Pornography Essay

The word pornography was derived from Greek root; writing the life of prostitutes. However, the first time when the term pornography appear was in an English medical dictionary in 1957, which they defined as “licentious paintings employed to decorate the walls of rooms sacred to bacchanalian orgies, examples of which exist in Pompeii” (Kendrick, 13). The definition of pornography has been redefined multiple times since then. In attempt to combine the old definition with the modern definition, the OED created two divergent lines “Description of the life, manners, etc., of prostitutes and their patron; hence, the expression or suggestion of obscene or unchaste subjects in literature or art” (Kendrick, 17). Ongoing debate perpetuates itself as our culture keep interpreted and refining the definition and hiding the images away, which causes the paradox of pornography to publicize itself further. In the documentary, The Secret History of Civilization, states that “these images of sex are frame in an alien culture and think that is okay. But as soon as we turn to our own culture and start to examine our attitudes toward sexual representation. It is the same power the Victorian gave to sex”. This eventually affects the people and made them believe that the image of sex have power over them for good or for bad the more discussion they have of it. Lastly, Kendrick has been

Antiporn feminism (here on, APF) limit their definition of pornography to inegalitarian pornography, namely "sexually explicit representations that as a whole eroticise relations characterised by gender inequality” (Eaton 2007: 676). This effectively excludes genres such as gay pornography, or violent pornography (with the absence of inegalitarian representations). For the sake of this argument those genres are not considered. Firstly it is important to note the range of harms that antiporn writers address and the ones we will look at. Production harms - such as coercion and abuse in the making of pornography are not considered in this argument. Antiporn feminists focus on post production harms - specifically the harm that exposure to pornography causes. Other antiporn writers note that pornography is also harmful as hate speech however we focus only on the former harm. The harm that this argument outlines is always indirect, in a sentence the Harm Hypothesis shows that pornography shapes 'attitudes and

immoral, corrupt, and downright illegal premises and actions. These include (but are in no way

Andrea Dworkin and Catharine A. Mackinnon(Feminist Perspectives), are just two of the women that have stood up against pornography. There are a plethora of feminist see pornography as a way to keep women oppressed and subjected to man. Almost as if porn is taking women in a step backwards.Mackinnon believes porn is an act of sexual violence (McElroy) and Dworkin sees it as sexist and a “deliberate means of subordinating women to men” (Feminist Perspectives). Dworkin and Mackinnon collectively view pornography as not a form of speech, but as an active discrimination and violence against women (Feminist Perspectives). Popular pornography includes abusive scenes and language that is extremely derogatory towards women. Through research it is also believed that due to the acts of violence and sexual abuse depicted in pornography it is causing men to reenact and bring what they’ve watched to life (Purcell).

A night out with friends is a way to celebrate the end of a long week. Going out to grab a bite to eat is a way to bond with each other. You get dressed with the knowledge of harassment or assault but you do not let that stop you from having a good time. Later in the evening you hear a man you do not know say vulgar things about your body. The knots in your stomach grow and you feel embarrassed that you were treated with such a lack of respect. The words get caught in your throat. Your friends say ignore it and that it happens all the time, telling you this is normal. In a society where people view women as sexual objects, I have yet to meet a woman who has not encountered sexual objectification. This stereotype projects through sexual harassment,

While both sides aim to progress women’s rights, they have contrasting views on how pornography should be treated to achieve a more gender equal society. An examination of academic literature and pornography throughout history reveals that pro-sex philosophy is more convincing than anti-porn philosophy in three main ways. Firstly, the anti-porn movement often decontextualizes porn by selectively choosing evidence that fits their narrative. The use of minority accounts to explain the majority experience is unconvincing as it is unable to address the bulk of pornographic material. Casual arguments that porn leads

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.

Victor B. Cline who specialized in treating patients with pornography addiction writes, “The first change that happened was an addiction effect. The porn-consumers got hooked. Once involved in pornographic materials, they kept coming back for more and still more…. The second phase was an escalation effect. With the passage of time, the addicted person required rougher, more explicit, more deviant, and “kinky” kinds of sexual material to get their “highs” and “sexual turn-ons.” It was reminiscent of individuals afflicted with drug addictions.… The third phase was desensitization. Material … which was originally perceived as shocking, taboo-breaking, illegal, repulsive, or immoral, in time, came to be seen as acceptable and commonplace.… The fourth phase was an increasing tendency to act out sexually the behaviors viewed in the pornography, including … frequenting massage parlors (Cline).” American culture has normalized addictive behavior by saying it’s “healthy” and “educational.” Pornography teaches boys and men to dehumanize women and children and turn them into objects of sexual fulfillment. It is threatening to society when young boys and men are in create find fulfillment from sexual gratification whether it be through pornographic content, paid sexual encounters, or forced sexual intercourse. When men actively engage in pornography it creates a narcissistic personality. Rather than seeing a young girl with

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).

The controversy over whether pornography should or should not be restricted has been a widely debated topic over the past few decades. Proponents of such restriction bring to light the degrading message pornography depicts that perpetrates the silencing of women. Even though the silencing and subordination of women is a real phenomenon, the overall significance and effect the pornography industry has on it seems widely overestimated. Furthermore, the implications of such restriction seem far more severe when compared to the overall disadvantages the pornography industry creates.

the issue of pornography requires a logical analysis and ample reaction. An scrutiny of the

Pornography is a term derived from Greek writing on prostitutes and is currently considered as any material such as words or pictures that is sexually explicit (West, 2004). Notably, this description includes different kinds of material in divergent contexts because of the different consideration of what sexually explicit material is from culture to culture. In some cases, pornography is described as sexually explicit material that is basically developed to produce sexual arousal in its viewers.

Pornography has many obvious as well as not-so-obvious consequences within society. Pornography has the power to ruin marriages, destroy trust, excite a person to the point of sexual crime, or create an unhealthy view of human sexuality and the opposite sex.” (WowEssays, Pornography)

This report challenges the question of whether pornography is morally ethical or unethical and how society views it today. There were three key ethical theories used to related and cross-examine to see and understand the different views of pornography and how each ethical theory provides a different reasoning behind it. Whether pornography is ethical or unethical in society, this research paper provides you with concrete examples of why our society feels the way they do about pornography and what has influenced those decisions. Pornography can be depicted into so many different forms of sexual arousal and this is the basis for examining what is right or wrong within our society. There are many different factors

“Never before in history of telecommunications media in the United States has so much indecent (and obscene material been so easily accessible by so many minors in so many American homes with so few restrictions” (qtd in “Pornography and Child Sexual Abuse”). The problem addressed in the quote by the U.S. Department of Justice is pornography, a 10 billion dollar industry, has made its way from discreet taboo to something that is today considered acceptable and even common. With the internet being such a common tool, it is no surprise that there is easy access to sexually explicit material. The widespread accessibility and usage of pornography has changed people’s outlook on the normality of watching such sexually explicit material, and