Sexuality and Nature in the Contemporary World - Assignment Example

Abolitionists see prostitution as compelled by multiple forms of pressure social power and not just sexism against women (Foucault, 2008). The two evident forms of social power are sex and money. Men are at higher ground and hold substantial and subordinated by weaker female status. Female prostitution has also been attributed to women’s relative lack of economic resources. Combined with inequity in salaries and wages for women, prostitution has a huge backing of forces. In another aspect, racism has also been greatly attributed to prostitution. Men have developed a liking for foreign prostitutes who are more susceptible to prostitution. However, the home-grown women are also targeted but remain at the bottom of the race and class hierarchy of prostitution. The single most push making the men and women vulnerable to accepting prostitution as a means of subsistence is poverty (Foucault, 2008). Other factors like a compulsion by pimps and human traffickers have also attributed to prostitution. Socio-economic status is a major factor. It is evident that most men and women in this profession are impoverished and have a low education level. Finally, male and female prostitution has a niche in most of today’s contemporary societies, and it has been regarded from different perspectives most societies have legalized it.

The repressive hypothesis in essence is the idea that western societies covered up sexuality from the 17th to mid 20th century. Michel Foucault insists that it is at this time that most people in western societies became conscious of their sexuality. These periods were also characterized by a scientific examination of sexuality. In our contemporary cultures, there are many examples of repressive hypothesis. In an example in the present society, knowing about sex has become very important, but it is equally important that this knowledge about sex take the side of the common morality (Foucault, 2008). It is to this that Foucault’s idea is in total manifestation in the present contemporary society through my example of pornography and its institutionalization across society.

In the US today pornography is regarded as a socially acceptable practice. It has a wide commonness in present-day society. Evidently, this prevalence can be greatly attributed to predominant fear about conservative state power. This relates to the feeling of modernization of the society. The state does not feed a notion that the use of pornography is against social norms. This is clearly related to Foucault’s idea and that cultural prevalence reinforces the experience of using pornography for sex. This brings out clearly the compulsion that using pornography helps shape the user’s sexual knowledge.

            Despite numerous complaints of demoralizing efforts of pornography, sexual topics are among most US citizens. This pervades the whole society including children. Pornification of culture, especially in the internet and media, is regarded as a forte for upholding this sexual behavior. Basing on Foucault’s idea, people feel opening up to their sexual desires to pornography helps solve their sexual problems. However, pornography remains a big business in the United States with rough estimates of $12.62 to 13.33 billion per year. However, this is considered a lucrative deal in economics. It is a very different perspective socially. Most citizens who have considered porn a normal thing still faces a big challenge from the pressure groups. However, pornography, as a whole industry is legal child pornography, is a violation of the law and is greatly discouraged. Society claims modernity, freeness, and talking about sex openly, but it is not in the real sense. Principally there has been a change since before the turn of the millennium is the obscenity of the internet. All the terrible images and videos are accessible to any twelve years old, for example, with an internet connection. Technology also has had a great impact on pornography and sexuality in the US. However, the pretence by society that pornography is a very common and normal thing is characterized as a repressive hypothesis. Society claims not to take into account the growth and pervade of porn across the generation while, in the real sense, it is a great topic to discuss.