Sometimes I wish I was living in the days of black and white movies – back in the day when people actually spent time with each other and weren’t swamped with obnoxious, inappropriate pictures flashing on the right corner of their computer screen; back when being human meant upholding certain values and overcoming certain vices. Unfortunately though, along with technological advancements, the tides of time have brought in hyper-sexualized media. This fun new sensation seems to have demoralized society depriving a great deal of people of an atmosphere conducive to healthy relationships.

Even though most of us don’t really care too much about the content of many of the songs or shows we watch, studies have shown that they really impact the continual degradation of values and the average individual’s perception of what is ‘normal.’

In the late 1960’s, the Dick Van Dyke Show did not show Dick and his wife even sleeping in the same bed. And on the contrary, today, actors on TV seem to be trying to jam-pack their scenes with as much ‘hot action’ as possible. Even lingerie magazines of yesteryear contained models wearing the advertised products on top of T-shirts or shorts. Apparently the consumers of today base their purchasing decisions on the body features of the model, and on how good the product looks on that particular model, as opposed to the actual quality of the product.

Last week I was sending my best friend a Facebook message when I noticed what appeared to be a girl removing her shorts on my computer screen. I began to wonder what kind of images my little brother might be exposed to. What kind of society would allow its inhabitants to be forced to view such inappropriate images?

Ever since I could legally watch porn, I’ve had to consider whether or not I would allow its influences to enter my life. I wondered how so many people can become slaves to this kind of entertainment.

Ultimately, we all want to be happy. Regardless of whether we go to college or sit at home, we all seek a better and happier tomorrow. We can all do different things to have fun, from hiking and exploring the mazes of Allerton, enjoying theater at Krannert, or even just hanging out with friends. Everyone who doesn’t think that pornography is an art form, acknowledges that it is intended to stimulate the sexual interest of the viewers. It’s awful how some people have to rely on some sort of concocted fantasy world to bring excitement into their lives. People who rely on sexually motivated activities to have some fun in their lives need to re-examine their dignity and personhood.

According to Barbara McKinnon, surveys of male college students who have watched porn report that 30 percent of women they know would enjoy aggressively forced sex. It looks like the main effect of porn, music videos and song lyrics are their degrading portrayal of women. And the effects of demeaning and abusive sex is not shown in the media. What popular culture doesn’t tell us is that the physical and psychological violations involved in such activities reduce the personhood of the participants and imply that society approves of such behavior.

For instance, the day before his execution, the notorious serial killer Ted Bundy revealed the gruesome impact of soft-core pornography on his lifestyle. Having grown up in a nearly idyllic religious home, no one expected this soft-spoken, intelligent boy to end up raping and murdering almost a hundred women.

Even though it may not always have consequences this severe, pornography leads to the objectification of women, loss of intimacy in relationships, and an ever-increasing cycle of pornography usage.

While the good old days had flaws like every other time period, there was an overall consensus of our nation being more trustworthy, compassionate and hard-working.

Perhaps I am glorifying our predecessors, but we all must concede that something about our past has gone missing and the road to recovery is not paved by the porn industry.

Jerry is a freshman in psychology and he wants a spoon full of sugar to help the medicine go down.