Discourses of Harm This brings the debate to how the ‘pornification’ of acts, namely violent, hurtful and discriminatory ones, have effected parts of society and will most likely continue to do so if pornography still portrays these said acts. With the population viewing pornography at younger ages than ever before (Turner), and using the porn that they view as a form of education, then the violent and harmful porn that exists must be taken into consideration when talking about the effects it has on society. In 1987, James B. Weaver’s investigated how violence and rape portrayed on screen was read by men and women. The test group was shown various scenes from popular films of neutral/not sexual content, consensual sex, female-instigated sex, male-coerced sex, and eroticised violence which included scenes of a “slasher” film. The investigation interestingly found that “the men spotted some aggressiveness in consenting sex, whereas the women did not. But more significantly, the men judged rape to be about half as violent as murder, whereas the women considered rape to be about as brutal a crime as murder” (Zillmann 115). It should also be noted that the sexual scenes shown were heterosexual. Baron and Byrne found in their 1977 investigation that “sexual acts involving aggression and violence are among the least arousing sexual depictions for men and females” (Nelson 178). A number of studies mentioned by Nelson found that there were low levels of arousal in
Margaret Atwood begins her essay by explaining the distinction between mild pornorgraphy, which portrays the nude form and sexual activities, and violent pornography, which depicts extremely violent activities in a sexual manner. When discussing pornography, people often assume Atwood is referring to mild pornography; however, even though this pornography is considered “mild” by Atwood, the reactions and perspectives from people are rarely mild. The passionate accusations declaring opposing sides “prudish” or “perverted” lead to the question of what is the meaning of pornography, if there is any? Whether it
Supporters may be varied and polarized but most believe that there is a real problem and
Good sex is considered to be legal and healthy, whereas bad sex is criminalized and dangerous. In contrast to MacKinnon’s view on pornography, Rubin argues that pornography is a means of sexual exploration and can be liberating. Sexual activities are a means through which sexuality can be explored. Rubin argues that anti-pornography movements exaggerate the dangers of pornography as destructive and negative. Anti-pornography movements depict pornography as harmful and degrading to women, but this in itself is harmful for it does not account for consensual and desired sexual activities. Through classifying sexual activities, such as BDSM and sex work, as good and bad, the state effectively limits sexual exploration to certain acceptable societal norms. This is further illustrated through R v. Price, in which the judge ruled that there was no evidence that BDSM videos cause harm (Lecture Slides: February 9). Conforming to cultural norms subsequently ensures that the patriarchal system of sexual value, in which MacKinnon argued is male dominated, is adhered to. Even though pornography can perpetuate sexual objectification, the oppression of sexual desire by the state limits any form of positive sexual exploration. The state and law should not penalize possibilities for positive sexual experiences because of social stigmas. The disapproval of society and the state of particular sexual
Pornography is a controversial subject all around the world. Part of its appeal is its taboo nature. It has been argued that pornography is harmful. Porn is an underground market that is more or less legal but is it harmful? An article written by Diana E.H. Russell in “Dangerous Relationships: Pornography, Misogyny, and Rape” argues that it is. Diana E.H. Russell is a sociology professor. She has researched the issue and argues that pornography is profoundly harmful. Professor Russell believes that it inclines men to want to rape women and that it encourages them to act out rape fantasies. However, Michael C. Seto disputes Professor Russell's theory that pornography is harmful. Michael Seto's article, written with
Is the constant bombardment of violent and explicit sexual images in media desensitizing our society? By frequently watching sex or violence in media, content may start to lose its shock value to viewers over time. Once these images lose their thrill, new technologies are created to regain society’s interest. For example, current virtual technology allows for users to step into the action and become the main character. The line between reality and fantasy is becoming blurred.
Foubert, Brosi, and Bannon conducted an experiment, using fraternity men, which showed the effects of viewing pornography (212+). Pornography viewing is becoming more prevalent in our society due to the advancement of technology (Foubert, Brosi, and Bannon 212+). Foubert, Brosi, and Bannon reviewed that an estimated eighty-seven percent of college men, between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one, partake in the viewing of pornography each year (212+). The most popular pornography videos contain violence toward women; therefore, the viewers’ actions are likely going to result in violence and sexual assault (Foubert, Brosi, and Bannon 212+). Foubert, Brosi, and Bannon observed that one hundred percent of sexual assaulters began by viewing pornography
In the coming paragraphs, I will prove that Ronald Dworkin’s criticisms and critiques of Catherine Mackinnon’s views towards pornography and society are largely unfounded and immaterial, and that government intervention via legislation is required in the protection of women’s interests. I will begin by explaining Catherine Mackinnon’s opinion and support for the Butler decision and thereafter, I will discuss Ronald Dworkin’s critique of it. After outlining their positions, I will proceed to highlight the areas of incommensurability between their arguments. My perspective
Technologies evolve, but sex and violence have always been and remain hot button issues in the media. The pace of the new technological change can be so great that we can no longer wait on formal media effects research to guide our personal decisions. There have been many changes that have been taken place with media sex and violence today since I was a child. I believe that the media technologies have increased the negative effects of sex and violence on children and adults today. This paper will discuss why and provide examples of how it has an effect on adults and children because it’s not only an adult issue. This paper will also discuss recommendations
For many years there has been a lot of arguments about the ethical and morality of pornography. pornography is defined as the depiction of erotic behavior intended to cause sexual excitement. When it coms down to pornography, people have different opinions about it. Some people might find it moral because it gives them pleasure and it satisfies them physically. some individuals see it as a form of art that describes the figure of a human body in an artistic form. Others see it as immoral because it harms and degrades an individual. Personally I believe that it all depends how pornography is conducted and how we respond to it. It can be morally healthy that we like it because it makes us happy, such as it helps with your marriage relationship in intimacy, and it can be immoral when it is used in an unhealthy that we do not like it because hurts an innocent person.
The idea that pornography gives feminists of differing opinions this middle ground that they can meet on and see how to articulate the different desires of feminism and what they want to turn it into is one of the main reasons Catherine Lumby argues that feminists need pornography (par 60). As Lumby writes in “Why Feminists Need Porn,” chapter five of her book Bad Girls, “the notion that you can draw a cause and effect line between fantasy and social practice is disturbing and distasteful to some feminists,” (par 60).
MacKinnon believes that pornography maintains male-dominated views of sex and is an extension of the patriarchy and thus, from a feminist standpoint, it should be eliminated. First, it should be established that MacKinnon believes that “male dominance is sexual” (315). From that, it can be established that practices such as rape, sexual assault, prostitution, and pornography “express and actualize the
Humanity has struggled with determining the best option to solve their ethical dilemmas that they run into in their life. Analyzing and determining the best option to take can leave an individual lost in faith and building a relationship with God. Building a God foundation in your life will help you in every ethical dilemma that you face. The only way to solve an ethical dilemma with viewing pornography is to view the dilemma according to a Christian worldview and compare different options to solve the ethical dilemma.
MacKinnon argues that pornography defines male treatment of women, and is the clearest demonstration of male dominance. Her perspective is radical, but valuable because it forces one to reexamine his or her view of pornography. She says that, “male power makes authoritative a way of seeing and treating women that when a man looks at a pornographic picture... the viewing is an act of male supremacy” (130). This form of expression dictates the way in which men view women as a class. The uneven distribution of power in this system makes pornography a form of discrimination. “Pornography causes attitudes and behaviors of violence and discrimination that define the treatment and status of half the population” (147). Not only women are subject to this form of oppression. “Pornography is the
Lindsay Rohland (2015) defined an ethical dilemma as, “a complicated situation in which one must make a difficult choice or decision in the face of conflicting morals.” The choice between right or wrong may seem a challenging but a person’s morals are typically influenced by religion. Christianity has answers for every dilemma a person could be facing. The ethical dilemma of pornography will be analyzed by the Christian worldview, and compared to the perspective of the pantheistic worldview.
Pornography has strong influences over its viewers. Recent research has been done in attempt to find the link between sexually explicit material and how exposure to it has caused changes in a person’s aggression level toward women, and one’s cognitive development of sexual and social standards and expectations. The findings are grounds for advising trying to regulate the accessibility of pornography to minors to avoid these potentially harmful influences. Although, during adolescence, usually centered between the ages of 13 and 19, sexual curiosity is expected, compulsive curiosity to sexual material that is not most realistic in nature can cause unrealistic views of women and sex roles. These impacts are happening in the plastic minds of 13 and 19-year-old web surfers who are unaware of the effects taking place. Child pornography is a form of child sexual abuse. Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor less than 18 years old. Progressively, child pornography laws are being used to punish the utilization of computer technology and the Internet to get, share, and appropriate pornographic material including kids, including pictures and movies. Having a violation of federal child pornography laws is a serious crime and first time offenders found guilty of producing child