The internet has indeed revolutionized the world significantly. It has bridged distances and has provided a global platform for its users. But its advantages were followed by its disadvantages as well. Pornographic content has been on the internet since its inception. It has been promoted by large corporate houses throughout the world due to the fact that it is one of the largest industries today.
But the question is that why are we addressing this issue? Pornography has been blatantly promoted and justified in the garb of freedom of speech and expression. Many producers, consumers, and even psychologists say that it is just another harmless recreational activity. The purpose of this article is to refute this bogus claim and to present a holistic view of this issue. Pornography is one of the most prevalent poisons that has engulfed not just an impulsive and young population but also adults and religiously inclined people as well.
It is high time that we acknowledge the fact that if you have a device and an internet connection, you are exposed to such content. Exposure to such content corrupts those young minds from which several evils emanate, not just on an individual level but on a social level as well. In this article, we have analyzed the various problems and negative impacts of pornography on youth and society. We have also focused on the ways to quit this abominable habit and have provided practical as well as spiritual mechanisms to help those who are in need of guidance but can’t talk to anyone.
What all does it normalize?
Aggression towards women: Pornographic content portrays women as objects of men. It depicts all kinds of violence and aggression masquerading as a fetish called sado-masochism, in which women supposedly enjoy being inflicted with pain. Such fetishes have a long-lasting impact on a consumer’s mind, which may lead to the ruination of healthy marital relationships.
Moreover, pornography blatantly promotes rape. In this modern world where consent has become a hot topic, pornography depicts the violation of consent due to which the consumer’s mind can get desensitized toward the woman’s consent. Not just that, but there have been several instances where people have raped their own relatives and friends because of the influence of porn. People have also gone to the extent of raping and murdering several women.
One prominent case is the Ted Bundy Case, in which Theodore Robert Cowell, a young man, and a lawyer, raped and killed more than 36 young girls. Though many factors contributed to his psychopathic behavior, one of the more prominent factors was porn. He was also a necrophile and used to sexually assault the bodies of the girls after killing them. (1)
It promotes abominable fetishes:
Porn websites offer different categories, and some are incest, homosexuality, sado-masochism, adultery, bestiality, etc. All these fetishes are harmful to the social and moral fabric of society, but these are being normalized in a very subliminal manner. Moreover, “Game of Thrones,” which is a well-known series, also depicts incestuous relationships. The young minds, without any hesitation, expose themselves to such content, and then, later on, they end up fantasizing about their blood relations and, in more severe cases, they resort to raping them as well. This leads to the ruination of the family institution, which is the basic unit of society. Paul Bureau writes: “Let it be enough to say that immorality between near relatives, even sometimes between father and daughter and between brother and sister, is not very uncommon in certain popular quarters of our great towns.” (2)
There is a plethora of pornographic content that advocates bestiality. We know that bestiality may lead to several diseases like penile cancer, etc., but still, the porn industry does not care about this. Moreover, so many animals are exploited while producing animal porn, but no animal rights activist bats an eye. There are ‘wife-swapping’ groups that provide the facility of exchanging each other’s wives for indulging in sexual relations. All these abominable activities have a long-lasting effect on the children of such couples. Their children often become depressed, and they also indulge in these activities when they grow up.
Violation of consent:
Many advocates of pornography claim that porn is an expression of sexuality and that the performers’ consent to the production of such content. The fact is that most of the performers are forced into the industry due to a paucity of resources, and after they enter this dark world, they are treated as common property. The directors, producers, and actors don’t give any consideration to the consent of female performers. (3) Moreover, pornography and prostitution are two industries that have legitimized the trafficking of people.
Drugs and Suicides:
In order to cope with their mental health issues in such an exploitative industry, porn performers have to resort to drugs. The cause of many deaths in the industry is drug overdose. Sometimes, performers are given drugs in order to be able to perform a particular scene. Many of the performers commit suicide when they are unable to tolerate the exploitation anymore. One can refer to the International Adult Film Database to learn more about this aspect.
The Mental and Physical Harms of Pornography
Physical Harms: The physical harms of pornographic content include erectile dysfunction, defects in sexual organs, premature ejaculation, fatigue, impotency, etc. The most alarming physical change that is experienced by men, especially men under forty, today in many of the recovery sites is erectile dysfunction (ED). That is, they cannot attain a stiff or erect penis. For others, delayed ejaculation or sluggish response to real partners is common. The real deal is that they do not experience ED when using porn, they realize it only when they try to have intercourse with a real partner. That means many men without partners do not even realize they have developed an erectile problem. As University of Cambridge lead researcher Valerie Voon said, “Porn addicts compared to healthy volunteers had significantly more difficulty with sexual arousal and experienced more erectile difficulties in intimate sexual relationships but not to sexually explicit material.” (4)
Mental Harms:
According to neurochemistry, porn has the ability to rewire our brains and determine pathways that can lead to severe addictions. Once the brain gets wired in that manner, it becomes extremely difficult to get rid of this addiction. Furthermore, it leads to social isolation, depression, anxiety, mood disorders, sexually objectifying people, engaging in risky behavior, etc. A porn addict generally prefers porn over people and withdraws from society, which can lead to severe mental illness. One neglects the important areas of life such as work, family life, personal well-being, and productivity.
The Ways to Stop Watching Porn:
As we have seen, pornography has negatively impacted the youths and society as a whole. It is very difficult to get rid of it, but it is not impossible. If someone is struggling with porn addiction and genuinely wants to get out of it, he/she should follow the steps given below:
• Just imagine that if you quit porn, how productive and beautiful would your life become, and how satisfied would you be mentally.
• A person generally succumbs to porn when he/she is unable to identify the cues or the triggers. Triggers can be those things or situations which induce someone to watch porn. It can be an advertisement, erotic scenes in movies and web series, etc. The person who wants to avoid porn should also avoid the triggers. It is neuroscientifically proven that avoiding the triggers is the first step toward quitting a bad habit. The Quranic statement also alludes to this phenomenon.
• Change your company and befriend people who invite you towards goodness. Please get rid of those friends who discuss such things and make you do these things.
• Please stop listening to music as music, movies, web series, etc. excite your sexual desires which end up in a guilt trip. Please engage yourself in productive habits like reading books, starting a business, starting a blog, or anything else you like, but keep yourself busy as AN EMPTY MIND IS THE DEVIL’S WORKSHOP. Some examples of good habits can be: reading books; watching lectures; taking up a course in your subject of interest; exercising; joining study circles; volunteering for different organizations; starting a business, etc.
Remember that it takes some time for a habit to settle. Don’t back out after some time, thinking that you won’t be able to continue. There might be some resistance in the beginning, but gradually you will get used to it. One good way to develop a habit is to do it in a group. For example, if you want to join a gym, try to go with a friend so there is mutual motivation. Similarly, if you want to start reading books, join a study circle so that there is an obligation to read books. This way, you will be able to compel yourself to indulge in that activity and eventually develop a habit.
• Avoid consuming food that is high in dopamine like fast food, chocolate, coffee, etc. Develop healthy eating habits and exercise regularly.
• One should establish a connection with the Almighty in order to get rid of these immoral habits. Once your soul starts getting the food it needs, you will develop contempt for porn, and eventually, you will get out of it. A person who watches porn knows that it is awful and there is instant guilt after gratification. The first thing that the person needs to do is to retain that guilt. Don’t normalize it, even if you can’t get rid of it. Cry your heart out each and every time and repent sincerely. Your Tawbah has to be sincere so that you promise yourself to leave this bad habit. Even if there are relapses, just seek repentance.
• If you know someone who is addicted to porn, it is your duty to help him out. Try your best to follow the above steps and make him get rid of his addiction. Invite him or her to your circle so that he/she can enjoy good company. Take him/her to the masjid, lectures, etc. so that his/her corrupt mind gets exposed to a new and better environment.
Conclusion:
Pornography is an underrated pandemic that has become the root cause of various social evils. It aims to debilitate the social and moral fabric of society, and in this article, we have analyzed its severe effects. It neurochemically normalizes fetishes that cause moral disgust, which eventually leads to the ruination of familial and marital ties. Not just that, but it causes severe physical and mental harm to the consumers as well as the performers, some of which include drug consumption, depression, and suicide.
It instills a false notion of intimacy because of which people are not satisfied with natural intercourse and this further leads to the disruption of the family institution. Though it is difficult to get rid of porn addiction, it is not impossible, and we have enlisted a few steps that can be followed in order to quit pornography. Some of the steps are: avoiding the triggers, developing new habits, changing your friend circle, increasing spiritual activities, and helping one another to quit porn.
References:-
1) master-dissertation.com
2) Paul Bureau, Towards Moral Bankruptcy, pg.35
3) https://fightthenewdrug.org/10-porn-stars-speak-openly-about-their-most-popular-scenes/
4) 23 https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/videos/porn-induced-erectile-dysfunction-2014/
