Pornography

[Jamiladodger]

Unsure whether to put this - just venting my theory and concerns I guess.

I read recently in the Norwich Evening News that there's been an increase in young men seeking out child porn and I can't help but wonder if cartoon "anime/manga" porn has something to do with it? The "women" depicted in anime often look disturbingly childlike. I'm sure (I hope) someone is looking into this.

[Jamiladodger]

where not whether, sorry.

[Winesalot]

I think that any media that infantilises women is dangerously regressive. Both infantilising women and normalising the use of porn mean that males are bolstering up toxic behavioural expectations. I have to be optimistic to think that there is research being conducted here.

[Deliriumoftheendless]

I suspect it’s always been there for some young men just with greater availability we hear about it more. Many older offenders begin offending in their youth I believe.

[Z0rr0]

@glinner posted a scary article from Medium the other day about the link between kids' TV cartoon artists and porn and particularly some stuff about Steven Universe that suggests it's a bit groomery.

[Lowhum]

Dove have a campaign with Steven Universe at the moment. It is advertised on the young kids channels. DH an I did a double take when we saw it.

[Goosefoot]

Part of it may be they begin access it younger, and then because of lack of real life sexual experience it affects them more quickly. With regular users they often they can't get a sexual response after a while from regular porn and they keep having to up the stakes - more extreme, more kinky, more transgressive, more violent, even just more strange. As I understand it adult men who have had a sex life before porn are somewhat protected from this but with teens it progresses very quickly, and begins to show all the problems associated with serious addictions.

[BeetrootRocks]

There was a lot of stuff in the 70s about this with a publication related to Hugh Heffner about young teen girls, and it had a load of persuasive arguments about how they pushed for it to be normalised.

I'll try to find it in a bit it was v interesting.

I'd say that lots of men have always been interested in pubescent / young teen girls (and boys) and the ease of access on the net gives normalisation.

Plus seeking ever more extreme things over time.

Plus wondering what it's all about.

A lot of (most) mainstream het porn has a very strong sexual dominance aspect and that might feed into it.

The whole thing is a nightmare tbh.

[BeetrootRocks]

Can't find it now!

It was about sugar and spice mag, Brooke Shields naked aged 10.

[youkiddingme]

I have often wondered whether men seeking out children is a reflection that they themselves are stuck, developmentally, at a young age emotionally, so women seem too threatening. Or, and this may be a facet of the same thing, to feel empowered they need someone they feel more powerful than, hence a child.
Since porn is so pervasive, and young people are being sexualised at ever younger ages, maybe that in itself makes a young man feel he needs to be 'more of a man' than he's ready to be, hence the need for the power dynamic. And the more available it is the more it will be normalised and expected. And if it's seen as 'more thrilling' then it will be more coveted.
I also think porn has objectified women so much that young men probably see young women as barely any different to a cartoon when they are wanting sex.

[Antibles]

Nothing would surprise me. All of the above. Men and the availability of porn via the internet is a fucking disastrous combination.

Until we all ditch their sick arses for going near porn nothing will change though. They won't give up their addictive dopamine hit easy.

[Goosefoot]

I don't think not dating these guys will help - increasingly they don't have relationships anyway.

It's more going to be a matter of regulation and also, maybe more importantly, a change in attitude about it.

[Silkenworm]

I watched Hop over Easter with the kids and couldn't believe that it had a whole scene referencing PlayBoy. My daughter had wanted to watch it as she had seen it two years ago (when she was 5) at school.

[Antibles]

Ditching men for porn use is the change in attitude neeeded. I believe only women can solve this, by a zero tolerance atittude to their partners. We've been gaslit for too long into accepting porn use, not realising what an addiction it has turned into and how bad it has got, what a gateway to extremes it is. The normalisation in the media! Men aren't going to suddenly decide to legislate against their precious porn themselves - we are talking a serious addiction here. There has to be a cost to it i.e. women won't tolerate it in a partner - like cheating. Nothing will change while women turn a blind eye to men's porn use. It's pretty much everyone's partners contributing to this now not just a bunch of young basement dwellers. I speak from bitter experience.

[totallyyesno]

I think it is inevitable as porn in general has become more acceptable and this is the next step.

[Marimari93]

Disgusting! I bet you're right. Bloody awful ffs it makes me furious and my skin crawl. Porn is made by men for men and it looks like they're willing to go tonany extreme nowadays as long as it's "kind legal"