PORN: Conservatives found to be biggest consumers

[sjbouza]

An interesting study has been done by Benjamin Edelman at Harvard Business School. He has taken "anonymised credit-card receipts from a major online adult entertainment provider[s]" and "finds little variation in consumption between states."

However, there are some trends to be seen in the data. Those states that do consume the most porn tend to be more conservative and religious than states with lower levels of consumption, the study finds.

"Some of the people who are most outraged turn out to be consumers of the very things they claimed to be outraged by," Edelman says.

You can read the full PDF here. You can read the article in the New Scientist

I like Edelman's little quote that some of the people that are most outraged about something are the ones that turn out to be doing that very same thing. So since Dobsy and his ilk are so outraged by "homosexuality" maybe they are just closeted homos like good ole Haggard?

Just some food for thought.

Peace,
Scott

[Rick336]

Yep. This makes sense to me. A great way to deflect people away from one's own porn fascination (or homosexuality) is to vigorously oppose it.

Oh damn. I just thought of something. This could mean that Fred Phelps is a bottom.

Rick

[u-dog]

Originally Posted by Rick336

Yep. This makes sense to me. A great way to deflect people away from one's own porn fascination (or homosexuality) is to vigorously oppose it.

Oh damn. I just thought of something. This could mean that Fred Phelps is a bottom.

Rick

Of course... it could also mean that you are conservative Christian ...

[Linda2008]

I admit I don't really "get" pornography and I think it's sort of weird. It just seems to me that there's better fulfillment to be had in intimacy with a live warm flesh-and-blood person than there could possibly be in a movie or a skin mag. Just my opinion based on my personal experiences.

That said, I have been known to read an erotic romance on occassion.

Regarding conservative folk, I don't know why more conservatives than "liberals" or "moderates" indulge in pornography. Maybe "liberal" and "moderate" people just make love more often and don't bother with pornography?

[Zerbie]

Originally Posted by Linda2008

I admit I don't really "get" pornography and I think it's sort of weird. It just seems to me that there's better fulfillment to be had in intimacy with a live warm flesh-and-blood person than there could possibly be in a movie or a skin mag. Just my opinion based on my personal experiences.

That said, I have been known to read an erotic romance on occassion.

Regarding conservative folk, I don't know why more conservatives than "liberals" or "moderates" indulge in pornography. Maybe "liberal" and "moderate" people just make love more often and don't bother with pornography?

Conservatives, in general, are taught to push stuff down and to not accept things in themselves. That means they've hidden their 'stuff' where they can't see it, and in the dark it grows until it's so large, their subconscious stuff influences their behavior. That's what causes the out of control 'acting out' of repressed feelings. If it's against the rules, it moves to the dark. Then once it's in the dark, look out, because you've lost the ability to control it.

[BruceChris]

Originally Posted by Linda2008

That said, I have been known to read an erotic romance on occassion.

Otherwise known as a "Bodice Ripper"

And who do I keep telling you owns the biggest closet in Kansas?

Originally Posted by Rick336

Oh damn. I just thought of something. This could mean that Fred Phelps is a bottom.

Other than that, I do have to admit that taking Jocelyn Elder's advice does reduce social diseases, and teenage pregnancies.

And if liberals and moderates don't push it down, maybe they/we just don't feel a need to feel guilty about it.

Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands, Bruce Chris

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by Linda2008

I admit I don't really "get" pornography and I think it's sort of weird. It just seems to me that there's better fulfillment to be had in intimacy with a live warm flesh-and-blood person than there could possibly be in a movie or a skin mag. Just my opinion based on my personal experiences.

I bet, if we do the numbers, that men are the consumers of the pornography in question. From what I have read over the years, men are much more visually oriented that women. It also makes sense that those who make waves about pornography might also be the same folks who avail themselves of it. Sorta like the research that showed that homophobes are the ones who are turned on by thoughts of gay sex.

Agree with Zerbie- if you push your desires into the shadows, you have the makings for some strange behavior. So- so sex negative many conservatives.

[Linda2008]

Originally Posted by Daniel

I bet, if we do the numbers, that men are the consumers of the pornography in question. From what I have read over the years, men are much more visually oriented that women. It also makes sense that those who make waves about pornography might also be the same folks who avail themselves of it. Sorta like the research that showed that homophobes are the ones who are turned on by thoughts of gay sex.

Agree with Zerbie- if you push your desires into the shadows, you have the makings for some strange behavior. So- so sex negative many conservatives.

Well, I actually kind of think there's more to it than that. I have a very large family and pornography was not something I discovered until I was an adult. By that I mean I did not really know about the existence of pornography, never saw any. No one in my family was "into" it. I have half a dozen uncles, two brothers, and several male cousins and they aren't interested in it (or if they are they're covering it up).

What I've noticed is that pornography seems to be "habit" that tends to be picked up through upbringing and observation. Like cigarette smoking? If your parents or other influential family members indulge, you might be more likely to do so as well.

Again, this is just personal theory based on my own observations.

[Rick336]

Originally Posted by u-dog

Of course... it could also mean that you are conservative Christian ...

Yes. You found me out. In fact, not only am I a conservative Christian, but I'm also a heterosexual Republican.

Rick

[Dakota]

Am I allowed to say "masturbation" on this Forum? If not, then I'll go with self-pleasure. Same thing, right? Anyway, my point is, conservative Christians preach against these things only because they are doing them in secret and don't want to be found out. I know, I know, it sounds obvious, and everybody knows it, but it's true. Maybe it's because these Christians want to believe that they're the only ones doing these things, so they throw fire-and-brimstone preaching at the rest of us so we behave ourselves to avoid H-E-Double Hockey Sticks while they go and enjoy themselves. Sound familiar? I wonder how many times Ted Haggard preached against homosexuality before it was learned he was seeing a male prostitute on the side? And do you ever wonder why conservative Christians even bother telling the rest of us about the dangers of taking the Bible out of context, when they won't even admit to doing it themselves? Oh, and lying. Don't get me started on that one. Conservative Christians lie to us all the time, everything from calling our President a Muslim to trying to convert homosexuals into hetrosexuals and claiming that it can be done when scientific evidence proves that it's all just a sham. Anyway, back to pornography and conservative Christians (sorry, I didn't mean to get off-base here): There is every reason to believe that this may be true, because for awhile after I became a Christian (while I was thinking like a fundamentalist), I grew addicted to Internet porn and stayed with it until my sexual obsession over a close friend of mine (a woman I'll call "Nan") finally started to wax and wane. I had homosexual feelings for Nan for several years and would fantasize about her all the time, even in church, and write erotic stories about what we would do to each other sexually if we had ever been given the opportunity. Nan never felt the same way about me, though, even though she was once a gay woman herself, so eventually I decided to give up on this sexual obsession thing and only see her as my friend and sister in Christ. Unfortunately, Nan and I are no longer close, and although we have remained friends, I will always regret ruining what could have been a wonderful friendship and will probably never forgive myself for it. I really wanted a friendship, not a homosexual relationship, with Nan, but I also believe that the selfish, self-centered side of me felt lonely and out of place and just wanted to feel special. I like being favored, I guess, and I was looking to Nan, not Jesus, to fulfill that need. Anyway, back to conservative Christians and porn again: My point is, Christians shouldn't preach anything to us unless they can be sure they're not doing the dirty deed themselves. Again, sorry for the rambling. God bless!

[offog]

I agree that conservatives tend to repress sexual feelings.

I also think that conservatives tend to feel more of a sense of entitlement. That's why so many of these good conservative family values guys have extra-marital affairs.

It's part of that social-Darwinist mindset. The best of the best make it to the top, right? Conservative business and professional people think they made it there because of superior talent. Therefore, they're entitled to the perks of power, and they're allowed to break the rules. Sex is just another perk of power.

Remember those Republicans caught in corruption scandals during the George W. Bush administration? These guys had a superiority complex that let them think that the rules governing ordinary mortals didn't apply to them. The same attitude goes for the "rules" around "sexual morals". A lot of conservative men think they have a constitutional right to get laid.

I speak partly from experience. I dated a conservative guy during my last year of university. We broke up because he had an attitude that guys have a right to get laid on a date, nevermind whether the woman's in the mood, and if the woman doesn't put out on demand, she's a tease.

By the way, what's with this Christian conservative attitude that sexual morals are the only morals that matter? I find it weird that they seriously think that the Bill Clinton sex scandal is so much worse than financial or political corruption, or George W. starting a war just because he wanted to outdo his dad.

[offog]

Originally posted by Linda2008: "I admit I don't really "get" pornography and I think it's sort of weird. It just seems to me that there's better fulfillment to be had in intimacy with a live warm flesh-and-blood person than there could possibly be in a movie or a skin mag. Just my opinion based on my personal experiences."

Yeah, I don't "get" porn either. I like looking at hunky guys as much as the next straight woman, but porn doesn't turn me on. For me, brains and character are more important than looks. For example, I always thought that the Gil Grissom character from CSI was hot. Sure, he doesn't look like a matinee idol, but he's cute enough and has a nice smile. The best thing is that he's smart and he's a decent guy. Besides that, I've always had a thing for science nerds. When I was a kid in elementary school, Mr. Spock was my hero.