tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13466737.post6696266587070921513..comments2023-09-20T07:36:46.785-07:00Comments on cgranade::streams: What We're Up AgainstAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10298483138666657303noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13466737.post-82608027883109394482010-08-01T22:25:37.142-07:002010-08-01T22:25:37.142-07:00@Kyle: I've found a couple examples, and thoug...@Kyle: I've found a couple examples, and though I'm still not terribly satisfied with what I found, I figured I should go on and share them.<br /><br />First, I thought I should mention that one of the louder of the current anti-porn crowd is a woman named Gail Dines. Ms. Magazine has an <a href="http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/07/07/porn-pleasure-or-profit-ms-interviews-gail-dines-part-ii/" rel="nofollow">interesting interview with her</a>, along with rebuttals to some of her points. Sex educator Charlie Glickman offers some good arguments as to why Dines' <a href="http://www.charlieglickman.com/2010/07/7-ways-to-create-a-sex-positive-critique-of-porn/" rel="nofollow">particular line of argument is inherently sex-negative</a>. This is a fairly weak example, as I don't think that Dines' convictions are blatantly religious, but it does demonstrate an association between the use of the phrase "pornography addiction" and overall sex-negativity.<br /><br />For a more Christian attitude on pornography addiction, there's a couple examples that I found. First, <a href="http://xxxchurch.com/" rel="nofollow">XXXChurch</a>, which produces and sells a line of pornography addiction recovery aids, including videos and software tools to make accessing pornography more difficult. In addition, X3C maintains an official blog with opinions on sexual issues by their contributors. In particular, <a href="http://xxxchurch.com/gethelp/spouses/index/blog/iveaskedwhyporntoo.html" rel="nofollow">this column</a> seemed to demonstrate a rather regressive view of sexuality, in which the use of pornography is equivocated with shame about sexuality. To wit:<br /><br />"What I discovered is that the answer to the “why porn” question has a lot more to do with him than it does with me. Porn is really about something so much deeper. It’s about fears, insecurities, pain, and a million other things that develop from a desperation to feel whole. It’s really about things that I didn’t cause or perpetuate."<br /><br />I also found via X3C a link to this throughly disgusting little e-book called <a href="http://relit.org/porn_again_christian/" rel="nofollow">Porn-Again Christian</a>. One whole chapter is not much more than a transcript of an interview between Ted Bundy and James Dobson on the eve of Bundy's execution. This transcript is intended to convey to the reader that Bundy's pornography addiction helped facilitate his serial murdering. The book is filled with sex-negativity, including one particularly sick example from <a href="http://relit.org/porn_again_christian/ch7.php" rel="nofollow">Chapter 7</a>, where men are encouraged to be at least somewhat ashamed of wet dreams:<br /><br />"Question: Is it a sin to have a wet dream?<br /><br />"Answer: Men who have erotic dreams must first be sure that they are not spending their days filling their minds with images that rattle around their imagination as they dream at night. They should also pray before they sleep each night that God would protect them from the enemy inside of them (their flesh) and the enemy outside of them (the devil). But, if a man should have a wet dream after taking precautions to not lust, there is little he can do to prevent this from happening. For some men, a wet dream is simply the body’s way of relieving itself and may be little more than a natural biological function."<br /><br />That's all I have for now, but I'll keep an eye out.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10298483138666657303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13466737.post-24735586198885362010-08-01T21:28:21.237-07:002010-08-01T21:28:21.237-07:00@Kyle: I actually disagree that the existence of p...@Kyle: I actually disagree that the existence of pornography addiction is a certainty. It's a controversial enough issue that <a href="http://m.medlineplus.gov/mlp/main/rw/web/news/fullstory_95121.htm" rel="nofollow">it didn't make</a> the new behavior addictions section of the DSM-5, leaving only gambling addiction, and an appendix to stimulate further research. WebMD has a decent article up <a href="http://men.webmd.com/guide/is-pornography-addictive" rel="nofollow">summarizing some of the debate</a> on whether pornography addiction exists.<br /><br />As for finding examples of dog-whistle uses of the term to indicate a more generic sex-negativity, I must admit that I don't have ready examples, as I am relatively new to this and haven't kept myself as organized as I should for that kind of critique. I'll take it as an interesting challenge, though, and will try to find some specific examples for you. For now, though, I don't have any to give... sorry.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10298483138666657303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13466737.post-59675638989713889692010-08-01T20:34:21.205-07:002010-08-01T20:34:21.205-07:00@Chris: I'm not sure I understand your reply. ...@Chris: I'm not sure I understand your reply. It is certainly true that there exist people who have addictions to pornography in the exact same way there are people who have addictions to alcohol, marijuana or cocaine. Pornography addiction is no more "questionable" that alcohol addiction. It may be that Christian groups use the term "pornography-addiction" in an improper, and perhaps inappropriate, sense. But that is an assertion you have made and the burden of proof is on you. The evidence you have provided has not shown that the group is sex-negative any more than it has shown the group is alcohol-negative or marijuana-negative. They may well be (in fact I am quite sure they are all of the above), but all your evidence has show is that they claim to provide support for very real and very serious addictions.<br /><br />I'm sure it isn't too hard to find strong evidence that Christian groups are sex-negative, and I would suggest that maybe such evidence should be linked to to support your argument.<br /><br />CheersKylenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13466737.post-90335664185198399962010-08-01T15:36:29.736-07:002010-08-01T15:36:29.736-07:00@maymay: Thanks for the compliment! Always glad wh...@maymay: Thanks for the compliment! Always glad when someone finds value in my writing.<br /><br />@Kyle: Thanks for pointing that out. Any substance or activity can be psychologically addictive, and so when I am derisive towards the charge of pornography addiction, it is because I have not yet seen evidence that pornography is addictive in some stronger sense. I should have made that more clear, to be sure. For a more eloquent and educated take on the issue than mine, I'd refer you to Violet Blue's page on <a href="http://ourpornourselves.org/concerns-about-porn/" rel="nofollow">Concerns About Porn</a>.<br /><br />That aside, I have found that many Christian group, that one included, use the term "pornography addiction" not in any clinical sense, but as a dog-whistle for sex-negative advocacy. This is why I stand by the word "questionable," rather than "invalid" or some stronger word.<br /><br />Anyway, I do try to always stay within the bounds of evidence, so I appreciate healthy criticism! Thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10298483138666657303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13466737.post-57510138217687577452010-08-01T14:50:46.085-07:002010-08-01T14:50:46.085-07:00Hi Chris,
I agree with the majority of what you w...Hi Chris,<br /><br />I agree with the majority of what you write but think that you have gone too far at one point:<br /><br />...advertises support for a questionable list of addictions, including "pornography addiction"<br /><br />I'm not sure I see anything wrong with the list of addictions which follows that line. In particular, addiction to pornography is a very real and serious condition. I am not suggesting that one should be against pornography; if done in a responsible and non-coercive manner it is perfectly fine in my view. However, you need to realize that just as alcohol and marijuana are acceptable in moderation and yet can be abused to the point of addiction, the same holds true for porn.<br /><br />Now this does not invalidate your point that Christianity often uses religion to advocate sex-negative positions, it just means that the evidence you provided is insufficient in this case.Kylenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13466737.post-53143641676509564402010-07-29T04:59:08.444-07:002010-07-29T04:59:08.444-07:00I fucking love just about every word of this. Ba-f...I fucking love just about every word of this. Ba-fucking-vo. :)maymayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17949451039611179843noreply@blogger.com