This week is the 14th annual Pornography Awareness Week, a project of conservative groups Concerned Women for America, Morality in Media, and the Maryland Coalition Against Pornography. If you see anyone wearing a white ribbon this week, know that it's an anti-pornography symbol of White Ribbon Against Pornography (WRAP) campaign. Protests planned this week include demonstrations at the U.S. Supreme Court, calls for Marriott and Hilton to stop profitting from the sales of on-demand porn in their hotel rooms, and efforts to encourage citizens to report "obscenity crimes" to their local prosecutors.
Here's the model proclamation for the week from Morality in Media:
WHEREAS, pornography presents youth with a false and distorted image of human sexuality, devoid of love, commitment, and responsibility;
WHEREAS, pornography leads both children and adults into destructive sexual addictions;
WHEREAS, pornography contributes to the breakup of marriages;
WHEREAS, much pornography features and promotes sexual violence and other irresponsible behavior in an era of increasing sexual violence and an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases;
WHEREAS, so-called "adult" pornography is commonly used by pedophiles to desensitize children and break down their resistance to sexual acts;
WHEREAS, children molest other children in imitation of what they have seen in pornography;
WHEREAS, there are Federal and State obscenity laws against hardcore pornography to protect public safety, public health, and public morality;
WHEREAS, the United States Supreme Court has held that obscenity is not protected speech under the First Amendment, and has said that there is a right of the Nation and the State to "maintain a decent society";
WHEREAS, Americans throughout this great nation will be participating in White Ribbon Against Pornography Week in various ways to support the enforcement of obscenity laws;
NOW THEREFORE I, __________________________ do hereby proclaim October 30 through November 6, 2005, as WHITE RIBBON AGAINST PORNOGRAPHY WEEK.
Of course, regular readers of my Sexy Films feature and other reporting know I have an entirely different take, and so I'd also like to point you over to my friends at CarnalNation.com: This week Dr. Marty Klein, author of the Sexual Intelligence column, offers 10 Ways to Observe Pornography Awareness Week as a counter to the efforts of the above organizations.
Klein writes:
I totally agree with the idea behind WRAP. I support increasing everyone’s awareness of pornography use in this country—how many people watch it, who these people typically are, how it affects them and their relationships, what are rights are regarding pornography, etc. Of course, I have a different, more scientific take on the “problem,” so I propose a different set of activities to observe the Week.
To counter the obscene lies our media and legislators will be hearing this week, perhaps you could do one (or more!) of the following:
* If you use porn, talk about it with your partner.
* Thank the clerk in your local convenience store for carrying porn magazines or videos.
* Write a letter to the editor of your local paper explaining that most people who use porn have no problem with it.
* Invite your partner to share her/his concerns about porn with you.
* Instead of a White Ribbon, wear a Plaid Ribbon. When people ask, say it’s for Porn Awareness Week and your gratitude for the First Amendment.
* Start a conversation with someone: “Did you know that the Bill of Rights says
nothing about an exception for porn, obscenity, or indecency?
* Send a few bucks to the ACLU, National Coalition Against Censorship or Woodhull Freedom Foundation. They protect your right to read, watch, and jack off to whatever adult material you like.
* Write your mayor or governor reminding them that you vote, and you have no problem with porn.
* Memorize these facts: in the real world, porn is NOT connected with violence against women, child molestation, or divorce. In fact, according to the FBI, these have all declined since the country was flooded with internet porn in 2000.
* Use some.
Comments
Of COURSE porn couldn't POSSIBLY have any bad effect on marriage. That's not possible. The same people who say that say that there's no such thing as sex-related addictions. It's very simple: The porn industry has a gazillion dollars which they use to buy off anyone and everyone they can. It's nothing but legal drug dealing. The absolute self-deception is mind-boggling. Live a lie and it will come back to haunt you. Dr. Klein is either dumber than $#!+ or lying his @$$ off.
Oh, and by the way, I'm so relieved that examiner.com, purveyor of porn, and which has a piece somewhere by the faceless "gay" guy describing sex acts and using extremely graphic language -- I's SO relieved they refuse to allow postings with the word s**t in it. WAY TO GO, GUYS!!
If you believe porn helps marriages, or that it couldn't possibly harm society, you have a serious shortage of common sense and/or honesty. Go talk to those whose lives have been seriously affected by porn; go talk to the children whose lives are shattered because of porn-related problems. If you're "open-minded" like you say you are, you'll seek the truth, and not comfort yourselves with Big Smut's Big Lies.
And I'm sure that the rash of teachers taking advantage of their young students has NOTHING to do with the flood of porn in the world. The study that claims that countries with looser sexual morals have fewer sex crimes is a lie. The researcher intentionally skewed the data. For example, in Japan a huge amount of sex crimes are unreported because women are treated as inferior there. They have more sex crimes than we do. But to those "open-minded" people who desperately want to believe otherwise, and for Big Smut, which desperately wants piles of cash, they just repeat the lie.
In case anyone ever visits this sleazy column again, I would like to apologize for my anger, harsh language and excessive accusations below. I try not to do that, but it's hard to be calm in the face of sheer falsehoods. I am addicted to pornography, and I've known many others like me, whose lives and marriages have been damaged or destroyed because of porn (I've never been married, and porn is the main reason.) I've made choices, but if this drug were not pushed everywhere on the Internet, I wouldn't be where I am today.
To the "compassion/equality/tolerance" crowd, the tens of millions of people like me don't exist, or don't matter. Somehow, they can delude themselves and the world to believe what they say. Free Speech Coalition is apparently just a front organization for Big Smut. They say that porn addiction is a myth. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Yeah -- like Big Tobacco. But going after Big Smut for it's lies and destruction doesn't fit the Left's agenda.
As with all things, the answer is somewhere between the two extremes (the White Ribbon campaign and your porn-addicted "None Of Your Business" commenter on one hand, CarnalNation.com and the pornographers on the other). Like most people, I have something of a love/hate relationship with pornography. I love a lot of it, and love that sexual expression is much more open nowadays, and I hate a lot of it too, and hate some of the consequences of having so much terrible stuff out there. But I do like the tone of this post, and your column in general, Sarah, and I agree that emphasizing sex positivity over negativity is part of the answer. Keep up the good work: I check this site every day!
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!