Australian Article on Porn and the Internet

The following article comes to us from Australia. It opens with the story of the sentencing of a 20-year old man for a horrific rape committed after consuming massive amounts of violent pornography, once again reinforcing the causal connection argued by many feminists between pornography consumption and violence against women. It also discusses the popularity of pornography amongst Australia's youth--and I surmise that the rate here in Canada would not be too far off in either direction--finding that nearly 2 in 5 Australian males ages 16 and 17 consume pornography, accounting 95% of teen pornography use. It then concludes with a look at the mainstreaming of pornography, and how people are allowing porn to filter into their lives, affecting their outlooks and nudging them to perform acts that they would not otherwise know about or want to do. It is an excllent read, one which will hopefully generate a lot of discussion not only in Australia, but in all circles where it is read.

The Internet and the Rise of Porn
Maree Crabbe and David Corlett
January 3, 2008

ON THE Thursday before Christmas, a judge sentenced a Melbourne man convicted of raping a woman to 11 years' jail. The judge, Damian Murphy, said the perpetrator, Andrew Bowen, 20, had used the internet to access hardcore pornography and to learn how to avoid leaving evidence at a rape scene. Judge Murphy said Bowen had "sought to depict a (sexual) fantasy" seen in downloaded material from the internet.
Bowen stalked his victim before he broke into her house, tied her hands together and repeatedly raped her.
The case highlights the link between pornography and violent attitudes and behaviour towards women.
Pornography is not new, but the development of the internet has contributed to a marked shift towards more extreme and more violent sexual imagery. Materials that would not pass Australia's film and television classification system are freely available — to young and old — on the internet.
Images of rape, coercion and abuse are commonplace. Even when the acts portrayed are not so abusive, the images are degrading and humiliating. The vast majority of portrayals are of men doing things to women for men's indulgence.
These are more than just pictures on a screen. They are images that are ripe with meanings about men and women, what they like and about how they ought to treat each other. They are images that impact on the perceptions, attitudes and behaviours of those viewing them.
Research suggests a clear link between exposure to or consumption of pornography and male sexual aggression against women. This connection is strongest when the imagery is violent. But it is also relevant to non-violent pornography, particularly for frequent users. Exposure to sexually violent material increases male viewers' tolerance of sexual violence and reduces their empathy for victims of violence, including rape.

11-Year Old Girl Repeatedly Subject of Bullying

Threats of death and mutilation, punching, and other physical violence. This is what 3 11-year old boys are doing to one of their classmates in a Halifax school. Worse yet, the school and the police are completely impotent to stop this male terrorism of a little girl. Perhaps even incompetent. Full story available at the Chronicle-Herald by clicking the link.

Mom upset her daughter in same class as her bullies
By JENNIFER MacMILLAN
Sat. Jan 5 - 4:47 AM
When her 11-year-old daughter came home from school last month shaking and crying, Jennifer Martin knew something was seriously wrong.
Ms. Martin said her daughter Jaimie had been bullied since September by three boys in her class at Caudle Park Elementary School in Lower Sackville.
But this time, one look at Jaimie’s tearful face was enough for her mom to know the situation had gone from bad to worse.
"Two of the boys had threatened to shoot her and throw her body out the school window and when it landed on the rocks below, they were going to feed it to animals so there would be no evidence," Ms. Martin said in an interview Friday.
"She’s only in Grade 5. This is ridiculous."
Ms. Martin said that encounter was the last straw. She said she had complained to the school repeatedly about the bullying, but the boys persisted in threatening, punching and pushing Jaimie.

These kids are 11 years old. They are the product of a society that hates women and turns a blind eye to a systemic-level problem. They get a free pass because of their age, and the girl continues to endure their bullying because the school won't take the appropriate actions to remove the boys from her class where they are the problem. A family should not have to relocate their child because they are being victimized by bullies, the bullies should be dealt with by removing them from the class so that they don't have access to tormenting the little girl.