Politicians defending underage access to pornography find themselves on the wrong side of history

Sure, politics is fraught with debate. That comes with the territory. But one thing I can’t abide is when politicians cross the line and defend underage access to pornography. It’s not just wrong, it’s dangerous and irresponsible.

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During a recent press conference on sexual abuse awareness, MP Arnold Viersen spoke out about pornography’s influence in shaping sexual attitudes of young people, grooming them to be more accepting of sexual abuse. He was making a direct link between underage access to porn and the #MeToo movement. Read more here.

“Immediately others began to push back in defense of pornography,” Viersen explained in an email to his supporters.

Who is defending underage access to pornography?

“Really?!” I had to ask myself. “Did they miss the part where Viersen is talking about children’s access to violent and sexually degrading adult content online?” This is the kind of stuff that’s not only illegal to distribute to minors in the real world, but is rife with misogyny.

Who has a problem with this?

Apparently, Liberal MP Pam Damoff does. Following the press conference she tweeted “Conservative MP @ArnoldViersen just doesn’t get it. Sexual harassment is about power, not sex. We need to change the “old boys” culture that has existed for decades.”

[Read: @ParentsAware twitter exchange with Pam Damoff]

Making sure you’re on the right side of history

Viersen continued, “Every day, we hear excuses that violent pornography doesn’t play a role in the rape culture we see around us. ‘It’s power. It’s patriarchy. It’s anything but pornography.’ But new research shows that violent pornography does in fact [impact the decision making] of younger men.”

• 25% of younger men approved of using sexualized language at work versus 2% of older men
• Younger men are twice as likely to believe it’s acceptable to give a colleague an uninvited shoulder rub, make sexual gestures at work, comment on a co-worker’s body

So don’t let anyone convince you that research can’t support the connection between pornography and sexual harassment. It most certainly does! Even mainstream publications like The New York Times, The Wallstreet Jounal and GQ Magazine are all connecting the dots. So why can’t our politicians?

Part of the issue is that in Canada we currently have only one MP willing to go out on a limb for this cause. For his voice to be effective on Parliament Hill, it needs the support of ours behind it. So get your keyboards ready to text, tweet and email MPs and other appropriate individuals. This is a call to action!

One Parents Aware reader has already stepped up to the plate. Read her open letter to all politicians below.

A history lesson inspired by the #MeToo movement

Dear politicians,

The #MeToo movement has shed important light on the use of pornography in our society. Yet few people are connecting the dots.

MP Pam Damoff in tweeting said, “Sexual harassment is about power, not sex. We need to change the ‘old boys’ culture that has existed for decades”. She, like many, for some unknown reason are afraid or unwilling to relate the use of pornography with dangerous power.

We all know countless men in ‘powerful’ positions who do not harass, control, demean, use sexual language and touching or rape when interacting with women. So, let’s follow the thread. I would venture to say that all men found guilty in the #MeToo movement are users of pornography.

Yes, Pam Damoff, the culture that has existed for decades and the culture that has to change is the culture of pornography.

Years before the internet, pornography was available in movies and magazines, first by mail order, and then in the 1970s, in local stores. Many studies in the 1980s and 1990s that were conducted showed the harmful effects of pornography on young teenagers.

This research was done by well accredited researchers, among them Drs. William Marshall, Patrick Carnes, Victor Cline and Judith Reisman. Their findings all pointed to the same startling results. Some of these I list below relate to the #metoo movement:

• Pornography undermines the dignity and sense of self for women. It dehumanizes and objectifies women as sex objects, play toys and servants of men.
• Pornography encourages sexual harassment and demeaning attitudes toward women in the workplace and at home.
• Pornography encourages women to expect and accept inappropriate sexual behaviour from men.
• Pornography provides the primary sex-education of young males and it promotes shallow relationships through heterosexual and homosexual promiscuity.
• Pornography promotes sex apart from love and commitment by promoting sex with anyone, anywhere, any time, in any way.
• Pornography’s basic philosophy is hedonistic pleasure for all and feeds on lust.
• Pornography produces emotionally unsatisfying sex because it undermines caring, sensitive, tender, and committed love.
• Pornography promotes the rape myth —that women want to be raped and will enjoy it to the point of pleading for more. In other words, “no means yes.”

Even if you choose to ignore the scientific research and clinical studies, we cannot ignore the fact that women are victimized and sometimes raped, due in part to the perpetrator having been groomed by pornography to believe violent behavior is acceptable. 

If we took time to investigate the men found guilty of the accusation from the #MeToo movement, we would find a clear link to their use of pornography —demonstrating that their values towards women, and their own sexuality were influenced by their preoccupation with pornography and sexualized entertainment.

Yes, Member of Parliament, Pam Damoff, we need to change the “old boys” culture that is fuelled by pornography so young people will not continue this culture that dehumanizes both men and women.

I recognize the studies I have referenced were carried out before the age of internet. Now pornography is accessible to any young person with a smartphone. One must therefore consider how much more pronounced is the influence of pornography on our culture today.

Do we want our young people to continue to be educated by pornography and thus perpetuate the culture highlighted in the #MeToo movement? Surely our Canadian society has not been so desensitized that we are now unwilling to protect our children from this dangerous plague.

Please, people in ‘power’ do what it takes to protect our children, who are to become the future generation of leaders who will hold the ‘power’ in our society.

Sincerely,

D.

Not all politicians are defending underage access to pornography

To end on a positive note let’s celebrate a significant victory.

During a recent debate on the new workplace harassment Bill C-65, Viersen again took the opportunity to highlight the link between sexual abuse and sexually degrading materials online. He then inquired about the UK’s efforts to limit pornographic exposure to minors through mandatory age verification. Liberal Parliamentary Secretary Pam Goldsmith-Jones replied:

“I thank my hon. colleague for his work and for offering that suggestion. This is what will happen next, I would say.” Link here for more information on the exchange.

Now this may sound like a small thing, but it is a HUGE step forward in the direction to protect children from unwanted exposure to sexually explicit content. It gives me a glimmer of hope that the days of politicians defending underage access to pornography may be coming to and end.

Your voice needed now more than ever

While we have the ear of politicians on this matter take a moment to make your voice heard. Encourage those who support protecting children from violent and sexually degrading content online to continue to speak on your behalf.

• Write to MP Pam Goldsmith-Jones to thank her for her awareness on this issue and ask that she bring mandatory age verification forward within the Liberal Caucus. Email: Pam.Goldsmith-Jones@parl.gc.ca
• Write to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directly about this issue and ask that his government consider implementing measures similar to the UK. As a father, he has talked publicly about his concerns of accessible violent pornography and the world his children are growing up in. Email: justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca

Join the Parents Aware community

Parents Aware is a little organization with a big heart. We consider pornography a public health crisis. Our mission is to have solution focused discussions about the harms of porngraphy that relate to everyday parenting.

We are proudly Canadian (as you can tell by today’s content). But we are equally interested in what’s going on in any corner of the world that could help protect kids from  pornography. If you are interested in receiving weekly updates from us, please fill out the attached form.

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Marilyn

Marilyn has an educational background in family processes and believes that even the most difficult conversations with our kids can be made easy. She loves to share her own experience of parenting in the digital age through writing, live speaking presentations and everyday conversations.

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