A Brief Overview of Porn and the 20th Century

Tropp, Sandra Fehl., and Ann Pierson. D'Angelo. "Pornography (1983)." Essays in Context. New York: Oxford UP, 2001. 543-47. Print.

Pornography is the depiction of sexual behavior that is from explicit material (books, films, photographs, etc.) that intends to cause sexual excitement. This definition of pornography that we know of was not the same meaning for centuries. In The Secret Museum, Walter Kendrick evaluate the idea of pornography and how it has emerged into the modern definition of pornography. The concept of pornography first emerged in European between 1755 and 1857 at a museum. This created controversy that was caused by the discovery of the Pompeii erotic artifacts that depict sexual bodily practices. Pornography have changed the public attitudes toward it since then.

Gail Dines’s book Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality (Beacon Press, 2011) is about how porn is affecting our lives and why it's presence is damaging to our sexual freedom. Her point of view is just one point of view but it's very thought provoking and it makes you question a lot of things. A lot of things that you wouldn't generally think of. Some may not agree with her point-of-view because of her “anti-porn” agenda, but in this book Dine makes a fair amount of valid points.

The pornification (or alternatively pornographication) of the social world has created lasting effects in the lives of people that they must deal with every day (Dines 1998, p. 164). Pornification is the process by which the social and cultural world is sexualised. This occurs through the expansion of media technology and the pornography industry, as well as changes in media regulations and restrictions which allow pornographic imagery to intrude into public spaces (Tyler 2011, p. 79). This essay will offer explanations for why the pornification of the social world is occurring, how the phenomenon differs from a freedom of expression issue and is instead considered a sociological issue, what consequences and harm arise from these explanations, and will offer social measures that can be adopted in order to deal with the issue. Pornification has occurred in almost every realm of the social world, including in its unaltered form on the Internet, social media, marketing, advertising, music, fashion, sport, and art. However, this expansion of easily accessible pornified content is a stark and confronting challenge for our social world.

Pornography shows people as sex objects. For people who fear they aren't sexually adequate, this is scary. “The social myth covering this personal fear is that consumers of pornography will begin to see all men or women that way. This naive, inaccurate assumption also denies the healthy dynamic of lovers agreeing to objectify each other during their sexual (M K)." Pornography shows people experimenting via sex. This is a scary concept for those who fear that their experimenting can lead to trouble. Pornography invites viewers to stimulate their inner sexual feelings. Pornography also encourages acting on natural lustful instincts. It also depicts many of their fantasies are deemed as taboo in the standards set forth by society. By censoring pornography, such people feel they are keeping others out of danger, but in fact they are really suppressing others though of sexual fantasies and query. So in a culture where people learn to fear their own sexuality, sex appears to require censorship if it is sex for pleasure, healing, or

Ethics Pornography is a social problem and is a commodity brought into existence by certain characteristics of a highly developed civilization. The problem with pornography is that any form of censorship or downplay cannot solve it. It is difficult to draw the line between ones right to express their ideas and or opinions or sexuality

To prove that women’s oppression in today’s society is constructed through the pervasiveness of pornography involves a close examination of the intricate relationships between: gender, sexuality, social hierarchy, ideology, power and objectification. When the forces of operation are understood, it becomes clear that pornography is the grease by which women are relegated to a second-class status. Furthermore, an exploration of how pornography benefits individual sexuality will follow. The perceived benefits of pornography will be disproven and it will become obvious that the perpetrator of inequality is pornography.

The United States in the 1900s was so much more different than it is now, this much sexuality was unheard of. Sex in movies and television was not allowed, it was completely frowned upon, and Sex before marriage was a huge no. Walking down the street you wouldn’t see men with tank tops on and you wouldn’t see women with booty shorts showing off all of her body. In today’s society people have become more accepting in the sexual world. This is why pornography is so big right now. In an article written by BBC news, it says that

Thesis – Multiple outlooks have been taken on the ethics of pornography, and the means by which it may either negatively influence power in sexuality, or actually provide some sort of social value and worth. These different ethical perspectives display the flaws in the industry and what it represents; yet they also end up proving the fact that it can be modified with positive influence and that pornography is not something to be deemed utterly unethical.

In recent years, the term pornography has been primarily associated with that which is accessed and streamed over the internet, rather than the literal definition of, “obscene writings, drawings, photographs, or the like, especially those having little or not artistic merit.” This form of visual pornography is a popular and successful business as it is viewed for fulfilling pent up sexual desires, however it promotes the act of having multiple sex partners without the need of any commitment. Although it is for this reason that this business is permitted, there are many overlooked, long – term affects that have become topics of controversy. Not only does pornography affect those who indulge in it, but it can influence those who divulge

Throughout the last 20 years the subject of porngraphy and how it’s portrayed in society has changed dramatically. I wanted to find out how society views the subject nowadays, how the material is distributed, and lastly how it has affected our younger generation.

Dating back all the way to the 1980’s, before the internet, pornography was still a very popular and readily accessible phenomenon sweeping the nation. Many groups have tried to shut down the whole institution for the stigma it has of being very distasteful and obscene. These groups, including feminists, religious groups, and even the Reagan administration, for years, have been working toward legislation to outlaw pornography.(Suderman) What they don’t realize is that they are actually trying to remove a safe and creative sexual outlet for many people. Pornography can be defined very differently from person to person. Most people would say that it is simply words, pictures, or videos that they find sexually explicit. In 1964, Justice

Pornography is a widespread modern moral issue. It is known as any erotic picture or film made to arouse sexual desire. The definition of pornography is the printed or visual display of explicit content, used to stimulate erotic feelings. In modern society pornography or porn has become more easily accessible due to the use of technology. The main purposes for it today are to stimulate ones feelings and it has been turned into a sort of entertainment. In ancient times there were no words for pornography, did it even exist? Certain passages from the bible provide information as to whether there was porn and if it falls under the category of something that is good for a society or is it something that is harmful to society.

In recent years, pornography has established itself as perhaps the most controversial topic arising out of the use of the Internet. The easy availability of this type of sexually explicit material has caused a panic among government officials, family groups, religious groups and law enforcement bodies and this panic has been perpetuated in the media.

In order to understand the negative effects of pornography, the term itself must be properly defined. Britanica.com, one of the world’s oldest and highest rated encyclopedias, states that the word “pornography” can be derived from the Greek word porni graphein which means “any work of art or literature depicting the life of prostitutes.” (Jenkins, 2017) The modern-day English word, according to America’s number one dictionary Meriam-Webster, means “material (such as books or a photograph) that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to cause sexual excitement.” These definitions combined define pornography as any form of media that entertains its viewer with sexually arousing content.