Alex Hum
Contributor
Hearing Donny Pauling’s tragic tales of people being ruined by the pornography industry opened my eyes to its horrors.
In Pauling’s beautiful comeback story, his broken marriage and fatherless son are testimonial of the damage porn can cause. Had he not found his way into production, he would still be part of a happy family. His dedication to spreading his message is admirable and made necessary by the terrible industry. Yes, the pornography industry generates billions of dollars annually, but at what cost?
Pauling centres his message about porn around one image: the empty eyes of an actress. When they work in porn, the lights go out in people’s eyes. They clutch their knees and realize the full weight of their livelihood: taking their clothes off, selling their body in front of the camera. The industry runs by siphoning off the lives of potent youth.
And to what end? Porn is made for and by men and because of that the industry sells only one perspective. It has the potential to be a positive force in the world, yet it misses all its chances. Porn tells women what they should like and tells men what to do: anal, facials, and abuse. It also tells us what to look like: big dicks, big tits, big butts, and shaven everything.
And it’s not only the individual who is hurt by porn, but relationships as well.
“Experts say men who frequently view porn may develop unrealistic expectations of women’s appearances and behaviours, have difficulty forming and sustaining relationships, and feeling sexually satisfied,” wrote Pamela Paul in a TIME Magazine article called “Behavior: The Porn Factor”. Watching porn will make it more difficult for you to find love, to keep it, and if you are in a relationship, your partner might not be too happy in hearing that they aren’t enough for you.
Furthermore, several studies have suggested that “pornography consumption produces a desensitization towards women that translates into the trivializing of rape,” according to a meta-analysis by Richard E. Drake, assistant professor at Brigham Young University College of Nursing. Since there is pornography that ranges from snuff to misogynistic, it helps create interest in rape and the desire to actually commit rape. Could it be that our sickest fantasies are becoming our reality?
Through looking deeper into an industry instead of just taking it for face value, see how the pornography industry is crumbling the lives of everyone around you and you might just be surprised.
