Disapprobation of Pornography - Essay Example

Pornography Position Paper Human Sexuality Professor Jan Buttler April 2006 There is a good and a bad side to everything. Oftentimes, it depends on individual perspectives. And so with this I start my position on the case at hand – pornography. I have always have mixed feelings regarding this issue. I am saying this on the perspective of end-user, as I have to admit, I enjoy it very much at times.

The appeal may be explained by the fact that I am a visual learner and love sound that comes with it. Most people seem to agree for; after all, Americans spend more than 10 billion dollars annually for adult entertainment. (Rich, 2001) The stigma on pornography basically lies on the negative effect it may leave on the viewer. Indeed, one of my main concerns when it comes to porn is how sexual predators could use it to their advantage. “In 1970 the U.S. Commission on Obscenity and Pornography essentially gave nonviolent pornography a "clean bill of health," concluding that such materials did not have any demonstrated effects of a damaging personal or social nature.

” (Check, 159) However, as pornography became more and more acceptable to society, the level of violence and brutality have increased. Disturbing issues have also arisen such as women’s degradation, gender/racial stereotypes and juvenile pornography, The violence and bondage scenes in some porn movies, for instance, could send a wrong message or be perceived incorrectly. We must remember that while there is no established definitive causal link between pornography and crime like rape, one study pointed out that "if a person has relatively aggressive sexual inclinations resulting from various personal and/or cultural factors, some pornography exposure may activate and reinforce associated coercive tendencies and behaviors.

" (Malamuth, Addison, & Koss, 2000, p. 81) Another alarming aspect in pornography is the use of young children in pornographic materials. It scares me to think of the young lives in dysfunctional homes; how are they are taken advantage of, and how they can turn to porn for money or even attention. While there are laws in the US that impose harsh penalties on offenders in this area, the advent of technology and the internet almost render them inutile. A pimp making juvenile pornographic materials can be safely tucked in a country with no anti-pornographic laws and yet could make his wares available online to anybody around the world.

Pornography also encourages stereotypes. For example, we have the hypersexual black men, hot-blooded Latinas, compliant Asian women. (Jensen, 2004) Finally, with the case of gender, we are treated to an endless depiction of domination and subordination, which in my view, encourages the degradation of women. I often wonder why a porn star would not sweat it out to attend school or college to broaden their minds, instead of spreading their legs. Books are so much more appealing than exposing yourself in public.

Regrettably, most people who enter the porn industry see it as easy money, but I do not think it’s as easy, or as fun as it’s made out to be. Industry insiders, for example, will say that porn actors are not chosen for their looks as much as their sexual prowess. However, I am also reminded that pornography has been with us since time immemorial. Many Americans look down at pornographers and their lifestyles. They are often frowned upon as the misfits of society. I cannot envision a world in the near future where this lifestyle would be greatly received.

But what I am most sure of is that pornography, one way or another, will always be here to stay. References Check, J., & Guloien, T., (1989). Reported Proclivity for Coercive Sex Following Repeated Exposure to Sexually Violent Pornography, Nonviolent Dehumanizing Pornography, and Erotica. In Bryant, Jennings, Dolf Zillmann (Eds.), Pornography: Research Advances and Policy Considerations. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. p.159. Frank Rich, (2001, May 18). NAKED CAPITALISTS: There’s no business like porn business.

New York Times Magazine, pp.1 Jensen, Robert, (July 2004). Pornography and sexual violence. National Resource Center on Domestic Violence. Malamuth, N. M., Addison A., & Koss, M. (2000). Pornography and sexual aggression: Are there reliable effects and can we understand them? Annual Review of Sex Research, 11, 81.