Profits
from Pornography
Have you ever heard the phrase "sex sells"?
The pornography industry has grown into a multi-billion
dollar business. In the U.S., pornography generates
between $8-12 billion per year and over $57 billion
worldwide. Pornography generates more revenue than
the combined revenues from professional football,
basketball and baseball; more money than CBS, NBC
and ABC combined; more money than all the revenues
generated by rock and country music; more money than
Americans spent on Broadway productions, theater,
ballet, jazz and classical music combined.
Growth of Pornography
In the year 2000, there were 11,000 porn titles produced
and 70,000 porn sites vs. 400 Hollywood movies. In
2004, there were 4.2 million porn sites and 372 million
porn pages. As they say in business, supply is driven
by demand. Obviously, there is a market. Teenagers
are a segment of this market.
Teenage
exposure to pornography is usually on the Internet.
Consider that 70 percent of 15 to 17 year olds say
they have had multiple exposures to hard-core pornography.
The average age at which a child is first exposed
to pornography on the internet is 11 years old. Sixty
four percent of teens say that they do things on line
that they wouldn’t want their parents to know
about. And 20 percent of children (10 to 17 years
old) receive unwanted sexual solicitation on line.
Why
the attraction?
- Curiosity.
Teens are at a natural developmental stage where they
want to know how to act sexually and learn what sex
is all about.
- Seeking
Knowledge. They want to see what the human body looks
like and are attracted to the forbidden. Unfortunately,
pornography does not give an accurate education about
sex or the human body.
-
Feels good. The human body is wired to enjoy arousal.
When we are aroused, chemicals are released in the brain
that help us feel good.
-
Cover up pain or stress. Rather than deal with the realities
of emotional distress and conflict, people will escape
to the fantasy of pornography as a means of avoidance.
Although temporary, it is a guaranteed escape from reality.
But reality will always be waiting. Postponing conflict
usually serves to increase stress and emotional pain.
-
Feels Intimate. Intimacy is a basic need. It is to know
and to be known deeply. With pornography, there is not
a real person involved. It provides pleasure without
the beauty and responsibility of maintaining a healthy
relationship with an actual person. Pornography is a
self-pursuit of pleasure which leads to isolation.
Illusions
of Pornography
One of the biggest illusions of pornography is that "sex",
"love" and "intimacy" have the same
meaning and that they are healthy or normal when they
are separated from each other. For teenagers who learn
to disassociate sex from intimacy, it may be difficult
to combine later. Pornography objectifies women. It makes
them out to be just a body or body parts. Other illusions
of pornography are that children should have sex, illegal
sex is fun and prostitution is glamorous.
Pornography
as a Progression
A precursor to becoming addicted usually involves an early
exposure to pornography. Because of the chemicals and
the natural reaction to arousal, teens can become hooked
and often lack impulse control to set healthy limits.
Addicts may experience the following phases or stages:
- Addiction:
The first stage is addiction. Using pornography as a
sexual stimulant, followed by sexual release, most often
through masturbation.
-
Desensitization: This is the beginning of the tolerance
stage. What was first perceived as gross, shocking,
disturbing and wrong begins to be acceptable.
- Escalation:
Over time, addicts may require more explicit and deviant
material to meet their sexual "needs".
- Acting
out sexually: A person begins to act out the behaviors
they are viewing. Different levels of acting out may
include peeping at others, stealing undergarments, compiling
a collection, becoming a sexual predator, molesting,
and raping others.
Take
Control
If you see these problems in yourself, it is important
to take control before you have damaged your ability to
choose and it becomes more difficult to stop.
- Make
a commitment to abstain from pornography.
- Value
yourself and your decision. You are valuable because
you exist and this healthy decision is valuable.
- Ask
for help from someone you trust. Pornography is like
quicksand – it’s hard to get out on your own.
Talk to your parent, a counselor, teacher or spiritual
leader.
- Be
accountable to someone. Have someone you trust support
you in making this positive change.
- Monitor
your viewing. There are web sites and Internet accountability
tools. Some have faith language on them. Some examples
are X3watch, Net accountability, Covenant Eyes, Bsafeonline
and Cybersitter.
Find
Alternatives
To give young people a chance at preserving their purity
and developing healthy relationships, they need to know
the truth about pornography. The fact is, porn is addictive
and destructive. It contributes to earlier sexual activity.
Engage
in life and life’s activities, relationships and
love will become fulfilling. Set personal goals, develop
healthy interests and consider worthwhile hobbies.
Stay
tuned to our website and a public announcement about an
upcoming presentation by Greg Henderson, LCSW, on this
topic.
"Illusions:
Uncovering the Truth About Pornography", Aware,
Vancouver, WA (2006)
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