The Danger Behind Pornography

Danger Threats Behind Pornography (image by Andri Winarko VOI)

JAKARTA – The revelation of the sex party case and the pornographic film production house that created and broadcast 120 pornographic films has made the public increasingly aware of the dangers of pornography. However, there are still many people who are not fully aware of the potential dangers of pornography on our health.

For example, an orgy sex party was held in the South Jakarta area. Sex parties involving many people or couples are often considered a form of sexual deviance. The term "orgy" itself comes from the Greek "orgion," which means party. In 1560, the term "orgion" in English became "orgy," meaning "indecent orgy."

Today, a sex party is often defined as an open and unrestrained sexual encounter between a number of people. However, originally, the term "orgy" referred to secret rituals in Ancient Greek cults, such as the Dionysian Mysteries and the Cult of Cybele, which were concerned with an ecstatic union with the divine.

Dionysus was the god of wine, regeneration, fertility, theater, and religious ecstasy. He was an important deity who was widely celebrated at the time of the spring equinox.

The procession begins at sunset, led by torchbearers who are followed by wine and fruit bearers, musicians, and mask-wearing crowds. On the back, there is a giant phallus which symbolizes the resurrection of the reborn god.

Everyone makes merry by singing, dancing, shouting the name of the god mixed with obscenities, and engaging in promiscuous sex in the forest. Animals representing the gods were hunted, torn apart with bare hands, and eaten raw with the blood still fresh.

This Dionysian impulse towards irrationality and chaos can be interpreted as a natural form of detachment from the usual Apollonian order and oppression imposed by state and religion.

Orgies allow people to escape from limited, artificial social roles and return to a more authentic, natural state, which in modern psychology is associated with the Freudian unconscious.

It especially appealed to marginalized groups, as it ignored hierarchies involving the domination of men over women, masters over slaves, nobles over commoners, rich over poor, and citizens over foreigners.

Being involved in a sex party means having intimate relations with many different people taking turns. This of course has a negative impact on health as below as reported by the Times of India (12/9);

1. Transmission of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) The main impact of orgy sex is the high risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. As the name suggests, STDs can be transmitted through sexual contact or intimate relationships. Some examples of STDs include syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV/AIDS.

2. Risk of Pregnancy Out of Wedlock Participation in orgies can increase the risk of pregnancy out of wedlock, especially for women. Out-of-wedlock pregnancies, although not a direct threat to health, can involve illegal acts and even potentially harm the physical health of the women involved. Illegal abortion, for example, can pose serious risks and even result in death.

3. Impact on Mental Health Apart from the physical impact, orgy sex parties can also affect the mental health of the participants. Those involved can experience anxiety disorders, feelings of guilt, and even depression. This is especially true if they contract an STD or experience an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, which can cause feelings of shame and distress that impact mental health.

The Ministry of Health states that pornography is "Narcolemma" (Drugs Through the Eyes). Narcolemma is pornography consumed with the same addictive and damaging effects as narcotic use. Pornography is considered a form of drug in the new millennium, posing a serious threat to society.

The damage caused by pornography addiction lies in the deterioration of the part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex (PFC). PFC functions as a center for consideration, decision making, and formation of a person's personality.

The PFC of people who are addicted to pornography will experience damage and shrinkage. Impacts that are usually seen include difficulty concentrating, difficulty distinguishing right from wrong, decreased decision-making ability, and a tendency to become lazy.

There are many factors that can cause someone to experience Narcolemma, ranging from lack of self-control in adolescents, individual characteristics, to lack of supervision from parents. Weak parental supervision can facilitate children's access to pornographic content. Apart from that, peer influence can also be the cause of someone experiencing Narcolemma.

Narcolemma has various negative impacts on health, both mentally and physically. Pornography addiction can contribute to failure of social adaptation and damage brain function and brain structure. This damage is similar to the physiological symptoms experienced by alcohol and drug users.

Apart from that, the negative impacts of pornography also include increasing cases of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS and encouraging unhealthy sexual behavior. In teenagers, Narcolemma can trigger an increase in sexual behavior without limits before marriage.

Frequent consumption of pornography not only damages the prefrontal cortex, but also poses other dangers to the brain. Based on research results from the Ministry of Health in 2017, several other dangers of pornography include:

1. Brain Shrinkage: This condition involves the loss of neurons (nerve cells) in the brain and damage to the connections between these cells.

2. Dopamine Addiction: Pornography addiction triggers the release of dopamine, the happiness hormone, which can lead to addiction, similar to drug addiction.

3. Mental Health Problems: Pornography addiction can cause various mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, negative feelings towards oneself, and others.

4. Cognitive Disorders: Pornography addiction can interfere with cognitive functions such as focus, ability to memorize, and memory.

5. Addiction to Overstimulation: People who are addicted to pornography tend to seek out overstimulation if they are not yet satisfied.

Deputy for Special Child Protection at the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (KPPPA), Nahar, revealed that one of the causes of the increase in cases of sexual violence against children is addiction to pornographic content.

According to Nahar, when someone is addicted to pornographic content, they will be vulnerable to various forms of sexual violence. In fact, they can become perpetrators of sexual violence against other children.

"Cases tend to increase every year. This should be a concern for parents. Monitor your children's use of gadgets so that they don't become addicted to pornographic content, because of the long-term impact," he said.

According to the 2020 BPS National Economic Survey (SUSENAS), 25.8 percent of internet users are children. The majority of Indonesian children, aged five years and over, have access to the internet, especially social media.

This is worrying because sexual crimes against children often occur online. In addition, many parents do not monitor and limit the content their children access when using electronic devices.

Based on KPPPA data, the number of cases of sexual violence against children will reach 9,588 cases in 2022, an increase from 4,162 cases in the previous year.

"So indeed, handling pornography cannot only be done by the government, parents as the parties closest to children must actively monitor and understand what content is accessed by children," explained Nahar.

He stated that content currently circulating freely could have a bad impact if consumed continuously. Moreover, this condition is supported by the condition of children who are not yet psychologically mature in managing emotions or what they feel inside themselves.

Therefore, supervision and monitoring from parents is an important point in parenting in the digital era. Parents must actively monitor and understand the content their children access while using technology. Additionally, it is important to establish a dialogue with children about the potential dangers they may face when using social media incorrectly.

Parents must also pay attention to the child's attitudes and behavior as well as the environment in order to detect any changes in the child. Active supervision and monitoring can help protect children from the risk of violence in the cyber domain.