Disturbing Trend

When did we become a nation of porn? I know that men are made to be visual creatures, and pics of naked women have been around for a l-o-n-g time. However, when did women develop the same tastes in literature?

My friend Debbie thinks it's because we are extremely oversexed. Every where we look, there is sex. Sex on the front of car magaines. Sex sells Doritos chips. Sex sells domain names during the Super Bown. Sex sells Old Spice body wash. I can't remember a time, though, when the written word was so pervasive with sex.

With the advent of the "50 Shades of Grey" series, the erotic novel has reached a new low: sexual practices involving bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism have become mainstream. Why are we seeking out and making bestsellers into this type of book? What is happening to women to make them crave this kind of intimate violence on the page? Forget the fact that the entire series is said to be horribly written, the subject itself should be a turn-off.

You will never find an article that is titled "The Plus Side of Porn", "The Positivie Effects of Porn", or "Why We All Need Porn To Watch and To Read". Why? Because there is no positive. It has been proven over and over and over that porn only harms the person on the receiving side. It skews perception and expectation, changes behavior and can become an addiction.

And yet, there it is. I looked at Oprah's website because there was an article entiled "The Negative Effects of Porn". Good article. However, below the article was this link to another article on the site: "O Magazine asked porn reviewer and author of The Smart Girl's Guide to Porn, Violet Blue, to recommend a starter kit of quality adult films."

Really, Oprah? What a great message. Porn is horrible for you, your kids, your marriage and your perception of women, but if you HAVE to have it, we can help!

So, if you read "50 Shades of Grey", ask yourself why. What did that book give you that you felt you needed? Don't say "romance", because you got that in the Twilight saga, without the need for a "safe word". Don't say that it was exciting to read because that's what various other suspense and thriller authors do, without the blindfolds and ties to the bedposts. There are so many books available to read. Books that will improve you, challenge you, transport you, make you a better person. They are entertaining, thrilling, mysterious, loving, cute, sad, traumatic, and very satisfying. Try those. Stop poisoning yourself with smut that does nothing to improve the person you are.

Please.