Porno and violent video games are good for you

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-08-08 08:00pm

http://www.techcentralstation.com/072804C.html

Last week, I responded to James Glassman's observation that American teenagers are doing better than they've done in decades by trying to figure out why that might be. Teen pregnancy is down, along with teen crime, drug use, and many other social ills. There's also evidence that teenagers are more serious about life in general, and are more determined to make something worthwhile of their lives. Where just a few years ago the "teenager problem" looked insoluble, it seems well on the road to solving itself. But why?

After that column came out, it occurred to me that I had the answer: Porn and videogames. That's what's making American teens healthier.

It should have been obvious.

After all, one of the great changes in teenagers' social environments over the past decade or so has been far greater exposure to explicit pornography, via the Internet, and violence, via videogames. Where twenty or thirty years ago teenagers had to go to some effort to see pictures of people having sex, now those things are as close as a Google query. (In fact, on the Internet it takes some small effort to avoid such pictures.) Meanwhile videogames have gotten more violent, with efforts to limit their content failing on First Amendment grounds.

But -- despite continued warnings from concerned mothers' groups -- teenagers are less violent, and they're having less sex, notwithstanding the predictions of many concerned people that such exposure would have the opposite effect. More virtual sex and violence would seem to go along with less real sex and violence.

The solution is thus obvious -- we need a massive government program to ensure that no American teenager goes without porn and videogames Let no child be left behind!

Well, no. Not even I'm ready to argue for that kind of legislation, though I suppose that candidates interested in the youth vote might want to give it a thought…

But the real lesson is that complex social problems are, well, complex, and that the law of unintended consequences continues to apply.

When teen crime and pregnancy rates were going up, people looked at things that were going on -- including increased availability of porn and violent imagery -- and concluded that there might be something to that correlation. It turned out that there wasn't. Porn and Duke Nukem took over the land, and yet teenagers became more responsible and less violent.

Maybe the porn, and the videogames, provided catharsis, serving as substitutes for the real thing. Maybe. And maybe there's no connection at all. (Or maybe it's a different one -- research indicates that teenagers, though safer and healthier, are also fatter -- so perhaps the other improvements are the result of teens sitting around looking at porn and videogames until they're too out-of-shape and unattractive for the real thing…) Most likely, the lesson is that -- once again -- correlation isn't causation, despite policy entrepreneurs' efforts to claim otherwise.

But regardless, the fears of the doomsayers were proven wrong. People can continue to claim that psychological research suggests that videogames lead to violence and that porn leads to promiscuity, but in the real world the evidence seems to suggest otherwise. That's an argument against regulating videogames -- and it's an argument for taking other claims of impending social doom with a grain of salt.

And maybe it's an argument for surfing porn and playing shoot'em-up games, too. After all, as the activists say, if it saves just one child, it's worth it…

The Cleric · Post by **The Cleric** » 2004-08-08 08:03pm

Hear hear. I know some people that would have a heartattack reading this.

Lonestar · Post by **Lonestar** » 2004-08-08 08:04pm

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The people will be praising uus gamers as heros when the CyberZombieDemons attack.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2004-08-08 08:09pm

While I think he might be on to something, he hasn't exactly tied the two trends together. He needs to actually link increased exposure to porn and video game violence to the drop in real teen sex and violence.

It could be that kids these days are losers who don't leave the house, just sitting around whacking off to porn and playing violent video games. That's why kids are getting fatter too.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-08-08 08:51pm

While I think he might be on to something, he hasn't exactly tied the two trends together. He needs to actually link increased exposure to porn and video game violence to the drop in real teen sex and violence.

I don't think he's trying to argue that, I think he's just trying to point out how stupid it is to blame complex social problems on porno and videogames, especially when there's no real reason to do so.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2004-08-08 09:12pm

Joe wrote:I don't think he's trying to argue that, I think he's just trying to point out how stupid it is to blame complex social problems on porno and videogames, especially when there's no real reason to do so.

OK, then I wholely support the article.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2004-08-08 09:32pm

Gil Hamilton wrote:It could be that kids these days are losers who don't leave the house, just sitting around whacking off to porn and playing
violent video games. That's why kids are getting fatter too.

Whacking off can help you lose weight. Just need to do it a few times a day.

We need to get this article into high circulation.

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2004-08-08 11:38pm

Gandalf wrote:
Gil Hamilton wrote:It could be that kids these days are losers who don't leave the house, just sitting around whacking off to porn and playing
violent video games. That's why kids are getting fatter too.
Whacking off can help you lose weight. Just need to do it a few times a day.

We need to get this article into high circulation.

Isn't there someone claiming that they have a diet where people can lose weight through masturbation?

I can see the sarcasm in the article, but I'd think it would be funny to pass it off as genuine and show it to unsuspecting people.

SyntaxVorlon · Post by **SyntaxVorlon** » 2004-08-09 01:32am

Works for Europeans.

Post by **Kuja** » 2004-08-09 01:36am

I've been saying this for a long time. When I get mad at my mom, I could do one of two things:

1. punch her in the face - unacceptable, for many obvious reasons

2. flip on Gundam and wipe out a Zeon fleet

Violent video games help people RELEASE pent-up anger and aggression. It works for me, that much is certain.

Kamakazie Sith · Post by **Kamakazie Sith** » 2004-08-09 01:49am

Kuja wrote:I've been saying this for a long time. When I get mad at my mom, I could do one of two things:

1. punch her in the face - unacceptable, for many obvious reasons

2. flip on Gundam and wipe out a Zeon fleet

Violent video games help people RELEASE pent-up anger and aggression. It works for me, that much is certain.

Somehow I feel that even if you didn't have access to any violent video games or porn you still wouldn't resort to option two because you're not fucked up in the head, or are you?

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-08-09 02:08am

Well the article might be right. Violent games may provide an avenue to vent frustation without becoming violent in real life.

PainRack · Post by **PainRack** » 2004-08-09 02:42am

I don't know about venting, but being involved in a computer game tends to distract me from real life frustrations.

Faqa · Post by **Faqa** » 2004-08-09 06:25am

SUCK IT DOWN, Soccer Moms!

Hah!

While linking the two one way is as ridiculous as the other way(upward trend vs. downward), the author makes an excellent point - studies can work all they like - they're still subservient to reality, which proved them WRONG!!!!

I love it....

Is there a soccermoms.org forum or something we can send this to?

I would like to add to venting experiences:

-After a break-up, PrOn is your bestest friend ever....

-After taking shit from fuckheads at school, Quake is your bestest friend(well, it was back in middle school)...

Conclusion: Porn and violence are your bestest friends...

Note - Freud would likely have something to say about this. Since this forum seems to have a resident Freudian, would he please weigh in properly? My own knowledge on the guy is pretty shallow.

The Cleric · Post by **The Cleric** » 2004-08-09 11:10am

Frued would say that all of the data leads him to conclude that we all have sexual fanasies about our mothers.

Post by **Kuja** » 2004-08-10 01:20am

Kamakazie Sith wrote:Somehow I feel that even if you didn't have access to any violent video games or porn you still wouldn't resort to option two because you're not fucked up in the head, or are you?

It depends on who you ask.

Macross · Post by **Macross** » 2004-08-10 01:51am

Yes, violent video games are a good release violent impulses, and the years of exposure to radiation from the TV makes them all sterile.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2004-08-10 10:20am

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi wrote:
Isn't there someone claiming that they have a diet where people can lose weight through masturbation?

well, you do burn a considerable amount of calories through masturbation and sexual activity. . . .

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2004-08-10 11:01am

StormTrooperTR889 wrote:Frued would say that all of the data leads him to conclude that we all have sexual fanasies about our mothers.

That is Freud's answer to everything.