Pornography: Right or perversion?

Psychology experts fear that if people do not talk about sex in Sri Lanka, they will turn to porn to learn about sex instead of thinking more broadly about sexuality

Pornography, often abbreviated ‘porn’ or ‘porno’ in informal usage has become mainstream, with easy access to the Internet. Pornography is no more restricted to magazines and CDs which are secretly sold or exchanged. This can be the reason why pornographic material raids are more frequently in the news. Last week it was reported that two persons allegedly involved in a racket distributing CDs containing pornographic material to video centers were arrested during a raid in North Central and Central provinces by Dambulla Police. Dambulla Police also seized 786 CDs and several computers containing pornographic videos.

There were three others who were arrested for having in possession mobile phones containing pornographic material. Yet it remains uncertain why having pornographic content in personal electronic equipments like mobile phones and personal computers is considered a crime. When queried about the legal grounds of arresting people who have in their possession personal electronic equipment containing sexually explicit material, Sri Lanka Police Media Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said they have arrested these people based on the country’s law.

“Showing or possessing databases of pornographic material is ‘strictly’ prohibited by the Sri Lankan law and that law was made by the parliament,” he said. “Few countries have strict laws regarding pornography, including Sri Lanka. I believe that such laws were imposed because of the culture and morality of our society. If we need to uphold the moral values of our society, law should be strictly maintained,” he reiterated. It makes one wonder if the police is attempting to police the general public’s moral values.

Colonial hangover

Perhaps it is the Victorian mindset, a colonial hangover, which makes the discussion of pornography or any other sex related topic in public, uncomfortable, yet Google it to satisfy their curiosity in private. They are only very few who are bold enough to speak about such issues in public. Among those is a camp which brands porn as obscenity - capable of turning good men into sexual perverts. Another camp sees porn as just a healthy way of experiencing sex as long as the person doing the accessing is legally an adult and no one gets hurt while another camp is not sure whether to take its side or speak against it.

According to Wikipedia pornography may use a variety of media, including books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video and even video games. Some call it sex education; some use it as a means to achieve sexual satisfaction and as sexual stimulation during masturbation.

University of Peradeniya, Professor of Sociology, SA Athukorala explained the Sociological perspective of pornography abuse. As he explained, a social problem is a problem which is generated by the society. It has negative impacts on the society and could be prevented by collective collaboration of the society. Law enforcement could come in handy in preventing a social problem. Prof Athukorala was not certain whether pornography abuse can be categorized as a social problem since it effects are individual rather than societal. “I believe we should look into this more liberally. However humans naturally have a drive for sex. We should look at these people in a sympathetic manner,” he said. Athukorala also said that this issue could affect a person’s social relationships including his family life.

He warned that the society should be more vigilant about these materials coming into the possession of children. “Cellular phones are very popular among children in plantation areas, especially teenagers. There are shops in these areas where a child could get pornographic material copied into their phones for 500 to 1,000 rupees,” he said, out of many years of experience working in such areas. “A person’s privacy should be protected while being vigilant about the possible hazards,” he added.      

Frustration

The psychological perspective of this issue is contradictory to the Police’s point of view. Dr. Jennie Robertson, a Clinical Psychologist who is working with Samutthana - the Sri Lankan Resource Centre of King's College London explained that it’s a matter of one’s choice to acquire satisfaction by watching pornography to relieve sexual frustration. “Many people use pornography to relieve sexual frustration, but others may choose not to,” Dr. Robertson said speaking to The Nation. Dr. Robertson is a Clinical Psychologist who has completed her training at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Some argue that porn can be as addictive as drugs. Commenting on this Dr. Robertson said she believes that sexual activity can be broadly addictive than pornography. According to an article published on WebMD online archive, one of the key features of addiction is the development of a tolerance to the addictive substance in the way that drug addicts need increasingly larger doses to get high, it reads that porn addicts need to see more and more explicit material to feel the same level of excitement they first experienced (Is Pornography Addictive? By Martin Downs, MPH). The Internet: The Book of Revelations written by Felix von Keudell suggests that porn can be a full-blown compulsion. It explains that pornography is more like food to a compulsive over-eater and once you make those pleasure connections in your brain they can be very hard to break.

Dr. Robertson said that there are numerous therapeutic techniques that can be used to manage problematic behavior. “As a therapist, I do not feel it is my duty to cure someone, but rather to help them manage difficult behaviors in order to reduce any psychological distress, improve well-being and live a life that they value.” She also mentioned that guilt, stigma, shame and other socio-culturally induced emotions cause people to feel further distressed by desires and behaviors they are made to believe, deviant. She pointed out that there is emerging evidence that watching porn is correlated with some neurological changes in the brain including impulsivity, compulsivity, emotional lability (subject to change or breakdown) and impaired judgment.

 

Negative effects

She also explained how people rely on porn as a form of sexual education. “I am aware that in United Kingdom, with increasing internet access now, people are learning about sex from porn more than ever.” According to her, one of the negative effects of pornography in the heterosexual context is the sexual objectification of the women. “I feel that they have to assume the role of a female porn star in order to be desirable and socially accepted,” she explained the UK situation. “I have observed that these actors do not necessarily want to do or enjoy it by performing sexual acts by the teenage girls I have worked with. Similarly, men are learning that it is acceptable to objectify women, to prioritize their own sexual needs at the expense of their partners' and to engage in sexual practices that may or may not be what either they or their sexual partners want,” she elaborated.

Poor body image

For both men and women, the pressure to look like porn stars may also lead to poor body image. “Some girls compare their genitals and breasts to their cosmetically-altered porn star counterparts, and feel that any deviation from these 'porn norms' is abnormal, rather than embracing variation amongst women,” she stressed. It would seem likely that this is also true for men.

According to The Internet: The Book of Revelations sociologists have noted that men who have used porn view their partner through a ‘pornographic filter.’ They will resort to impersonal fantasy of some porn scene when they’re having sex because the love for their partner isn’t enough to satisfy them. The porn-brained man also forces his woman to do things she’s not very comfortable with, seeking to act out the exotic scenes he has seen on film. And he’ll think women are all about it.

Human right

When Dr. Robertson was asked whether access to pornography is a human right she argued that all should have a right to express and explore sexuality. “I don't know if I would classify access to pornography as a human right. Access to all information perhaps?” she questioned. She also pointed out the danger of not providing sexual education to people so that porn becomes the only alternative sex education.

“We need to educate people about safe sex; that is, consensual sex that minimizes the risk of STI (Sexually Transmitted Infections) or pregnancy. We need to talk positively about sexual health and sexual identity so that people feel free to explore their sexuality and that sex becomes a pleasurable experience,” she explained. “I am aware that this may or may not fit with various cultural and religious norms. But if we avoid talking about sex, we may be encouraging people to seek sex education through porn, which carries many dangerous and negative messages for both men and women,” she added.

According to her, it can be difficult to think critically about the messages porn convey if people don’t have access to information on sex beyond porn. “My fear is that if we do not talk about sex in Sri Lanka, people will turn to porn to learn about sex instead of thinking more broadly about sexuality,” she pointed out. “In my time in Sri Lanka, I have been struck by the absence of sex education provided to people and was reflecting on how access to porn might be particularly damaging when people have no other form of sexual understanding,” Dr. Robertson noted.