The Dark Mirror of Violence and Pornography: Understanding Our Minds
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Chapter 1: The Allure of Violence
Violence possesses a strange fascination. Deep down, we all recognize it, tucked away in a part of our psyche that recalls the vast open spaces, the shimmering heat haze, the buzzing flies, and the visceral reality of blood.
While we, as civilized individuals, vehemently oppose violence, dreaming of a peaceful existence, we also engage in escapism, distancing ourselves from its harsh realities. We often divert our attention, allowing violence to be enacted far from our sight, in distant lands that feel disconnected from our everyday lives.
Yet, the narratives we consume often unveil a different truth. We are drawn to stories of murder and villainy. As entertainment evolves, we find ourselves captivated by increasingly simplistic moral dichotomies. While the complexity of television narratives has expanded, the archetype of the hero has diminished, leaving us with a parade of charming antagonists.
I personally find true crime shows and their graphic depictions unsettling, yet I still enjoy the adrenaline of a boxing match, where the notion of "good" translates to "brutal." Viewers are not interested in watching a dominant boxer effortlessly score points against a weak opponent; we crave the spectacle of a fierce contest, where skilled fighters exchange punishing blows that reduce their lifespans with each strike.
While I revel in the intensity of these bouts, my partner often retreats to another room to watch detectives pursue a child predator. After all, it’s all fiction, right? No one truly gets hurt.
Boxers, however, face genuine risks in their profession, which is fraught with the potential for severe injury or even death. Many are drawn into this brutal world, often following in the footsteps of family members who have paved the way for them.
Today, I witnessed the debut of Ricky Hatton's son, a legendary British boxer. Emotionally charged, Hatton remarked, “I fought so he wouldn’t have to,” yet his son is determined to carve out his own path.
The Shift in Popularity of Boxing
Boxing no longer holds the prestige it once did. Audiences have dispersed, captivated by mixed martial arts, which offers a closer approximation to real combat. Moreover, the lucrative contracts in other sports often deter athletes from pursuing boxing. While the NFL may not be entirely safe, it often presents a less perilous and more rewarding career compared to boxing.
In the heyday of boxing, crowds would erupt in cheers, rising to their feet as the action intensified. As fighters abandoned calculated techniques in favor of sheer ferocity, onlookers would mimic the fighters’ movements, throwing punches into the air, fully immersed in the spectacle.
In the late 1990s, researchers led by Giacomo Rizzolatti made a groundbreaking discovery regarding monkey brains. They found that specific neurons activated not only when a monkey executed a task—like picking up a peanut—but also when it observed another monkey performing the same action. These neurons were termed mirror neurons in a pivotal study published in 1996.
Humans may not be monkeys, but the question arose whether our brains function similarly. Evidence suggests they do.
While we cannot ethically conduct the same invasive studies on humans as we do on monkeys, neuroscientist Marco Iacoboni from UCLA has utilized brain imaging to demonstrate that human brains exhibit similar activation patterns when observing actions. Witnessing an act can evoke a neurological response akin to performing it ourselves.
This connection is integral to understanding voyeurism. When we watch sports, we mentally place ourselves on the field or in the ring, imagining ourselves executing extraordinary feats of skill and bravery we know we lack.
This phenomenon may extend to pornography as well. Without mirror neurons, it would be unclear why we derive pleasure from watching others engage in sexual acts. Yet, we do.
We project ourselves into the scenes unfolding before us, experiencing a semblance of the emotions of those we observe—or at least, the emotions they portray.
The first video explores the harmful effects of pornography on the brain, highlighting five significant ways it can damage mental health and perceptions of intimacy.
Sex and Violence: The Economic Drivers
However, mirror neurons contribute to more than just voyeuristic tendencies. They are implicated in shaping our understanding of others' mental states and fostering empathy. This capacity to empathize allows us to coexist peacefully with unfamiliar individuals, rising above the primal violence that often characterizes animal behavior.
In past times, it was remarkable that an audience of 80,000 excited individuals could leave a stadium with only isolated instances of violence, a feat unimaginable among sexually mature males of most other mammalian species.
We may have an affinity for violence, but we also cherish the absence of it in our own lives. While we desire to emerge victorious, the overarching lesson of civilization is that avoiding loss is paramount.
This is why we outsource our primal desires for triumph, cheering for athletes and warriors, emotionally invested in the fates of those we do not know. Our brains tell us we are part of the narrative, sharing in the triumphs and failures of others.
Neuroscience, Philosophy, and the Nature of Reflection
This interplay between neuroscience and philosophy leads us into deeper inquiries. In certain cultural practices, such as Jewish Shiva or Irish wakes, mirrors are covered to signify mourning. In a study conducted by Dr. Caputo in 2010, participants gazing into mirrors in dim light reported distortions in their reflections, with many claiming to see faces or even monsters.
These phenomena, often exploited by mystics to suggest past lives, reveal the inherent danger of mirrors. They do not simply reflect reality; they distort it. This distortion is why many dislike how they appear in photographs, which align more closely with reality than their mirror images.
The same mirror neurons that incite our thrill for violence in the boxing ring or the charm of a villainous character on screen also evoke empathy. They reveal a profound truth: that the battered fighter, the anguished victim, and the cold-hearted killer all share a connection.
This truth can be unsettling, yet it remains true nonetheless.
While we may attempt to differentiate ourselves from violent creatures, we must recognize that we are, in essence, formidable hunters. We grapple with the discomfort of our nature, striving to be better than our instincts suggest.
Ultimately, we can’t separate our capacity for kindness from our potential for violence. Mirror neurons illustrate this duality; the difference lies in how we respond to the reflection we see within ourselves.
The second video discusses the dangers of porn addiction and offers practical strategies for overcoming it, providing insights into the psychological impacts and ways to reclaim control.
© Ryan Frawley 2021.
All proceeds from this article will be donated to Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontiers.