The True Meaning of the Phrase “Porn Kills Love”
Fight the New Drug has been raising awareness about the harmful effects of porn for 12 years. We help educate individuals by sharing facts, research, and stories from people who have experienced the negative effects of porn for themselves. We understand that the issue of porn is controversial and can affect individuals and relationships differently, but this is not a moral conversation, just something to consider given the facts
Fight The New Drug, a non-religious and non-legislative organization, was founded in 2009. We have received questions and concerns about the phrase “Porn Kills Love,” which appears on our shirts, hats, and stickers that we sell online to support our mission.
Some people see this phrase as a form of shaming. In fact, many feel that the real drug is shame, not porn. At Fight the New Drug, we understand the confusion and we agree that shame is incredibly harmful. However, our intent is not and has never been to spread shame and make porn consumers feel like “bad” people. Instead, we aim to use the phrase “porn kills love” as a form of education and empowerment. Research shows that shame actually makes sexual behavior even worse and can increase porn viewership. [1] Because of this, it is never our intent to shame anyone regardless of if they recognize porn’s harms or not.
What is the Meaning Behind “Porn Kills Love?”
Extensive research, as well as personal accounts, illustrate that porn is not harmless. While many individuals and couples claim to use porn to spice up their relationships or express sexuality, there are still demonstrated negative effects on consumers, relationships, and society.
“Porn Kills Love” is a phrase that’s intended to increase awareness about porn and help people make healthy decisions about viewing it.
Keep in mind that our message is “porn kills love,” not “porn consumers kill love.” After all, with porn so normalized, most people don’t even realize that it’s harmful. As an awareness-raising and educational organization, we hope to invite and empower individuals to make healthy decisions about porn that they may not have considered before.
Research shows that porn can introduce and/or fuel issues in otherwise loving, fulfilling relationships. We want people to have deeper connections with those they love. Porn has not been shown to contribute positively to helping consumers enjoy lasting, intimate relationships. [2][3]
This is why we are trying to help people recognize porn as a toxic influence. We want to motivate healthier behavior, and that includes empowering people to live porn-free lives, but they have to choose for themselves to do that
What About Those Who Work in the Porn Industry?
“Porn kills love” is a phrase that aims to educate on the ways porn can harm individuals, relationships, and society. It is not meant to shame certain people or performers, even those involved in the production of porn.
There are many issues of exploitation in the porn industry. However, the effects of porn cannot be placed on one person alone, seeing as there are many people involved in the porn industry. Not every performer has been forced, coerced, or tricked into having sex on camera, but there are many performers who have been coerced to do so. We raise awareness that “porn kills love” because the porn industry is so heavily connected to exploitation and trafficking
“Porn Kills Love” Is Meant for Positive Change
The goal of “porn kills love” is to bring about positive change. Fight the New Drug, a non-religious and non-legislative organization, wants people to consider how porn truly affects them. People don’t need porn to create loving, healthy relationships, and in fact, they’d be better off without it.
And that’s the true meaning and intention of “porn kills love.” It is not meant to be negative, and there are many positive aspects of the phrase that need to be considered.. Just remember that everyone deserves love, and everyone deserves better than what porn offers.
CITATIONS:
[1] Gilliland, R., South, M., Carpenter, B. N., & Hardy, S. A. (2011). The roles of shame and guilt in hypersexual behavior.18(1), 12–29. doi:10.1080/10720162.2011.551182
[2] Lambert, N. M., Negash, S., Stillman, T. F., Olmstead, S. B., & Fincham, F. D. (2012). A love that doesn’t last: Pornography consumption and weakened commitment to one’s romantic partner. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 31(4), 410–438. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2012.31.4.410
[3] Perry S. L. (2017). Does Viewing Pornography Reduce Marital Quality Over Time? Evidence from Longitudinal Data. Archives of sexual behavior, 46(2), 549–559. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-016-0770-y
