If you are like me, you can use a good laugh and smile, once in awhile... especially when so many things around you seem to be melting away, both figuratively and literally. That is why this diary is about... wait for it... pornography!
Not a normal area of interest for me, as personally, I am not a consumer but in this case, I make an exception. (I do have an interest from a social sense, especially if child pornography and a few other categories are involved, specifically an interest in detection, arrest, prosecution, and beyond.)
Can you imagine my reaction when I read a title, "Porn in the USA: Conservatives are biggest consumers"? Yep, that is the actual title appears on a piece in the online edition of New Scientist, 27 February 2009.
It is a short article, taking not more than a minute to read. It does have a link to a study that underlies the article itself. The study, written by Benjamin Edelman, appeared in the Journal of Economic Perspective, Winter 2009 edition, so it is not some wild rant. As for Edelman, his credentials are given as, "Benjamin Edelman is Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business
School, Boston, Massachusetts".
I have not yet read the basic study, so I cannot address Mr.Edleman’s methodology, or the adequacy and efficacy of the data he used, or the significance of his findings. (I will leave that to others better qualified, like Darksyde or pf515.) Nor do I have any inkling of Mr. Edleman’s motivations, political leanings (if any), etc.
I could recite the findings highlighted in the article, but it is so delicious, I will instead force you to read it yourself:) It certainly brought a smile to my face!
Cheers:)
P.S. - I am in no way minimizing the social concerns with the pornography industry, and on an entirely different level, Edleman’s findings are quite disturbing.