There was some pretty insightful stuff in the media this week.
Let’s start here:
1) Just this morning, I read that in LA County, a judge cited that it’s constitutional for porn *actors and actresses* to wear condoms on set. To read some of the reactions to that is another reason why porn is such a contradiction. So, you’re mad that it’s the law to protect your health (especially in light of the industry’s recent Syphilis scare)? Then again, when I used to watch soap operas, I didn’t see condom wrappers in those either. Reality check: fantasies can be deadly. (Huffington Post)
2) I also peeped that South Africa had a big child porn ring bust. I believe a line in one article I read speaks volumes: “A school principal, who is also an award-winning author, two teachers, a lawyer, a dermatologist and businessmen from across the country were arrested in a multi-pronged operation coinciding with arrests overseas.” Moral to the story: you can’t tell a porn addict by looking. That’s why we need to pray for the people in our lives. Many more struggle than you might think. (PeHerald)
3) There’s an article that’s a couple of years old but for some reason, I just noticed it today while I was doing some online perusing. It’s was published in NY Mag in January of 2011, the title of it is “He’s Just Not That Into Anyone” and it explores how porn is affecting the libidos of men. It cites a quote from John Mayer’s Playboy interview a while back: “How could you be constantly synthesizing an orgasm based on dozens of shots? You’re looking for the one photo out of 100 you swear is going to be the one you finish to, and you still don’t finish … How does that not affect the psychology of having a relationship with somebody? It’s got to.” You can read it here.
4) I also read a piece entitled “How (Not) to Talk to Boys About Internet Porn”. If you haven’t gone to our onlne store and picked up a “Love.Sex.Hate.Porn” shirt, perhaps you’ll be encouraged to get one thanks to this quote in the piece: “Porn naturally fascinates because it’s sex and that is wired into all of us. But the subtext of domination, rape, humiliation, hurt or even killing that is now woven into much available pornography, let alone the absence of tenderness or respect in almost all of it, shapes the sexuality of boys in ways that endanger their chances of a happy sex life in the real world.” Porn isn’t love. Porn is actually pretty hateful. And degrading. And mean. To men as well as women. (Jezebel)
5) And finally, married folks, I’ll leave with this article title: “People Who Have Sex At Least 4 Times A Week Make More Money: Study”. The Word does say not to withhold unless you’re (mutually) praying and fasting (I Corinthians 7:5), right? Yeah, like I said, I’ll leave that right there! (Huffington Post)