Are Porn and Video Games Ruining a Generation? 1034
silentbrad writes "An editorial published at CNN is titled 'The Demise of Guys: How Videogames and Porn are Ruining a Generation.' It makes the sensationalized case that not only do game addiction and porn addiction share similar characteristics, but they're also both damaging to young men, destroying their ability to connect with women, and therefore threatening the future of our entire species. A response by IGN dissects the idea that pornography and videogames are pretty much the same thing. 'The article, by psychologist Philip G. Zimbardo and Nikita Duncan argues that young men are "hooked on arousal, sacrificing their schoolwork and relationships in the pursuit of getting a tech-based buzz."' Zimbardo, has danced this jig before. At the Long Beach TED conference last year he told a delighted audience that "guys are wiping out socially with girls and sexually with women." He added that young men have been so zombiefied by games and porn that they are unable to function in basic human interactions. "It's a social awkwardness like a stranger in a foreign land", he said. "They don't know what to say. They don't know what to do."'"
Philip Zimbardo (Score:5, Informative)
This is the same Philip Zimbardo who is infamous for the Stamford Experiment in which he placed university students into a jailhouse environment and allowed it to descend into chaos. Whilst it could be argued he's at the top of his field it could equally be argued that he's an idiot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Zimbardo)
Re:More Corn Flakes! (Score:5, Informative)
If you want your old-timey exhortation to have the true flavor, you'd use "Onanistic" instead of "masturbational". The latter word wasn't spoken by polite society, while the former is both Biblical and very popular in the actual anti-masturbation propaganda of the time you're hearkening back to.
Very good parody other than that, though. I hope.
Giving up Porn and Masturbation has cured my ED (Score:2, Informative)
I'm anonymous here for the obvious reason. I'm a married 42 year old male, and when we had our first kid 6 years ago, my sex life was thrown a major curveball. Around that time I had other stress in my life, and I retreated to Porn and Masturbation as an outlet. Over the last few years, I would masturbate several times a day to online porn. My occasional ED (erectile dysfunction) became worse and worse over time, to the point where successful 10 minute intercourse was highly unlikely.
About 6 months ago I made the connection between PMO (Porn, Masturbation, and Orgasm) and my sexual performance and attitude. It took me several months of failed attempts to give it up (neurochemically reinforced habits are HARD to break). I can tell you that at the 2-month-mark of giving it up I have noticed several changes within myself, and I'm amazed. I now get MHOs (morning hard ons) where I never did before. I find women WAY WAY more real and attractive than I did before. I'm a better father and husband and person. I have more desire and energy to engage with life. The occasional few tries I've had with sex have been more successful.
I'm looking forward to making it 4-6 months, and I'll bet that I'll have the raging boners of a 19 year old again. There's a reddit group called "NoFap" that is a good discussion of this experience, and a site called "Your Brain On Porn" that has another take on things.
Don't believe me? You shouldn't. I don't want you to. Be a skeptic. However, if you AT ALL have any ED problems, or if you jerk off a few times a week, I challenge you to go cold-turkey for six months and observe the changes within yourself. You have nothing to lose!
Re:Well, if they're going to generalize, I am too (Score:5, Informative)
Re:No, video games and porn are escapism. (Score:3, Informative)
Because cunts wont fuck a poor man.
Re:Well, if they're going to generalize, I am too (Score:4, Informative)
Did you confuse Jung and Adler? If not, authority figures don't play a major role in Jung's theories. (OTOH, the definitely do in Adler's.)