•One study points out that pornography may have a direct relationship to sex crimes. In the study, 87 percent of convicted molesters of girls and 77 percent of convicted molesters of boys admit to the use of pornography, most often in commission of their crimes. See William Marshall, ?A Report of the Use of Pornography by Sexual Offenders,? 1983, Ottawa, Canada.
Also see Joseph Scott and Loretta Schwalm, "Rape Rates and the Circulation Rates of Adult Magazines," Journal of Sex Research, 24 (1988): 240-50.
Obviously viewing pornography does not make one a rapist, but it can have the side affect of desensitizing one to rape and there are very strong correlations between rape statistics and pornography in various forms.
In a nationwide study, University of New Hampshire researchers Larry Baron and Murray Strauss found a strong statistical correlation between circulation rates of pornographic magazines and rape rates.(see Larry Baron and Murray Strauss, "Legitimate Violence and Rape: A Test of the Cultural Spillover Theory," Social Problems 34 (December 1985).•
Any researcher should know one of the most basic premises of statistics & research is that a high correlation does NOT imply causality. By studying only the perpetrators of these "sex crimes" and seeing a high correlation <or a "statistical correlation"> with porn use -- the alleged researcher has chosen to omit that he/she does not address how this usage rate compares to that seen w/i the general population. Unless there is a documentable, statistically significant difference b/t them, while simultaneously controlling for confounding variables such as "social stigmatization" for admitting to using porno - then there in no merit to the conclusion they have drawn. <It's called the "Null Hypothesis">
•The 1986 Attorney General's Commission on Pornography concluded that "substantial exposure to sexually violent materials bears a causal relationship to antisocial acts of sexual violence and, for some subgroups, possibly to unlawful acts of sexual violence."
-Final Report of the Commission On Pornography, 1986, p. 42.
James Check from York University in Canada conducted an experiment in an attempt to isolate the role of violence as distinct from sex in pornography-induced situations. In the experiment, men were exposed to different degrees of pornography, some violent, some not. All groups exhibited the same shift in attitude, namely a higher inclination to use forse as part of sex. (see James Check, "The Effects of Violent and Nonviolent Pornography," Department of Justice, Ottawa, Canada, submitted June 1984).•
...and we all are very familiar with the volumes of legitimate and scientifically peer-reviewed quality of research that pours forth from the Congress of the US <or the Canandian Dept of Justice> or any other beauracracy. By the way, you might consider the concept of "bias" in these sorts governmental-sourced publications - it is rare that they <politicians & elected officials> say things that their voting consituency desires not to hear...and this country is currently in a rather conservative swing. For them to have stated otherwise, esp if they do not represent one of the more liberal subdemographic regions, would be tantamount to political/career suicide.
•Since 1984, over 150 sex-oriented businesses (peep shows, massage parlors, bookstores, theaters, etc.) have been closed in Oklahoma City. During that period, the rape rate in the county decreased 25%. During the same period, rape increased 20% throughout the rest of the state.
-Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Rape Statistics - Oklahoma City vs. Balance of Oklahoma, 1983-1988.
Other studies find that exposure to pornography can lead to increased use of coercion or rape (see Edward Donnerstein, "Pornography: Its Effects on Violence Against Women," in Malamuth and Donnerstein, eds., Pornography and Sexual Aggression (New York: Academic Press, 1984).
•
Purely anecdotal...nothing more, nothing less. And, anecdotal is not substantial or significant in determining cause & effect relationships.
•In one study, researchers Dolf Zillman and Jennings Bryant investigated the effects of nonviolent pornography on sexual callousness and the trivialization of rape. They showed that continued exposure to pornography had serious adverse effects on beliefs about sexuality in general and on attitudes toward women in particular. They also found that pornography desensitizes people to rape as a criminal offense. (see Dolf Zillman and Jennings Bryant, "Pornography, Sexual Callousness, and the Trivialization of Rape," Journal of Communication, 32 (1982): 10 21).
One other note (still on the subject of pornography in marriage but not on the rape stats):
One study demonstrated that pornography can diminish a person's sexual happiness. The researchers found that people exposed to nonviolent pornography reported diminished satisfaction with their sexual partner's physical appearance, affection, curiosity, and sexual performance. They were also more inclined to put more importance on sex without emotional involvement.(see Dolf Zillman and Jennings Bryant, "Pornography, Sexual Callousness, and the Trivialization of Rape," Journal of Communications 32(1982): 15).•
How does one define, in the statistical & scientific sense, the concepts of "callous" or "trivialization"? Is the Journal of Communications a true scientific peer-reviewed journal or one those fundamentalist rags that merely function to disseminate hyper-conservative rhetoric? Who sponsored the research?
•It's not terribly "PC" to point out the problems with pornography, but these are troubling findings that cannot be brushed aside flippantly•
I disagree with you here. In fact, I would purport that is very chic to be an uptight conservative at this point in time and espouse all that is conservative.
or sleep with nurses during night calls. I am for porn.
