The Death of Intimacy: Porn and the Ponerization of Sex

[Gaby]

Today on the Health and Wellness Show we'll cover the rise of pornography which has hijacked the sexuality of our entire culture. What are the psychological, physical and emotional effects of pornography on the personal and societal levels? How does it impact intimacy and relationships with others? How is porn tied to the objectification of women, pedophilia and sex trafficking? The porn problem is epidemic and often hides in plain sight. Our society is saturated in it in the form of advertising, popular music, fashion and social media. Prior to the collapse of great civilizations there was a marked increase in hedonism and debauchery. If history repeats, does this mean our current civilization is on the road to ruin?

Whether you use pornography or not, it affects us all. Join us today for an in-depth discussion of this important topic. And to lighten the mood afterwards, stay tuned for Zoya's Pet Health Segment.

Live at 10 am EST, 4pm CET

https://radio.sott.net/

 

[Renaissance]

Just wanted to say that I thought you all did a great job exploring this topic. It's not an easy one for sure, but it's something that has a big impact on men and women and unfortunately on boys and girls as well.

 

[Gaby]

Here are some of the most quoted articles for this show. IMO, a must read to get an idea of the state of affairs in this subject.

Modern Music: Promoting pedophilia to adults and sexual debauchery to children
https://www.sott.net/article/296162-Modern-Music-Promoting-pedophilia-to-adults-and-sexual-debauchery-to-children

Fifty shades of filth: The glorification and acceptance of pornography reveals society's moral bankruptcy
https://www.sott.net/article/292680-Fifty-shades-of-filth-The-glorification-and-acceptance-of-pornography-reveals-societys-moral-bankruptcy

Your Brain on Porn: How Internet Porn Affects the Brain (2015)
http://yourbrainonporn.com/your-brain-on-porn-series

Ponerizing sexuality: Porn isn't harmless for either those watching or partaking
https://www.sott.net/article/279523-Ponerizing-sexuality-Porn-isnt-harmless-for-either-those-watching-or-partaking

How internet porn turned my beautiful boy into a hollow, self-hating shell
https://www.sott.net/article/244382-How-internet-porn-turned-my-beautiful-boy-into-a-hollow-self-hating-shell

Youtube clip "Why I stopped watching porn" Ran Gavrieli - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRJ_QfP2mhU

 

[caballero reyes]

What is interesting about this topic in my opinion is how it affects a matter of the third dimension (what you do with your body) and the effect it may have on other planes of being, and this I think is the problema or in other words, the way it really affects us, with the huge variety of personalities, which the medicine in general does not take into account, treating all patients in the same way as if they were equal.

 

[Meg]

Just wanted to say that I thought you all did a great job exploring this topic. It's not an easy one for sure, but it's something that has a big impact on men and women and unfortunately on boys and girls as well.

I thought so too. It's not an easy topic to cover and you all did it very well. Kudos! :)

 

[Erykah]

Related to this topic more disturbing information about reality of the effects of the Ponerization of sex. Julie Smolyansky: Campus rape & 400,000 unexamined rape kits - mentioned in the article is a documentary about rape at US collage campuses-

The Hunting Ground exposed the coverups of sexual assault on college campuses. One in five female students will be a victim of sexual assault by the time they graduate, but administrators cover for sports teams and fraternity houses and safeguard their own fundraising. They need a clear-cut procedure, accountability for perpetrators and services for victims. These crimes have a high rate of recidivism, meaning one perpetrator will have many victims; it's like the church abuse scandal or rape in the military.

A trailer for the film The Hunting Ground

https://youtu.be/d75z5E8znt0

 

[theos]

Just wanted to say that I thought you all did a great job exploring this topic. It's not an easy one for sure, but it's something that has a big impact on men and women and unfortunately on boys and girls as well.

I thought so too. It's not an easy topic to cover and you all did it very well. Kudos! :)

It was a difficult topic. Throughout the show I felt a pervasive sense of doom. We cover a lot of depressing topics and sometimes you can throw in a joke or two to lighten the mood but this topic is so dark and sensitive there is no humor to be found in it. The only thing that can be done besides not feeding the beast by participating is to shine a light on it.

 

[Nienna]

Just wanted to say that I thought you all did a great job exploring this topic. It's not an easy one for sure, but it's something that has a big impact on men and women and unfortunately on boys and girls as well.

I thought so too. It's not an easy topic to cover and you all did it very well. Kudos! :)

It was a difficult topic. Throughout the show I felt a pervasive sense of doom. We cover a lot of depressing topics and sometimes you can throw in a joke or two to lighten the mood but this topic is so dark and sensitive there is no humor to be found in it. The only thing that can be done besides not feeding the beast by participating is to shine a light on it.

That's very true, and you all did an excellent job! Thank you for getting that information out there. It's something that really needed to be discussed!

 

[Cosmos]

Looks like a similar thing happened in the society of Pompeii (and the rest of the roman empire), followed by the eruption of the Mount Vesuvius, that completely destroyed the city.

Maybe it was indeed an integral part of why the roman empire collapsed and attracted cosmic "wrath from the gods".

Sex in the Ancient World Pompeii Documentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uHuFYYO4go

It seems the situation is much worst today.

 

[Gaby]

It seems the situation is much worst today.

Pretty much. And if the recent volcanic activity is something to go by, then Mother Nature is surely not happy.

 

[Gwenllian]

I also think that you all handled this topic very well, in a sensitive and intelligent manner. I finished reading this article today which was mentioned by Gaby in the chat room:

_http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/05/sex-trafficking-201105

It is hard to take all this information in, but at the same time it becomes easier to comprehend what is going on in this ponerised world when you study this topic on a regular basis. When I read that long article about Dutroux in Belgium and his elaborate pedocriminal networks my brain was still trying to distract me and to keep me in denial. But the stronger we become the better we seem to be able to look at this in a more objective manner, maybe?

I have tried to talk to one of my children about porn and how pervasive it is in the world of young people, but I think I will have to do it again, in a less emotional manner. So thanks a lot for these special pointers for parents. :) It is something I do worry about.

Also, a big thank you to the (more) senior editors who dealt with difficult questions and topics in the chat room.

 

[Gaby]

I also think that you all handled this topic very well, in a sensitive and intelligent manner. I finished reading this article today which was mentioned by Gaby in the chat room:

_http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/05/sex-trafficking-201105

Yeah, that is another article that is very instructive. It is the one topic that one of our chatters had trouble with.

Here is the SOTT.net version of the same article with highlights:

Sex trafficking of Americans: Business in the slave trade has never been better
https://www.sott.net/article/272984-Sex-trafficking-of-Americans-Business-in-the-slave-trade-has-never-been-better

The SOTT comment is also relevant:

Despite the "happy ending" of this article, keep in mind that the federal government has estimated that at least 100,000 minors every year are sold for sex in the U.S. The men who purchase and pimp them are rarely punished. Run-away shelters, safe housing and services for these children are perennially underfunded. Instead, the most common reaction is to punish these victims.

Most children in the commercial sex industry qualify as victims under statutory rape laws. Yet Cynthia Godsoe, assistant professor of family law at Brooklyn Law School, could find not a single case of a customer of a trafficked child being prosecuted for statutory rape.

For more information see:

Give restitution to victims of child pornography, but also recognize all child victims of sexual exploitation
https://www.sott.net/article/272902-Give-restitution-to-victims-of-child-pornography-but-also-recognize-all-child-victims-of-sexual-exploitation

 

[A Jay]

Finished listening to this show a day or two ago, and I can't thank y'all enough for getting this message out there!

I was first exposed to porn when I was 11 or 12 via a pop-up on a kid's game I liked to play online. It started downward spiral of addiction and self-loathing that no child should have to go through! If y'all helped even one person finally decide to stop using porn or helped one person decide to never start, it was worth it!

 

[Erykah]

It is hard to take all this information in, but at the same time it becomes easier to comprehend what is going on in this ponerised world when you study this topic on a regular basis. When I read that long article about Dutroux in Belgium and his elaborate pedocriminal networks my brain was still trying to distract me and to keep me in denial. But the stronger we become the better we seem to be able to look at this in a more objective manner, maybe?

I have tried to talk to one of my children about porn and how pervasive it is in the world of young people, but I think I will have to do it again, in a less emotional manner. So thanks a lot for these special pointers for parents. :) It is something I do worry about.

It is hard to take all this information in Mariama, I don't know if it really gets any easier with time :( Personally I want to know as a way to comprehend what is going on in this ponerized world.

When it comes to talking to children about these issues it can be really hard. Something that you don't want to deal with or address because it is uncomfortable, painful and frightening. Unfortunately this is the world we live in and if we don't address the issue the chance that others will is slim to none.

Years ago I read the book Predators: Pedophiles, Rapists, and Other Sex Offenders, Who They Are, How They Operate, and How We Can Protect Ourselves and Our Children. As hard as it was to get through I learned so much about how to talk to my children about such an emotionally charge topic. More than anything I realized that just 'providing the space' for such a discussion to take place, building trust and answering any questions - no matter how awkward or uncomfortable - made the topic less taboo.

The author was interviewed on Sott Talk Radio:

Behind the Headlines: Predators Among Us - Interview With Dr. Anna Salter

In December 2013, we spoke with Dr. Anna Salter on SOTT Talk Radio. Dr. Salter is a licensed clinical psychologist who received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Public Practice from Harvard University. She is the author of the best-selling book, Predators: Pedophiles, Rapists, and Other Sex Offenders, Who They Are, How They Operate, and How We Can Protect Ourselves and Our Children, provides expert testimony in high-profile criminal trials in the US, and has given talks internationally.

Dr. Salter's invaluable contribution towards exposing and understanding the predators in our midst comes from her tremendous courage in both treating the victims of violent sex crimes, and also from studying the offenders, interviewing them and compiling the videotaped interviews along with her commentary and analysis.

What motivates sexual abusers? Why are so few caught? Lifting the lid on an unspoken, unacknowledged reality that sees countless thousands of sex crimes take place in towns and cities everywhere, Dr. Salter shows that sexual predators use sophisticated deception techniques and rely on misconceptions surrounding them to evade discovery.

Arguing that even the most knowledgeable among us can be fooled, listen as Dr. Salter dispels the myths about sexual predators and gives us the tools to protect our families and ourselves. As Dr. Salter put it: "Knowing how they think and act and operate is the only protection we have."

 

[Turgon]

Just wanted to say that I thought you all did a great job exploring this topic. It's not an easy one for sure, but it's something that has a big impact on men and women and unfortunately on boys and girls as well.

I thought so too. It's not an easy topic to cover and you all did it very well. Kudos! :)

It was a difficult topic. Throughout the show I felt a pervasive sense of doom. We cover a lot of depressing topics and sometimes you can throw in a joke or two to lighten the mood but this topic is so dark and sensitive there is no humor to be found in it. The only thing that can be done besides not feeding the beast by participating is to shine a light on it.

I finished listening to the show the other day and I have to say thank you for covering this topic. I think all of you did an amazing job and even though it may have been difficult to discuss, a lot of what you and the other hosts said actually helped me to release some of the lingering shame and guilt that I still felt from the kind of pornography I used to watch. It's been 6 years since I last delved into that world and the show reinforced in my mind how much I will never ever lend my energy or time to that filth again.

I also became angry listening because when I was thinking back to how I justified it, it was due to compartmentalization. I separated that part of my life from other parts of my life and never noticed how it had seeped in and altered my thinking. I'd say it is probably the worst forms of addiction, more so than any substance because it altered so much of what I thought about and how I thought about it - namely sex and sexualizing situations. I think what was one of my first experiences that prompted me to change was seeing my sister become a teenager. I'd be walking down the street with her and see guys eyeing her up and down and I would get very protective and defensive thinking to myself "how dare they look at my sister like that!" only to realize I was doing the exact same thing to someone else's sister or daughter.

If circumstances or fate were slightly different, this intelligent young woman who I've seen grow up in front of me could have been on a porn site being dehumanized, having her dignity and self-respect taken away for someone else's pleasure. I don't know if that's a weird way of looking at it, but it made needing to change very personal, immediate and what got me through the painful realizations and pangs of conscience that at times seemed overwhelming and beyond my ability to come to terms with. You could say she was, and still is my anchor that helps bring me back to conscience.

It reminds me a Native American story I read years ago, and this is a loose interpretation of it. There were two men walking in a forest, and they both came upon a beautiful women who was also spirit or Goddess, with a mist surrounding her. One of the men looked at her with awe, wonder and amazement at what he was witnessing while the other looked at her with lust in his eyes. When she passed them and the mist touched both men, it responded to them based on what they were thinking. So for the first man, the mist passed through him and he was lifted up, but the second man had his skin and flesh burned away by the mist and ended up a pile of bones and ash. I don't remember what was said in the story afterwards but I think the meaning was pretty obvious. And with the way porn is portraying women and how it is twisting the minds of men towards them and their understanding of sexuality, society is clearly headed down the path of bones and ashes.

So again, thanks for everyone who took part. I'm definitely going to share this on social media and hope more people take the time to listen in.