All over today’s media, it is quite commonplace to hear that pornography is a “victimless crime.”
So, is it?
Well, not so much.
For starters, pornography impacts the viewer’s mental state because it is merely the simulation of sex. And what makes sex pleasurable is the release of dopamine and oxytocin. Dopamine is known for its role in making us feel pleasure. The release of dopamine during sex is what makes sex feel good. Oxytocin is commonly referred to as the “cuddle hormone” because it is the hormone that forms the pathways for attraction and bonding. When males routinely watch porn, they build up a dopamine tolerance, which in turn makes them need more perverted pornographic material to achieve the same high. It is a nasty cycle that continually repeats itself, all for a short dopamine rush. Additionally, with that dopamine tolerance, normal tasks that used to make them feel happy no longer have the same effect. What’s even more concerning is that sex becomes less pleasurable to men. Since oxytocin is used to create bonds between two people, it leaves the viewer more attracted to pornographic content rather than actual people.
With this dopamine tolerance and lack of satisfaction with everyday life and sexual activity, males are much more likely to be diagnosed with clinical depression. Chronic porn addicts are proven to have an increased risk of becoming sex offenders. Also, porn actively destroys mens’ motivation to do tasks, which is another reason why it has been linked to clinical depression.
Porn also damages relationships. As men become more perverted through chasing dopamine highs, their expectations of relationships become higher and more perverted. This, as mentioned above, makes sex with their partner less enjoyable. One study found that 20% of men need to consume pornographic material when they are engaging in sexual acts with their partner in order to stay aroused. Obviously, if a man is unsatisfied sexually in a relationship, then he is likely to view the relationship as less valuable. Less valuable relationships also contribute to the proliferation of the disgusting hook-up culture that is so prevalent throughout our generation. The point of a relationship is to be seeking a partner for marriage and to start a family. Porn severely hinders that goal.
Porn also puts women on a pedestal and degrades them down to nothing more than a dopamine rush. There is nothing beneficial about degrading women into objects for pleasure. Women are incredibly valuable because they have the unique gift to produce life. Porn again blurs the point of intercourse because the goal is never to produce a child. It is filmed prostitution, which is disgusting and degrading in its own right.
Furthermore, porn directly destroys the family unit. The portion of men who would rather watch porn than actually engage in sex is staggering. This means that a large portion of males will not go out and try to find a mate because they believe that they are satisfied and do not need women. At no point should the simulation be better than the reality, but that is just how warped one’s reality can become when they are addicted. On another note, over 50% of divorce proceedings quote porn as a reason for divorce. That is a huge portion of divorces that is partially caused by the husband being addicted to lusting after other women with whom he doesn’t even have a real bond.
The average age of porn exposure to young men is 11 years old. Exposing children to porn is extremely detrimental to them and society. Porn starts that dopamine-chasing cycle at an early age, which leads them to watch increasingly perverted acts. This can help explain why younger generations are so perverted and sexualized. It is partially because of the ease of access to porn and the sexualization of children. Kids’ brains are especially plastic and become more plastic to sexual activity in their pubescent and teen years. So to form those dopamine pathways when they are young means that if they finally decide to quit, it will be very difficult. Additionally, it will cause them to chase increasingly perverted forms of pleasure. Obviously, pre-exposing children to sex will permanently damage their expectations of a relationship, which again will aid in the destruction of the family structure.
So, are the viewers not victims? Are the kids who didn’t know any better not victims? Are women who are adversely affected by their partners not victims? Is society not a victim of decreasing testosterone levels and increasing dopamine tolerances? Is society not a victim to the destruction of the value of relationships?
With all of these drawbacks, what’s to be gained? Nothing is gained from watching porn. Porn viewers might as well throw on some shackles because they are a slave to their own lustful desires. People claim that they are free to do what they want and then immediately use that claim to justify enslaving themselves to some short-lived stimulant. If people are enslaved to their own desires, they are simply not free.
The whole idea of a “victimless crime” is a sad coping mechanism. Those who say it is should simultaneously say that they do not want to be responsible for their own actions. People think there is no victim because they do not immediately see the consequences of their own actions. The world is far too interconnected for some idea such as a “victimless crime” to actually be a justification for immoral and self-destructive actions.
