An opinion piece from the New York Times has been making the rounds for the past few days.
The article begins well, clearly stating the issues that our culture faces when "the most important sex education may take place on Pornhub".
The writer relflects that the moralizations of the feminist left ought to be applied just as much to porn as they are to sexual harassment and other misconduct: "And indeed, I think the part of the #MeToo movement that’s interested in discussing sexual unhappiness and not just sexual harassment clearly wants to talk about pornography, even if it doesn’t quite realize that yet."
Writer Ross Douthat continues:
In many of them, you see a kind of female revulsion, not against Harvey Weinstein-style apex predators, but against the very different sort of male personality that a pornographic education seems to produce: a breed at once entitled and resentful, angry and undermotivated, “woke” and caddish, shaped by unprecedented possibilities for sexual gratification and frustrated that real women are less available and more complicated than the version on their screen.
These are all good points to be making. This is an important discussion that needs to be had in a culture where porn is ubiquitous part of adulthood and the sexual maturation process. And it's not just an issue plaguing men: porn viewing and addiction among women is on the rise as well.
Banning is not a Solution
Look, porn is terrible. Study after study shows the destructive nature of porn, how it rewires our brains, destroys relationship intimacy and influences our expectations. Don't let the title of this post fool you. I am staunchly against pornography. But banning porn won't solve anything.
Look back through history or even at current events to see how well bans on high-demand products work.
What will happen if porn is banned?
- Porn won't disappear. It will move to the black market.
- Like all black markets, the porn industry will become an industry of crime, violence, warring competitors, etc.
- Underground pornography will riddled with abuse, rape, and slavery (even moreso than the current porn industry).
- Actos and addicts will be punished rather than helped.
- Our jails will be filled to the brim with even more nonviolent offenders.
If you really believe than a ban on porn will work, ask yourself these questions.
- Did Prohibition stop the flow of alcohol?
- Did prostitution cease in the face of illegality?
- Has the War on Drugs accomplished... anything?
All of these things created dangerous black markets, gangs, and a terrible culture of violence.
