of the essay had a PHD,

...his phd is in english literature, not human sexuality, not world history, not human pyschology... his opinion is just that - his opinion...

..seems like a really uptight and unconnected with reality person, imo, and his article is an 8year old re-worked whine-fest thats blames playboy magazine... poor thang, never heard of hollywood or the "rule of thumb" or religiously approved misogyny...

reply to post by liquidsmoke206


Do you ever visualize the "gun" under your pants?

Sorry in advance if that was offensive.

reply to post by Exv8densez


The only thing that offends me are people that get offended.
and yeah I have no idea what your comment means, where yer going with it, or how it relates to the thread....

so no I'm not offended, but pointless posts tend to offend some people so watch out.