scott@cdp.UUCP (11/03/85)
> I'm not sure how normal people reading pornography poses a threat to > women. Rapists tend to be abnormal and with or without pornography, > they will vent sexual frustrations in abnormal ways. It's no quite this simple. Rapists are far too normal statistically. In general, rapists have the same psychological profile as the statistically average man, with the exception of a statistically-slight tendency towards more agressive behavior. Also, far too many men are coercive in their sexual dealings with women. Rapists are not men "out there"; rapist tendencies exist in a lot of men, and pornography reinforces these tendencies. Scott Weikart Community Data Processing: 415-322-9069 {decwrl,sun,bellcore,megatest,adobe,hplabs,...}!glacier!cdp!scott {ihnp4,decvax,ucbvax,cbosgd,hao,purdue,duke,...}!hplabs!cdp!scott
jeffw@tekecs.UUCP (Jeff Winslow) (11/05/85)
> > I'm not sure how normal people reading pornography poses a threat to > > women. Rapists tend to be abnormal and with or without pornography, > > they will vent sexual frustrations in abnormal ways. > > It's no quite this simple. Rapists are far too normal statistically. > In general, rapists have the same psychological profile as the > statistically average man, with the exception of a statistically-slight > tendency towards more agressive behavior. Also, far too many men are > coercive in their sexual dealings with women. Rapists are not men "out > there"; rapist tendencies exist in a lot of men, and pornography > reinforces these tendencies. It's not quite THAT simple, either. What is a "psychological profile" and what relationship does it have with any sort of reality? How can you tell a man has a tendency to rape if he has never raped? Please don't give me the standard tripe about fantasies. I believe a lot of people have fantasies that they would never even think once about putting into practice. And lastly, even assuming such tendencies could be demonstrated, what evidence, other than popular mythology, is there that pornography (for example, Playboy) reinforces these tendencies? Please don't mention the Donnerstein study. We've hashed all through that one already. Rapists *are* abnormal: they rape, and most men don't. Theories that do not explain the facts are useless. If a "psychological profile" fails to find a difference, then someone had better get cracking on a new and more accurate "psychological profile". just another series of "silly remarks" by Jeff Winslow PS. Are there any practicing and experienced psychologists out there? Maybe you should contribute. I'm getting a little tired of reading pop psychology presented as gospel truth.