Pornography in a Contemporary Culture - Essay Example

Pornography If one takes a look at the contemporary society, one can not help noticing that there are many issues that it faces. One of them is the status of pornography. On the one hand, a part of the population sees it as a part of culture; on the other hand, some people are willing to ban it for good. That is why this issue should be regarded as a rather controversial one. This paper will show that while pornography might posses several negative aspects, it should be seen as a useful part of the contemporary culture. There are several reasons why it should be treated in such a way. To begin with, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that many people use pornography as exhaust valve to release sexual tension. Indeed, such movies and clips are primarily targeted at lonely people who would like to experience intimacy, but they are currently not only to do so. In addition to that, it may help a person to deal with tension that may be built inside without any harm to other people around. Another point that should be mentioned that individual people or even couples might watch pornography in order to improve their sexual technique (Strossen 163). There is no doubt that the actors that are featured in such movies have mastered different aspects of this activity and are able to help those who struggle. Indeed, in this case pornography should be seen as a learning material that is watched privately. One can hardly object to the fact that healthy sexual relationship contribute to stability of romantic relationships. That is why to a certain extent such movie can reinforce a relationship even if they are watched separately. Finally, one should also note that in many countries pornography is a highly develop industry that occupies an important place in the social life. The amount of money that is generated by it is tremendous (Waskul 235). In addition to that, with the economic prosperity comes the quality of the material as well as safety for the actors. In other words, pornography should not be seen as some kind of illegal activity, but something that is performed by professionals. In spite of the fact that the above mentioned points of view might be very convincing, there are still people who have adopted a completely different position with regard to pornography. According to these people, the latter is responsible for objectification of women. They are seen as nothing, but tools for achieving sexual pleasure and satisfaction for men. In addition to that, they are forced to show their intimate parts for all the people to see and feel no remorse: they are even glad to do so. It is quite understandable that this leads to distorted perception of women. Secondly, the opponents of pornography often state that it can cause addition. Of course, it will not have such negative physical effect as smoking or drug abuse. However, those who are addicted to pornography many not be willing to enter into conventional sexual relationships (Wallace 56). As a result, they will have a hard time while interacting with their romantic partner. In addition to that, a person who is addicted to pornography may be willing to watch more and more harsh genres of it, ultimately seeking some that are prohibited by law, such as child pornography. Lastly, one of the major claims that are made by those who criticize pornography focuses on obscenity of it. These people suggest that this kind of movies does not portray a traditional as well as natural sexual act, but distorts the perception of it for different purposes. As a result, a person will end up thinking that many elements that were seen by one on the screen can be implemented in one’s bedroom. However, this may not be the case as the other partner would not be willing to do so. It is quite understandable that the questions raised by those who are against pornography are sensible. However, there are several things that these people miss. For example, when they identity objectification of women in such movies, they are not completely right: many pornographic movies depict women who are beautiful in conventional way. Indeed, they have long hair, pretty make up and behave accordingly. That is why to a certain extent pornography features one of variants of an ideal that may be achieved by women, but not necessarily all of them. As for addiction to pornography, one should point out that only those individuals who have predisposition to it are likely to develop such addiction. There is no doubt that this kind of movies stimulates the brain in a certain way and if the latter is inclined to accept such stimuli and refuse to respond to others, a person will be addicted. For example, if one does not watch pornography, but play video game, it is quite possible that one will develop a similar addiction. Finally, the claim about obscenity might be rebutted by the fact that there are different kinds of porn. Indeed, there are some movies which are categorized as hardcore; however, there is also a softcore segment which can hardly be differentiated from erotic movies. That is why if a person does not want to watch something that would hurt one’s feelings, one can easily choose the genre that one is interested in. What is more important is that actors give their consent to be featured in hardcore; so, whatever actions that they have to perform there, it agreed to do so. Having examined all the evidence, one might point out that pornography is truly a controversial topic to discuss as two sides have rather convincing claims. Nevertheless, if one develops a broader perspective on the issue, one will be able to see pornography should not be demonized: it simply should be seen as a peculiar part of social life that serves a particular purpose. What is more important is that the positive outcomes of it often outnumber the negative ones which proves it beneficial impact. Works Cited Strossen, Nadine. Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex, and the Fight for Women's Rights. New York, NY: Scribner, 1995. Print. Wallace, R. Duncan. The Book of Psychological Truths: A Psychiatrist's Guide to Really Good Thinking for Really Great Living. Bloomington, IN: IUniverse, 2012. Print. Waskul, Dennis D. Net.seXXX: Readings on Sex, Pornography, and the Internet. New York, NY: P. Lang, 2004. Print. Read More