porn: good for what ailes society

porn inspires strong opinions in people.  some believe that it degrades women.  others say that it contributes to social disorder and encourages people to commit sex crimes.  the more extreme even believe that porn should be illegal.  

on the other side of the debate are those who argue that porn involves fantasy and masturbation and can decrease sexual violence.  there are feminists who argue that porn can empower women (and gay men, this blog argues) by freeing them from the shackles of a restrictive society.  

here is "the scientist" weighing in on the matter:

Over the years, many scientists have investigated the link between pornography (considered legal under the First Amendment in the United States unless judged “obscene”) and sex crimes and attitudes towards women. And in every region investigated, researchers have found that as pornography has increased in availability, sex crimes have either decreased or not increased.

according to the article, few studies have been able to establish any link between porn and antisocial behavior.  none has found a causal relationship.  nor has any study revealed a link between porn and misogynist attitudes.  on the contrary, research seems to indicate that as porn becomes increasingly available, the rate of sexual violence actually goes down.  men exposed to x-rated movies treat women with more respect, not less.  one study focused on prison rapists revealed that those who rape were more likely to have been punished for looking at porn and that strict, repressive religious upbringing correlates positively with sex offenses.

i think a problematic effect of porn unmentioned here could be people sitting at home beating off in front of their computers rather than getting out--or inviting others over--to have an active social/sexual life.  porn can contribute to a shame-prone and private relationship with ones stack of glossy mags or ones computer.