Other Unhealthy Media Influences

Conservatives, especially religious conservatives, frequently cite porn as harmful to individuals, marriages, and thus society. I will not dispute this, nor defend porn (I do not generally condone porn production nor consumption). However, inspired by this earlier entry by Chairm, I'd like discuss some other things I find harmful that don’t seem to be getting the same kind of attention.

I'd like to believe that porn gets such attention because critics recognize and tout the importance of an ongoing, fulfilling sex life within marriage. Unfortunately, it appears to me that porn receives this attention because consumption is seen as primarily a male issue, and it is safe to beat up on males (often literally), although perhaps some people are more concerned about males being better people than they are about women being better people.

Institutions and media seeking to edify, encourage, and strengthen marriage and family should not neglect to explain the harm to individuals, marriages, and thus society brought about by such things as:

1. Princess/goddess/diva characters in pop culture

2. Romance novels (See this recent entry on The Elusive Wapiti - but it is NSFW)

3. Romantic comedies

4. "Reality" television shows

5. Sitcoms

6. Soap operas

7. Just about any television show or movie not included in the above

8. Wedding magazines

9. Celebrity "news" magazines, and Cosmo and similar magazines

10. Advice columns

11. Gossip (Explicitly condemned in the Bible - including in the Torah)

12. Materialism/compulsive shopping/overspending/debt accumulation

13. Astrology/horoscopes

[Explanation and more after the jump]

Now, I'm not saying that fairy tales, all romantic comedies, or all television shows, or all advice columns are bad, however, 1-10 frequently:

a) Present a negative or objectifying portrayal of men, especially husbands and even more so fathers.

b) Present unrealistic portrayals of relationships and marriage. (See this entry at Everything Must Go!, and this entry on my namesake blog.)

c) In addition to being distracting from one's obligations, often foster envy, coveting, and dissatisfaction with one's marriage/partner.

Notice that these effects are much like the negative effects of porn, but such media items are more likely to be marketed towards/consumed by women. Porn isn't the only kind of media that is harming marriage and families, and yet that gets far more attention, in my experience, in churches and religious media than the other media offerings I cite, or gossip, debt accumulation, or astrology. Is that a cause or a symptom of men not being in congregations or audiences in the same numbers as women? I suppose that is like asking if a married man's consumption of porn is a cause or a symptom of marital dissatisfaction. Maybe it is both - a negative cycle.