GRATEFUL Reader writes:

At The Public Discourse, Morgan Bennett’s article The New Narcotic discusses the effects on a person’s brain of internet pornography (the internet being the modern method of “drug” delivery) and the consequent effects of having so many “brain-damaged” people in society. Bennett writes:

In sum, brain research confirms the critical fact that pornography is a drug delivery system that has a distinct and powerful effect upon the human brain and nervous system.

Another aspect of pornography addiction that surpasses the addictive and harmful characteristics of chemical substance abuse is its permanence. While substances can be metabolized out of the body, pornographic images cannot be metabolized out of the brain because pornographic images are stored in the brain’s memory. While substance abusers may cause permanent harm to their bodies or brains from drug use, the substance itself does not remain in the body after it has metabolized out of the body. But with pornography, there is no timeframe of abstinence that can erase the pornographic “reels” of images in the brain that can continue to fuel the addictive cycle.

More akin to cocaine than to books or public speeches, internet pornography is not the sort of “speech” the First Amendment was meant to protect from government censorship—as I will argue tomorrow. Those who read books or listen to ideas can use their conscious minds to reason through the assertions and information.  But, as Dr. Doidge puts it, “Those who use [pornography] have no sense to the extent to which their brains are reshaped by it.”  Indeed, they have no idea that pornography is developing “new maps in their brains.”

A reader writes:

It turns out ‘equality’ has made Swedish men more miserable, according to Slate.

Here’s where things get interesting. Swedish men report more “nonwork-work” and more “work-nonwork” interference than Swedish women do. So they’re more likely to feel that the demands of their families spill over into their jobs and the demands of their jobs spill into their family time. In the U.S., the results are more gendered. Men report that their job responsibilities are more likely to interrupt their home life, while women report their home responsibilities are more likely to get in the way at work.

I asked Dr. Ruppanner, a sociology professor at the University of Melbourne, why Swedish men are so stressed by the conflicting demands of work and family. Because of Sweden’s commitment to gender equality at a state level, “Swedish men may not be able to opt-out of childcare responsibilities while at work,” like men in the U.S. or say, Turkey do, Dr. Ruppanner wrote  in an email. Swedish women may take a harder line on making their male partners contribute at home because they feel they have societal support.

The solution? More equality.

Sweden has half the equation down, with a structure that demands accountability from dads. But men’s higher status at the workplace is a double-edged sword for them. Yes, they make more money, but they also have more stress. This is a reason for Swedish men to embrace an even more radical feminism, actually: If their wives become  just as valuable at work as they are, the stress can be parceled out fairly.

Diana writes:

We’ll cave on this too sooner or later.

Carla Delany writes:

I am promoting this infographic on how boys perform in school and thought your readers might be interested.

David C. writes:

You may have read this. It’s dated and a little long but I think it’s a fairly perfect description of the modern woman, and best of all, it’s coming straight from the horse’s mouth. There’s nothing new here, it’s the same old story. What I like about this is its honesty. When the feminist puts her narcissism on full display like this, all a man has left to do is take heed. It’s really a gift.

Anonymous writes:

Here is a link to a fawning article on Najla Said, daughter of the late Edward Said, that appeared in a recent edition of Princeton Alumni Weekly. This short piece is a shining example of liberal foolishness and multiculti self-parody. You just can’t make this stuff up.

It occurred to me that this article might, perhaps, be some grist for your mill at TTH. Anyhow, even if you can’t use it formally, you might find the article to be amusing — assuming that you have the stomach to read it through to the end.

Keep up the good work at TTH. Western Civilization needs all of the help that it can get these days.

Please follow and like us: