Addiction - Sorioso - Pornography

WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT
“I can’t believe it happened!” exclaimed Martin (not his real name). He was left home alone on a Saturday afternoon. His parents were at work and he had no idea where his siblings were. He was searching for his portfolio when he came across this old wooden box inside the house’ spare bedroom. He opened it hoping he could find his portfolio. What he saw was not something he expected to find. He had never seen the like of it before, a stranger to his eyes. It was a pornographic CD.
Pornography is any material intended primarily to arouse sexual desire. It may take the form of printed literature, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, internet, sound recording, film, video or video game. As technology advances and the proliferation of mass media, access to pornography becomes easier. With the increasing number of pornographic websites, these materials are practically one click away.
The word pornography comes from the Greek porne which means whore or prostitutes and graphien which means to write. Early Greeks did frescos or wall paintings on prostitution houses to advertise the services available inside.
Although the CD was unfamiliar, Martin knew that it was porn. How could he not know it? His classmates talk about it all the time and even encouraged him watch one.
“I was curious. I played it on the VCD player. I was nervous. I was uneasy. I was shocked.”
Martin is a 3rd year student of Ateneo de Zambianga University. He is active in his church’s youth group. He attends church service every Sunday and the youth fellowships every afternoon. He reads the Bible a lot, including those readings that warn about the dangers of lust. He chose not to expose his real name for fear of his reputation as a youth leader.
“I felt filthy and impure for doing that (watching the CD). How I hate the owner of that CD!”
He remembered how he scolds his classmates for watching porn. He remembered the simultaneous disgust and pity that he felt for them. Every night, he prayed that his classmates would realize that they were doing something not pleasing to God. “But now, I don’t know if I could do that still.”
To his frustration and shame, he found the temptation much stronger than he was. Eventually, every time he was left home alone, he would find himself getting the CD from the old wooden box and watching its content.
Teens by nature are sexually curious and sexually aggressive. Pornography often serves as an alternative tool for the real sexual act. Instead of really having sex, pornography helps them to be sexually satisfied.
In an informal survey conducted for this article, 10 out of 10 students said curiosity is one of the top reasons for accessing pornographic material. The same students named sexual pleasure as the main reason for accessing it a second time.
All students have seen pornographic materials. The video CD and the internet are the top sources.
Another student, Paul, said, “habang tumatagal, nakakasawa ng panoorin ang porn. It is like watching the same basketball game with just different players—the same thrill, the same plot.”
Opinions vary on the effects of pornography. One student said that pornography can easily lead to students engaging in premarital sex. Half of the students interviewed said that for porn by itself cannot trigger engaging in premarital sex, that other factors are required.
Most religions stand firmly against pornography. Most governments outlaw it. But pornography continues to thrive, with the youth forming a large part of their market.