Opinion
There are many well-known public figures with a blue checkmark next to their name on Twitter. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.). William Shatner. Lil B. But there’s one account on Twitter that does not need to be verified: NoFap, the masturbation abstinence community that preaches the psychological benefits of semen retention.
NoFap caught Twitter’s attention after Kanye West opened up about his relationship with porn in a recent interview. Ye told Apple Music he found his dad’s copy of Playboy when he was 5, and the magazine was a “gateway into full-blown pornography addiction.” He said there was no turning back.
“With God, I’ve been able to beat things that had a full control of me. That Playboy that I found when I was 5 years old was written all over the moment that I was at the MTV Awards with the Timberlands, the Balmain jeans,” he said. “That was such a script out of a rockstar’s life.”
NoFap took advantage of the news, asking West to “hit us up” and claiming Ye’s single “Stronger” is “the new officially licensed song for porn addiction recovery.” “Yo, Kanye West, I’m really happy for you releasing your new album, but you deciding to quit porn was one of the best decisions that you have made of all time! One of the best decisions of all time!” the account tweeted.
After the account wrote over a half dozen tweets celebrating West’s new lease on life, Media Matters researcher Brendan Karet noticed NoFap’s Twitter account is verified. That means NoFap has something worthwhile and valuable to add to the public discourse, right?
Right?
why is there a verified nofap account https://t.co/36EZU9IiYX
— Brendan Karet (@bad_takes) October 28, 2019
logging on to join a community of weirdos who think cum brain makes them powerful. The internet was a mistake for many reasons
— Brendan Karet (@bad_takes) October 28, 2019
At least NoFap makes room for LGBTQ inclusion in the, uh, cum retention world.
dril tweet pic.twitter.com/exPUWZhFXi
— Brendan Karet (@bad_takes) October 28, 2019
A #PornAddiction peer recovery group for bisexual men:https://t.co/k44If04nzT
— NoFap (@NoFap) September 23, 2019
Straight people can become addicted to porn. Gay people become addicted to porn. Bi people become addicted to porn. Any human being with Internet access can become addicted to porn. #BiVisibilityDay
Dishonest smear. NoFap was founded in 2011 on a Reddit-forum based on 1000s of young people reporting symptoms now associated with #PornAddiction. We’re proud to have such a diverse userbase consisting of LGBT, men and women, Jews and people from various backgrounds & beliefs.
— NoFap (@NoFap) November 6, 2018
Maybe the blue checkmark means the NoFap account hasn’t nutted since it joined Twitter.
https://twitter.com/no_scooters/status/1188707386661445633
It’s definitely not a kink.
ok but also pic.twitter.com/X2XYlZCso0
— Behind the Bastards Out of Context FAN ACCOUNT (@bastardspodooc) October 28, 2019
And it definitely isn’t enabling Ye to spread the gospel of porn addiction.
“Pornography addiction”
— Kip Afiras (@AfirasKip) October 28, 2019
I browse adult art sites like it’s imgur and tbh it hasn’t negatively impacted my life. I don’t like, get the shakes if I go a few days without.
Then again, if anyone can convince themselves they’re going through hot tits withdrawal, it’s Kanye.
NoFap originated with founder Alexander Rhodes’ subreddit r/NoFap, created in June 2011. The official NoFap website says “NoFap®” is a “comprehensive community-based porn recovery website.” The site is designed to help users “overcome their sexual addictions so they can heal from porn-induced sexual dysfunctions, improve their relationships, and ultimately live their most fulfilling lives.”
In short: If you stop nutting, you can unlock big brain mode.
“By the 1000s, men are discovering that excessive Internet porn use can lead to erectile dysfunction. And by the 1000s, men are leaving porn behind and GETTING THOSE BONERS BACK!” NoFap proudly declares. (The Daily Dot reached out to Twitter, NoFap, and Karet for comment.)
By the 1000s, men are discovering that excessive Internet porn use can lead to erectile dysfunction.
— NoFap (@NoFap) August 28, 2019
And by the 1000s, men are leaving porn behind and GETTING THOSE BONERS BACK! pic.twitter.com/o2h1LDZaxP
But while NoFap’s blue checkmark gives it the air of credibility, there’s a strong argument that porn addiction isn’t real. In a report for the Daily Beast, Samantha Allen points out how the “porn addiction” model benefits both therapists who specialize in an addiction-based porn recovery program and religious organizations who are hellbent on marginalizing porn access. It’s undoubtedly true that some porn users have an unhealthy relationship with the medium, but sexual content isn’t uniquely addicting compared to other forms of media.
“Some self-described ‘porn addicts’ may experience legitimate problems as a result of their habits, the researchers are quick to clarify, but neurologically speaking, they do not appear to have the same relationship to porn as a substance addict has to their drug of choice,” Allen reports, citing a 2015 study on the neuroscience of porn usage. “In other words, porn and sex addictions are probably not addictions and treating them as such could prove counter-productive.”
So no, holding back your nut and giving up porn won’t fix your life. It just gives you cum brain.
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