Radical Feminism Phenomenon - Essay Example

In attempting to explain the views of radical feminism with regards to pornography, it is imperative to define what feminism is as well as pornography. According to a document published by the York University (2008) entitled 'Theories in Feminism,' feminism can be described as, "a diverse competing and often opposing collection of social theories, political movements and moral philosophies largely motivated or concerning the experiences of women especially in terms of their social, political and economic inequalities." Thus, radical feminists argue that women for a long time were oppressed and their radical ideas posit to the effect that gender stereotypes as well as patriarchy should be removed as a way of liberating women (Maureen Zieber 2008). Radical feminists seek to end the idea of differences between men and women by claiming their rights. The radical feminists view pornography as the graphic presentation of women as "sexual objects" as "vile whores" (Frederick 1992). However, these views may be contestable in some situations since men are equally portrayed the same way just as women in pornography. Indeed, the term pornography is often complex to define as people tend to describe it the way they see as suitable to their liking. Various connotations will emerge from this attempt to infer different meanings to this complex term. The feminists on the other hand are primarily concerned with pursuing the equality agenda with reference to the male dominated patriarchal system. Wendy McElroy (2008) suggests that radical feminists decide to describe pornography as the "graphic description of the lowest whore." Radical feminists view sex itself as a social construct where men seek to satisfy their sexual feelings through the exploitation of women. They view pornography as a way of discrimination on the basis of sex where women are presented as sexual objects as well as commodities meant to benefit the men alone. The radical feminists tend to infer insubordination of women by men and they choose to ignore other possible definitions which seek to rationalise pornography. It is also imperative to fully explain radical feminism as a way of grasping the whole concept with regards to exploring the feminist views against pornography. Jone Lewis (2008) attempts to define radical feminism as; "a philosophy emphasising patriarchal roots of inequality between men and women or more specifically the dominance of women by men." Thus, according to Lewis, radical feminism uses a militant approach where it views patriarchy as dividing rights and power by gender as a result of oppressing women while at the same time giving privileges to men. It can be noted that radical feminists have this general view of opposing the existing political as well as social systems as they believe that they have their origins tied to patriarchy. They in fact support a culture which advocates a different approach to various political as well as social systems. The radical feminists are of the view that patriarchy is the root problem of inequality between men and women. Their approach is the attempt to get to the root cause of what they view as their problems. By any standard, this is a radical approach where the radicals seek to challenge the existing way of viewing things. According to Bronwyn Winter (1998), radicalism is influenced by the need to correct the imbalances of power between men and women that were created by patriarchy. There seems to be overemphasis on radicalism as different views brought out by feminists serve the purpose of exposing their views contrary to the actual situation obtaining on the ground. Radical feminists are particularly concerned with equality between men and women. When it comes to pornography, they argue that women are not fairly treated and they are depicted as sex objects. However, be it soft or hard core pornography, both men and women are depicted within the same parameters where it can be argued that the claims by the feminists are not wholly true to a certain extent. Even men take an equally similar role as far as acting pornography is concerned. The feminists argue that women are oppressed by men through acting in pornography. They also argue that women are not equally presented or fairly portrayed as far as pornography is concerned and this has negative impacts on the social welfare of women in society as they will often be viewed as sex objects. The radical feminists also claim that pornography promotes sexual violence against women (Frederick 1992). They even claim that research has shown that pornography encourages violence against women. However, this assertion may not be true as sexual behaviour is often promoted between both sexes. Even men's sexual desires can be impacted the same way women's desires are impacted. The issue is that men are seen as aggressive to women by virtue of their masculinity as well as patriarchal set up in the society which gives men more power to exercise their control over women. A critical analysis of both men and women in their portrayal in pornography is seen as being overemphasised to a large extent. Even in some cases, some women are aggressive to men and they even dominate their male counterparts. Radical feminists are opposed to pornography as they argue that it does not give them equality with men, a view which may not hold the truth in some instances. The radical feminists also argue that pornography is the use of sex to intimidate or control women (McElroy 2008). There is a strong belief among radical feminists to view man as oppressors where they seek to subjugate women as a form of entertainment. Women and children are seen as the objects of oppression where they have no control over their bodies when it comes to their depiction in pornographic scenes. Radical feminists do not view anything positive about the explicit depiction of women as they would believe in their widely held belief that men are oppressors and the patriarchy system is the source of oppression by men. This system of male dominance is seen as the source of women's suffering where they are relegated to lower levels within the social set up where they cannot make any meaningful decisions on their own. The radical feminists also view pornography as a system and practice of prostitution where females are exposed to vile sexual behaviours (Norma Ramos 1988). Women are relegated to second class status through their depiction as whores or prostitutes. Feminists are opposed to pornography as they view it as a product of male dominance where the male counterparts will seek to assert their authority on women by all means necessary and pornography is seen as one way of doing that. The strong opposition to pornography emanates from the widely held perception that women are inferior to men when it comes to sexuality. However, this notion can be challenged since women do not act in pornographic scenes alone. They are either filmed or pictured along with their male counterparts which puts to rest the assertion that only women are depicted as sexual objects. The argument is that; why should women always cry foul when indeed their male counterparts are also portrayed within the same magnitude they are portrayed' In some circles, pornography is viewed as tantamount to rape as the radical feminists argue that in some cases there would be no consent between the parties involved. The women will constitute a lower level of decision making with regards to pornography. They have very little or no influence at all to make decisions as men are portrayed as all powerful where they initiate to penetrate women. The act of men being shown penetrating women is seen as domination where a woman is subjected to the role of an object which can be oppressed wily nilly by men. Men are seen as manipulating the women in most cases to derive pleasure while at the same time subjecting women to acts which are seen as abuse. However, from this standpoint it can be argued that there is no domination in pornography since both parties involved would be given the same treatment. It is difficult to prove that males are always dominating women as there are certain pornographic scenes that depict women alone where there will be no male person involved. In this case, it can be noted that contrary to the popular belief that males are oppressive, there would be no such thing in the case of women against women but they would be just trying to do it inorder to fulfil their own desires. According to McElroy (1995), radical feminists attempt to distinguish between pornography and erotica in their bid to justify their claim that women are portrayed as objects of sexual oppression. They view pornography as nasty and erotica as healthy. When it comes to erotica, there is often consent between the parties involved in the sexual encounter whilst pornography is seen a nasty and meant to exploit the females who are seen as subjects of oppression. Usually erotica is seen as an expression to show love and affection to people who are mutually in love. Pornography is seen from a different angle where there is no mutual consent should it be between two people especially a man and a woman. Well, these views do not give a distinction when it comes to women alone in contact where there is no involvement of male counterparts whatsoever. McElroy (2008) suggests the following definition where he sums up the description of pornography as, "the artistic depiction of men and or women as sexual objects." This definition can present a workable solution towards the way people view pornography and the connotations they may attach to its impacts. The good part or bad part of pornography revolves around the theme intended to be portrayed by the actors. It does not squarely lay the blame on one particular group of people such as man but rationally attempts to view all the cases in a similar manner. The anti pornography feminists are against any nude sexual exposure while the other people tend to view pornography in a different manner. These radical feminists tend to ignore the aspect of sexuality when they attempt to define pornography. McElroy (1995) also suggests that pornography is viewed as gender violence as a result of the new definition of pornography that emanated from the extreme feminists who posit that women are oppressed even if they take part in pornographic scenes with full knowledge and consent of what would be taking place. The extreme feminists still argue that women are coerced to take part in such violent scenes and they conveniently forget the truth that they do it fully conscious of what they will be doing. The anti porn activists mainly base their argument on the Minneapolis anti ordinance of 1983. It argued that all women were coerced while in actual fact they were not. Women do it under full consent and at times they would even sign contracts and are fully paid for whatever performance they will undertake. The anti porn extremists argue that where there is no equality especially in the male dominated society, it will be very difficult for women to fully consent to their actions such as acting in pornography which is seen as extreme acts of violence. Though there are no studies which attest to the view that women are coerced into acting pornographic scenes, radical feminists still believe that they are forced into doing it by virtue of the absence of equality in power where men are seen as all dominating in all situations. The feminists assume that pornography impacts negatively on people's behaviour which often leads to violent behaviour such as rape. While this may be true to a certain extent, it would still be doubtful if men are responsible for all the pornographic performances. Some radical feminists dismiss the fact that women in most cases consent to the behaviour as false since they sight the lack of equality between the two groups as problematic. The radical feminists believe that women are victims of oppression every time by men hence need to be protected by the law. Whilst all the studies posit to the effect that women are not victims of oppression as purported by radical feminists, some of them still believe that women are like children and they should constantly get guidance from the custodians of the law. As far as pornography is concerned, women actors are seen as willing partners to partake an act without any form of coercion or manipulation by men who are seen as dominant over every aspect of human life. Whilst men are regarded as dominant over certain issues as a result of the purported patriarchy, they are not always sole decision makers when it comes to pornography as both partners have an equal stake. Therefore, it can be noted on the other hand that radical feminists just argue for the sake of being female without solid foundations for their claims that women are exploited as sexual objects. It should always be borne in mind that there is usually mutual consent between partners before they decide to take part in whichever explicit material they would expose them selves to. Some radical feminist also suggest that the woman's body is her right which ought to be safeguarded under any circumstance. Well, rational theorists would argue that whenever a woman does not actively participate in pornographic scenes, she would never be coerced by any one in any way. Pornography is actually viewed as self gratifying between parties involved. All the members involved would be doing it not by chance or mistake but would be fully aware of what they would be doing. Some liberal theorists argue that those women who hate pornography should desist from buying it or taking part in it. Hurley (1995) also argues that radical feminist view pornography as away of sustaining the unequal status of women in society. They see pornography as not only obscene but as a way of subordinating women in society. A rational approach to this subject otherwise suggests that a ban on pornography is a source of their disempowerment as they would not have the opportunity to freely express themselves. However, a close analysis of the activities of those who cry foul with regards to pornography shows that they do it deliberately but only wish to voice their concerns afterwards as a result of the fact the they are women. In actual fact, it can be noted that the radical feminists do try by all means possible to register their disgruntlement with regards to pornography as far as patriarchy is concerned. In most cases there is mutual consent between the parties involved in acting pornography which is otherwise wrongly interpreted by radical feminists who always want to push for their own agenda. However, some liberal feminists argue that pornography brings certain benefits to women. Lisa Dugan cited by McElroy (1995) states that: "The existence of pornography has served to flout conventional sexual mores, to ridicule sexual hypocrisy and to underscore the importance of sexual needs. Pornography carries many messages . . . it advocates sexual adventure, sex outside of marriage, sex for pleasure, casual sex, illegal sex, anonymous sex, public sex, voyeuristic sex. Some of these ideas appeal to women reading or seeing pornography, who may interpret some images as legitimating their own sense of sexual urgency or desire to be sexually aggressive." She argues that pornography and feminism have much to do in common. In actual fact they deal with females as sexual beings hence there can be no way they can be exploited to act in certain ways against their wills. Both man and women would engage in pornography to fulfil various needs ranging from financial needs as well as other needs to express themselves with regards to sexual expressions. In some instances women would be taking a leading role in expressing their own feelings with regards to explicit pornographic exposure. Women are under no pressure to enter into contracts with their male counterparts even though this would be viewed as oppression by other sectors of the radical feminists. Liberal feminists argue that as far as prostitution is concerned, there is no coercion that can be cited as women in particular have the right to enter into private business with the male counterparts they deem to be suitable. Prostitution in this particular case is regarded as any other profession where anyone has the right to choose the kind of profession he or she wants to enter into. The liberal feminists believe that personal rights should in actual fact take precedence over the societal good. This is seen as the only way women can freely express themselves in view of the male dominated society. Radical feminists in this case see prostitution as a form of oppression where the males would only seek to derive sexual pleasure from the women where they do not value their bodies as worth the abuse they will subject them to. However, should the facts be considered as they are supposed to, it can be seen that in most cases it is the females who would seeks to do business with the males. The women in particular would go at length in advertising the services they would be offering to men in particular hence it would be an overstatement at the end of the day to conclude that women are being oppressed by men while they are the ones who initiate it in the first place. Over and above, it can be concluded that the radical feminists view pornography as violence which greatly violates the rights of women as victims of oppression as a result of oppression emanating from the male domination created by patriarchy. They believe that where there is no equality, there can be no consent as far as pornography is concerned. They believe that male domination is the root cause of portraying women as sex objects who have no decision with regards to the 'abuse' of their bodies. However, liberal feminists argue that pornography is a source of empowerment to women as they would have the opportunity to freely express themselves. To a greater extent, it can be noted that radical feminists simply hate pornography for the sake of just being women living in a society characterised by male domination. Bibliography Danny Frederick, Radical Feminism: An Expose, Retrieved on 19 Mar. 09 From: http://www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/lapam/lapam018.pdf Radical Feminism in Political Action: The Minneapolis Pornography Ordinance Retrieved on 18 March 2009 From: http://www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/wpp/pdf/case_studies/radical_feminism_political_action/radical_teaching_note.pdf Edward H. Hurly, Pornography Makes For Strange Bedfellows Retrieved on 19 Mar. 09, From: http://www.spectacle.org/997/hurley.html Radical Feminism, Retrieved on 18 March 2009 From: http://userpages.umbc.edu/'korenman/wmst/radfem1.html Neil Thornton, The Politics of Pornography: A Critique of Liberalism and Radical Feminism Retrieved on 19 Mar. 09, From: http://jos.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/22/1/25 By Wndy McElroy BANNING PORNOGRAPHY ENDANGERS WOMEN http://www.isil.org/resources/lit/banning-porn.html Betty McLellan What do radical Feminists want' http://brisfeministconference08.org.au/Betty%20Mclellan%20What%20do%20Radical%20Feminist%20Want.pdf Maureen Zieber: "Definition of Radical Feminism: A Look within the History and Understanding of the Movement" - Retrieved on 19 March 2009 from: http://womens-history.suite101.com/article.cfm/radical_feminism#ixzz0ABaBQURs Wendy Defining pornography http://www.wendymcelroy.com/xxx/chap2.htm Theories used in research http://www.istheory.yorku.ca/Feminism.htm Liberal Feminism http://www.feministissues.com/liberal_feminism.html Radical Feminism http://womenshistory.about.com/od/feminism/g/radicalfeminism.htm Read More