The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Friday, March 29, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

Falling on less hard times

	Memet Walker

Memet Walker

Our lives are more hypersexualized than ever nowadays, and the trends are disturbing.

But before I talk about that, a quick word that the print version of this column is proudly brought to you in part by DTH sponsor Cherry Pie erotic gift shop, who reminds you, this Columbus Day: Why not tell her with nipple clamps? Cherry Pie: The only things bigger than the signature sex toys … are the signature savings!

But getting back to what I was saying before, are we becoming overexposed to the X-rated? How does it affect us?

Take porn. Today, websites like YouPorn — the YouTube of porn — stream thousands of videos you can browse through for free. You can search by specific categories: Wife, Wife Swap … Puppets, Republicans, North Carolina Republicans … it gets more and more disturbing.

Who’s to say the psychological effect that kind of information overload will have on the younger ones?

When I grew up, porn basically consisted of waiting all afternoon for a JPG of boobs to load line by line on a Geocities page while a MIDI file of “How Bizarre” played on repeat.

Our parents were uncomfortable when we asked where babies came from — our kids are going to ask why some people are into bondage.

And what about the effect of porn on college-aged people? That’s even worse news.

Now, some research is showing that these limitless options can have detrimental physiological effects on our sex lives. It was even the subject of a TED talk.

The basic concept seems plausible: Basically, some people can become addicted, needing more and more graphic material to become physically stimulated. Eventually, wires in their brain become so crossed that the overwhelming stimulation can make it difficult to perform with real-life partners. Porn, like a drug, requires more and more for some users to reach the same high.

There are entire support groups online dedicated to help people high school-aged and older who can’t stop watching porn despite the negative physical consequences. Here are just a few real-life postings from one such website, from the sad:

“Day 140 – Failed at having sex. Feel like giving up.” -38YrsOldCombatingED

To the parsing: “Any problems to JUST LOOK at porn?” -Nathan

To the Clintonian: “Definition of masturbation?” -DontCryForMeArgentina

To the more basic: “Help setting up account?”-memetwalker

All the while, women worry that men form ideas of attractiveness on unrealistic magazine covers and advertisements.

The good news is, this couldn’t be further from the truth: We form them based on poorly acted cheerleaders from websites we said were a virus.

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.