The "Bible Belt" is the Porn Belt: Surprised?

[Zzyzx]

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I borrowed the title from a religion forum.

Many studies show that the southeastern US states are the heaviest consumers of pornography and gay porn -- and are producers of one-third of uploaded amateur porn videos (as any Internet search reveals).

Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia are the leading states in percentage of porn viewers.

1) WHY is the most religious area of the US also the greatest consumer of pornography?

2) WHY is a gay-bashing / anti-gay / bigoted area ALSO a great consumer of GAY porn?

[atheist buddy]

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I borrowed the title from a religion forum.

Many studies show that the southeastern US states are the heaviest consumers of pornography and gay porn -- and are producers of one-third of uploaded amateur porn videos (as any Internet search reveals).

Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia are the leading states in percentage of porn viewers.

1) WHY is the most religious area of the US also the greatest consumer of pornography?

That's an easy one. Religious repression makes it harder to find somebody to have sex with, so you do the second best.

I'm sure there's other factors. But that seems the most obvious one to me.

2) WHY is a gay-bashing / anti-gay / bigoted area ALSO a great consumer of GAY porn?

Two reasons. The first one is obvious. If you are gay and live in an area where it's not easy to come out, then you almost never get to have sex. Your only outlet is watching a bunch of porn.

The other reason is that most people that are anti-gay are gay or bisexual themselves. There's nothing twisted or hypocritical about that. It's simply that to be anti-gay you must believe that being gay is a choice. No straight person (this is by all accounts especially true for men) could think that being gay is a choice, because he would know from within him that this choice would never be available to him. A man could possibly choose to have sex with a man under some circumstances (like "have sex with me or I'll kill you"), but no stright man could possibly ever choose to enjoy having sex with a man.

So, from the prospective of an anti-gay closeted male homosexual, sex with men is desirable, it's a viable choice, and he is moral for resisting while the openly gay are immoral for not resisting.

If you asked your typical anti-gay bigot like Tony Perkins "When did you choose not to be gay", and if he could be honest, he'd probably say "When I heard my dad heartily agreeing with a friend who disowned his son when he came out".

If you asked an actual straight guy the same question, he would have no way to answer it. He never chose to be straight, of course.

[dianaiad]

.
I borrowed the title from a religion forum.

Many studies show that the southeastern US states are the heaviest consumers of pornography and gay porn -- and are producers of one-third of uploaded amateur porn videos (as any Internet search reveals).

Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia are the leading states in percentage of porn viewers.

1) WHY is the most religious area of the US also the greatest consumer of pornography?

2) WHY is a gay-bashing / anti-gay / bigoted area ALSO a great consumer of GAY porn?

I think that you will find that the correlation isn't to the predominate religious affiliation of a region: it is going to be directly correlated to the anti-porn laws in any specific state.

Those states which do not allow stores to sell pornographic books, magazines or videos have far higher internet porn use than those which do, regardless of the religious makeup of the region.

(grin)

Nevermind the 'bible belt' states: Utah has the highest internet porn subscription rate, at 3. something per thousand, as opposed to Nevada (the lowest state...but with a rather high percentage of Mormon population, just so you know) with 1.96 per thousand. (from the Deseret News)

Utah also has the strictest controls on porn accessibility through local stores and advertisement, and Nevada has the fewest.

So we have a couple of things going on here:

First, if one wants to view porn, one goes where it is available. If you can't buy a video or magazine at a local 'adult entertainment' shop (because there ain't any), then you go to the internet.

Second, if the 'rules' say you shouldn't do something, you KNOW that the 'lure of the forbidden' is going to tempt you. I never want chocolate so much as when I'm on a diet, and nothing makes me want breakfast more than being told I can't eat until after the blood test.

This is no different.

Humans are strange critters all the way around, aren't we?

[Zzyzx]

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Humans are strange critters all the way around, aren't we?

Yes, humans are strange animals -- except you and me of course -- and I'm not so sure about you. There are some who even think that I am strange, can you imagine that?

Years ago I knew someone (a Mormon actually -- neat guy) who did PR / advertising work for sex-talk lines based in Las Vegas. He said that without the Bible Belt their income would drop fifty percent. He also had some prime comments about the women who were the "sweet little things" on the phone.

[OnceConvinced]

First, if one wants to view porn, one goes where it is available. If you can't buy a video or magazine at a local 'adult entertainment' shop (because there ain't any), then you go to the internet.

I don't know if I agree with this. If you can get it for free on the Internet why would you go to a shop and buy it? Easier to get what you want on line than going to a shop and having to be embarrassed about what your purchase. Or worse running into someone you know there. lol

I would go as far as to say that these days you would most likely only go to a shop if you had no access to the Internet or if you're the type who wants to look at their porn in bed and maybe not own a laptop computer or IPad.

[atheist buddy]

.
I borrowed the title from a religion forum.

Many studies show that the southeastern US states are the heaviest consumers of pornography and gay porn -- and are producers of one-third of uploaded amateur porn videos (as any Internet search reveals).

Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia are the leading states in percentage of porn viewers.

1) WHY is the most religious area of the US also the greatest consumer of pornography?

2) WHY is a gay-bashing / anti-gay / bigoted area ALSO a great consumer of GAY porn?

I think that you will find that the correlation isn't to the predominate religious affiliation of a region: it is going to be directly correlated to the anti-porn laws in any specific state.

Those states which do not allow stores to sell pornographic books, magazines or videos have far higher internet porn use than those which do, regardless of the religious makeup of the region.

(grin)

Nevermind the 'bible belt' states: Utah has the highest internet porn subscription rate, at 3. something per thousand, as opposed to Nevada (the lowest state...but with a rather high percentage of Mormon population, just so you know) with 1.96 per thousand. (from the Deseret News)

Utah also has the strictest controls on porn accessibility through local stores and advertisement, and Nevada has the fewest.

So we have a couple of things going on here:

First, if one wants to view porn, one goes where it is available. If you can't buy a video or magazine at a local 'adult entertainment' shop (because there ain't any), then you go to the internet.

Ah ah! I swear I'm actually laughing out loud right now. "lol" is used too liberally, and when somebody is actually laughing outloud it's hard to convey it. I am ACTUALLY giggling as I write this.

It's not that you said anything terribly silly or anything. In fact, what you're saying makes total sense in a way...

....except for the fact that NOBODY buys porn from "local stores". EVER.

You're about 20 years out of date. The internet was never ever EVER a "Plan B" porn provider, only used by people once they are deprived of their local store porn. That's a fairy tale more outlandish than the virgin birth one. The INSTANT that porn was available online, magazines and videos became obsolete.

The typical porn-craving person age 13 to 200 anywhere in America, from Utah to New York, from Alabama to San Francisco, has never ever in the last couple of decades even remotely contemplated buying porn in a store. If you ask him about his "porn collection" he'll assume you're refering to his "favorite video list" on youporn.com, or if he's old-fashioned, to a folder in his laptop.

My husband and I are great fans of porn, and we live in a very liberal town, and I swear to you, we have NO idea where the closest "porn store" is. I don't think they are any. Most sex paraphernalia stores don't even carry any videos or magazines. I think there are more blockbusters than porn video stores in America.

Why would somebody pay a local store for something they can get for free, in much greater quantity, quality and variety, in the confort and privacy of their home?

So, your argument fails because it's central premise is clearly false.

The puritanical porn restrictions in Utah, and the enormous porn use, are both symptoms of a depraved and repressed sex culture, highly influenced by high religiosity.

[dianaiad]

First, if one wants to view porn, one goes where it is available. If you can't buy a video or magazine at a local 'adult entertainment' shop (because there ain't any), then you go to the internet.

I don't know if I agree with this. If you can get it for free on the Internet why would you go to a shop and buy it? Easier to get what you want on line than going to a shop and having to be embarrassed about what your purchase. Or worse running into someone you know there. lol

I would go as far as to say that these days you would most likely only go to a shop if you had no access to the Internet or if you're the type who wants to look at their porn in bed and maybe not own a laptop computer or IPad.

Well...the problem with that is that the studies looking at this phenomenon only look at the 'paid' sites, since there's not really a way to reliably track the free stuff.

[dianaiad]

.
I borrowed the title from a religion forum.

Many studies show that the southeastern US states are the heaviest consumers of pornography and gay porn -- and are producers of one-third of uploaded amateur porn videos (as any Internet search reveals).

Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia are the leading states in percentage of porn viewers.

1) WHY is the most religious area of the US also the greatest consumer of pornography?

2) WHY is a gay-bashing / anti-gay / bigoted area ALSO a great consumer of GAY porn?

I think that you will find that the correlation isn't to the predominate religious affiliation of a region: it is going to be directly correlated to the anti-porn laws in any specific state.

Those states which do not allow stores to sell pornographic books, magazines or videos have far higher internet porn use than those which do, regardless of the religious makeup of the region.

(grin)

Nevermind the 'bible belt' states: Utah has the highest internet porn subscription rate, at 3. something per thousand, as opposed to Nevada (the lowest state...but with a rather high percentage of Mormon population, just so you know) with 1.96 per thousand. (from the Deseret News)

Utah also has the strictest controls on porn accessibility through local stores and advertisement, and Nevada has the fewest.

So we have a couple of things going on here:

First, if one wants to view porn, one goes where it is available. If you can't buy a video or magazine at a local 'adult entertainment' shop (because there ain't any), then you go to the internet.

Ah ah! I swear I'm actually laughing out loud right now. "lol" is used too liberally, and when somebody is actually laughing outloud it's hard to convey it. I am ACTUALLY giggling as I write this.

It's not that you said anything terribly silly or anything. In fact, what you're saying makes total sense in a way...

....except for the fact that NOBODY buys porn from "local stores". EVER.

You're about 20 years out of date. The internet was never ever EVER a "Plan B" porn provider, only used by people once they are deprived of their local store porn. That's a fairy tale more outlandish than the virgin birth one. The INSTANT that porn was available online, magazines and videos became obsolete.

The typical porn-craving person age 13 to 200 anywhere in America, from Utah to New York, from Alabama to San Francisco, has never ever in the last couple of decades even remotely contemplated buying porn in a store. If you ask him about his "porn collection" he'll assume you're refering to his "favorite video list" on youporn.com, or if he's old-fashioned, to a folder in his laptop.

My husband and I are great fans of porn, and we live in a very liberal town, and I swear to you, we have NO idea where the closest "porn store" is. I don't think they are any. Most sex paraphernalia stores don't even carry any videos or magazines. I think there are more blockbusters than porn video stores in America.

Why would somebody pay a local store for something they can get for free, in much greater quantity, quality and variety, in the confort and privacy of their home?

So, your argument fails because it's central premise is clearly false.

The puritanical porn restrictions in Utah, and the enormous porn use, are both symptoms of a depraved and repressed sex culture, highly influenced by high religiosity.

Well, the studies didn't take place twenty years ago. The correlation is clearly there, and I actually posted a source (which provided sources within the article) about it.

Would you care to back up your contention, here? You can "LOL" all you want to, but you haven't provided any studies about it, or given any evidence regarding this issue.

I have. Your turn.

[Zzyzx]

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. . . . there's not really a way to reliably track the free stuff.

There isn't?

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-websites ... s-traffic/

[dianaiad]

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. . . . there's not really a way to reliably track the free stuff.

There isn't?

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-websites ... s-traffic/

Indeed...and these work if you are trying to market online, keep track of your own site to see how many people visit it, and so forth.

However, since a huge percentage of online free porn viewers do so on 'private' windows (browsers that block just such tracking by hiding your IP address) that's a problem.

Once you enter information, of course, like your credit card (for subscribing) or your contact info (sign up for mail lists or newsletters) that sort of privacy goes out the window, of course...

And of course the porn sites themselves can track the 'clicks'...but when those 'clicks' are done by folks using the 'private' or 'anonymous' browsers, they can't track the zip codes, or even the areas drilled further down than national...if that.

Of course, the whole idea behind those sites is to get the viewer TO enter in that identifying information. Doesn't take much, but it takes something.