As both Dartmouth students and adults, we have grown into the responsibility of choice. But most recently, a campus group started by two students, Matthew Nolan '07 and Marshall Smith '07 (The Dartmouth, "New student group combats pornography addiction," April 27), has stated as its mission, "trying to develop a help group for people who are addicted to pornography and would like to stop." While a noble mission that is -- helping students who cannot help themselves -- the two students' association with xxxchurch.com, an evangelical Christian anti-porn website, raised doubts as to whether or not the group named EndPorn had a religious agenda. Issue with the group's regulatory aim was raised by Kevin Arnold '05 ("Endporn Has An Agenda," April 30) who stated simply "the consumption of pornography is not something shameful or anything to be embarrassed about." Others, in op-eds and letters to the editor, disagreed with Arnold over his statement on pornography's value. The debaters have talked past each other. The questions seem to revolve around several issues of the religious, social and moral variety.
EndPorn is not part of a larger political conspiracy of the Christian ultra-right. In fact, EndPorn wears its evangelical nature on its sleeve, as evidenced by the group's posters and "approval" of xxxchurch.com's message. If Nolan and Smith were not in agreement with the evangelical nature of xxxchurch (which advocates prayer as a method of curing porn addiction) then they should not have used posters downloaded directly from the site in promotion of their group EndPorn. Carelessness is no excuse for blaming others for misinterpretation of mission. EndPorn should distance itself from the evangelical mission of xxxchurch.
The freedom of choice, when exercised to the fullest, may lead to unwanted pathologies or detrimental addictions. A porn addiction is unhealthy, but how we define addiction is couched in social contexts that cannot be fully examined here. Nolan stated that one of the reasons that he began the group was because of the prevalence that porn-related material popped up in search queries. Does merely searching for pornography constitute an addiction? Clearly not. Skipping class and missing out on life as a result of watching porn would constitute an addiction to porn. If Nolan and Smith were truly committed to making campus change, they may want to think about starting a gambling counseling group, as 10 students in Richardson Hall have clearly demonstrated (and some admitted to) affliction by an addiction that is making the least out of their Dartmouth experience.
Pornography sometimes depicts women and men in positions of subservience, and the morally degrading lives of porn stars have been well-documented. However, Meg Ciavarella '04 ("Outlining the Porn Agenda," May 6), in response to Arnold's op-ed, appears to criticize Arnold's free consumption argument because it condones consumption of the morally depraved values that pornography produces. Arnold's argument has little to do with morality and more to do with choices and the imposition of restrictions on one's choices. Pornography as depicted in magazines such as Playboy can be done in tasteful ways. That pornography can be a medium for change has become more and more accepted by feminists of many persuasions. True, some types of pornography production exploit women, as do stripping and prostitution, but there may be other social processes at work that cause them to resort to this behavior. What is even more troubling is the "body-norms" effect of magazines such as Glamour, Seventeen and Cosmopolitan may have a worse impact on the average woman, a fact that is quite often ignored, as evidenced by the prevalence of these magazines at Kresge Fitness Center.
Is pornography morally depraved? Sometimes. But is it part of a larger social phenomenon? Most certainly. Life is full of choices, and being an adult is about careful consideration of choices. Whether we choose to spend our time looking at pornography or gambling online is part of the learning and growing process that makes up life. When people become addicted, they should certainly seek help. But an evangelist mission replete with publicity campaign is not an academically friendly way of making a good point. EndPorn should seek to bridge and to help, not to polarize, if it seeks anything at all. If EndPorn should continue to exist as a campus organization, then it should refine its mission and possibly find medically approved backing from Dick's House or DHMC. Two undergraduates do not make addiction experts.
