Art of Manliness: the problem with porn

[Warren DeMontague]

1. Okay, for starts, define "compulsion". I'm not the statistical expert, but I do think it's fairly

well established that most men masturbate regularly and pretty frequently, throughout their adult lives.

Like, at least several times a week. Probably, for at least half of the adult men in the world, it's once a day or more.

Is this "compulsive" behavior? It's pretty friggin' regular, that's for sure. And frequent. But if most men do it, does that mean it's inherently "natural"? "Unnatural"?

And this is irregardless of what they're looking at, while they're doing it.

Where I think people get the "compulsion" thing from is, people doing something habitually and regularly that they would do anyway, are now doing it to porn. Or now it's a stack of magazines under the mattress, so it must be a problem. Or now it's on the internet, so it must be a problem.

Holy shit! Look, he's masturbating every day to porn, compulsively! Okay, so if it wasn't porn, it would be the Sears Bra ads. If it wasn't those, it would be a painting. Or a carved soapstone female fertility figurine. COMPULSION!!



I'm not, personally, "pro or anti" porn for everyone. Some people like porn, some don't. Great. Some people hate the Grateful Dead, I like the Grateful Dead. Choice is a Wonderful thing.

However, it distresses me to see progressive make anti-freedom or anti-first amendment arguments (which your thread is not, Jeff) which is one reason I'm so outspoken on the issue. I'm pretty solidly on the side of the 1st Amendment. And, I'm pretty opposed to the religious right or anyone who wants to take the agency away from consenting adults to make their own decisions. This is why I'm also against the Drug War.


I'll have more to say on this later. Interesting read.