What Do Torture and Porn Have in Common? More Than You Might Think.

Not long ago, Wired's Clive Thompson wrote an article with an eye-catching title: "Why We Need More Torture in Videogames." Using World of Warcraft as his example, Thompson proclaimed video games should not only include torture, but more of it. "I think we need more torture in videogames." He adds, "And better torture."

Thompson's interest isn't in promoting torture: "In the real world, I'm unconditionally opposed to torture." While many Americans have seen the photos that emerged from Abu Ghraib, many Americans have turned a blind-eye to the realities of their country's position on torture. Video games, says Thompson, encourage us to engage deeply with complicated questions, torture among them. "Which is why we need more torture in videogames."

In "Porn Up, Rape Down," Northwestern University law professor Anthony D'Amato ventures a parallel provocative theory. The increased availability of pornography over the last quarter century and the 85 percent decrease in sexual violence (according to a 2006 DoJ study) over the same time period are interrelated.

D'Amato writes: "My theory is that the sharp rise in access to pornography accounts for the decline in rape." To wit: "the more pornography, the less rape." And yet: "The American public is probably not ready to believe it."

If Thompson and D'Amato are correct, what America needs is more torture and more porn. Although, if more Americans spent their time attempting to understand why virtual torture and hardcore sex are what tames the beast within, they might have a better understanding of what makes them human.

 

Comments

[TRUE BLUE AMERICAN]

10:14 AM on 01/13/2009

Video games are already a negative influence on our youth, kids as early as 8 years of age are learning about violence and agressive behavior. To think that torture is something we should have more of is moronic. I still don't believe the Abu Ghraib pictures are not as bad as the libs make it out to be. Info has to be sought after , waterboarding and the like do work, with no lasting damage to the individual. Torture to me is cutting off fingers etc. That alone says that America takes the high road in the arena of interrogation in the nasty business of dealing with terrorism. The one thing that people in the terror business look for is weakness that they can exploit. We must show strength, something the liberal left has a hard time with.





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[WilliamProc]

12:06 AM on 01/13/2009

I can't see how the phantasmagorical world of video gaming is going to give anyone deeper insight on torture. People would be more sensitive to the issue if the Bush administration would have allowed the media to cover the war in Iraq in the same manner as was done in the 60's and 70's. In the same manner that you can watch a film and intuit that CGI effects were used, applies to video game images. you know they aren't real and only a gamer would become immersed in the experience. To see the abhorrent nature of torture for what it is, one must see it unfettered, and real, not imagined.

You point out the Abu-Ghraib images yet, you know that they weren't shown over a long period to the public due to sensitivity issues?! During the reporting of the incident, the conservatives were permitted to downplay the photos and stories as "not that bad", and "its not really torture". This gave the public no time to evaluate the pictures in context of doing harm, it framed their opinion to the prisoners simply being uncomfortable.

When the propaganda machine works with all cylinders, no one will see the evil of torture for what it is. They can only listen to the message given by the framers of the real message. That the behavior is OK.

[Lon]

04:20 PM on 01/12/2009

There are more differences than similarities here. For one thing, no evidence is offered that including torture in video games actually decreases support for torture or makes people think about it more. Rather Thompson seems to believe that it should do so. But that is only if games are produced in which torture is shown in a realistic way (which is to say as likely to produce false information while leaving the victims crippled in ways that makes us recognize its horror). I am somewhat suspicious that video games will ever be popular if they treat torture at the level of an after school special. And it is still not clear that such propoganda would work.

In the case of pornography the evidence is tenuous, but at least not hypothetical. But it seems safe to say that in the case of pornography if it does have this causal power of decreasing the incidence of rape it is not because it poses the intellectual questions about rape in an interesting way. I doubt the increase in porn led to an increase in chatroom debates about the pluses and minuses of rape which led to a decrease in rape. The only plausible explanation of the link would be one of helping people to find better outlets for their urges. And it is doubtful that government torture (which is what we are talking about here) is really a matter of people not being able to work out their anger issues in video games.