Movies and Internet Material That Is Sexually Explicit - Essay Example

Pornography, Erotica, and Obscenity The mass media plays a role in society, and has a great influence on the behavior of people. Part of the mass media industry today produces movies, magazines, videos, books, and internet material that is sexually explicit. This aspect has increased the debate on the aspects of pornography, obscenity, and erotica, and portrayal of sex in mass media. Lauer and Lauer have addressed the aspect of sexual deviance, and what qualifies as acceptable or unacceptable as far as the portrayal of sex is concerned. They note that social and moral values vary between different groups, and cultures. In this case, therefore, the definitions of pornography, obscenity, and erotica will vary, depending on the nature of a group and moral inclinations of an individual, as culture plays an important role in defining what is decent, moral, and acceptable (146). Nonetheless, this essay bases on different perspectives to address the elements of pornography, erotica, and obscenity, with reference to the 1957 Supreme Court decision on obscenity. Lauer and Lauer note that, “One person’s pornography is another person’s literature” (147). Therefore, this is one of the main reasons, why the elements of pornography, erotica, and obscenity continue to evoke heated debate and disagreements. Like most social scientists, Lauer and Lauer define pornography as “literature, art, or films that are sexually arousing” (147). They also describe erotica as materials that arouse sexual feelings, but are not demeaning in nature, as opposed to pornography, which entails violent acts, including rape (Lauer and Lauer 147). On the other hand, Lauer and Lauer (148) consider obscenity to be a legal term, which is used to define pornography. They define this as “those materials that are offensive by generally accepted standards of decency” (148). The Supreme Court in 1957 made an important decision, which could act as a guideline in determining obscene material. However, Lauer and Lauer argue that this court ruling does not offer a perfect solution to the issue, as it raises more questions. Nonetheless, despite this law on obscenity, erotica, pornography, and obscenity remain prevalent today, and appear in different media, including magazines, internet, books, and videos, among others. Different evidence points to the fact that due to the easy accessibility of pornographic material, a large percentage of Americans are consumers of pornography, with the percentage of males being the highest (Lauer and Lauer 148). As seen, it is quite challenging to define and differentiate between erotica, obscenity, and pornography. However, the Supreme Court ruling of 1957 offers considerable insight on these (Hall 269). One of the greatest challenges of defining pornography lies in the fact that moralities and art is influenced by social values. Therefore, in order to successfully define and differentiate pornography from erotica and obscenity, it is important to consider the dynamic contexts of society as a whole. Therefore, culture plays an important role in defining what pornography is, and what pornography is not (Kerri-Ann, Voges, Bloxsome, and Pope 165). For this reason then, it can be concluded that the definition of pornography varies between different cultural groups, as well as the individuals in a group. In addition, the factor of time plays an important role in the definition of pornography. Culture is dynamic in nature, as it is highly influenced by time. Therefore, what is considered pornography today might not be considered pornography in the coming years. Although the distinguishing between erotica, pornography, and obscenity is quite difficult, different authors have attempted to distinguish between these terms. Kerri-Ann, Voges, Bloxsome, and Pope note that erotica can be used to refer to those materials that arouse the sexual feelings of an individual. However, these materials serve this purpose in a way that does not exhibit any sexist connotations, or sexual violence. The sexual acts involved in erotica are mutually consenting and pleasurable. On the other hand, obscenity might mean a kind of an offense, where the acceptable standards of sexual morality and decency are defied. The definition of obscenity might also vary from community to community, as this is influenced by the culture and social values of a group. On the other hand, pornography includes all the materials that serve the purpose of arousing people’s sexual feelings, but bear violent and sexist connotations (165-167). These definitions of pornography, erotica, and obscene might help in differentiating between the terms, however they are offered from a cultural perspective. Conservatives, liberals, and feminists have a different perception and perspective of pornography, erotica, and obscenity. Therefore, these phenomena might be accepted and tolerated, or opposed, basing on an individual’s ideological foundation. However, the legal aspect of these terms, and the legal standards that apply to them is a fact that everyone under the law has to respect, regardless of their ideologies. Nonetheless, the legal definition of obscenity, erotica, and pornography bases on the use of the material in question, as well as the motives of the producers of such material. In the United States, most states have a standard definition of what qualifies as obscene or not. This is mainly based on the 1957 Supreme Court ruling in the case between Roth v. United States, and Alberts v. California. The court ruled that a magazine, video, book, or other work could be considered obscene, when, “if taken as a whole, it appealed to the prurient interest of the average person” (Hall 269). However, Lauer and Lauer have argued that this definition of obscene material is insufficient, as it does not indicate the standard for defining a prurient interest; neither does it state the set standard of decency. Material that lack artistic, political, scientific, or political value, are also considered obscene under the American law, owing to the 1957 Supreme Court decision (The Economist WEB). However, Lauer and Lauer have also argued that, there is no standard provided for measuring scientific, political, or artistic value. In addition, although material that is merely indecent is protected under the First Amendment, which guarantees free speech, obscene films, books, magazines, and other obscene material are not protected under this provision (The Economist WEB). According to Kerri-Ann, Voges, Bloxsome, and Pope, it might be difficult for an individual to classify material as pornographic, obscene, or erotic, when the line between art and erotica is thin. Therefore, despite the Supreme Court decision on obscene material, an individual’s social values, gender, or norms will still influence their classification of material that is pornographic, obscene, or erotic in nature (167). Additionally, Kerri-Ann, Voges, Bloxsome, and Pope argue that the context of the material is vital in providing meaning (167). Therefore, it is impossible to base on content alone when developing the rules pertaining pornography and erotica, as the context is also an important aspect. For this reason, some people involved in obscenity have capitalized on the First Amendment, which guarantees free speech, to conduct their obscene businesses. For instance, in the documentary American Call-Girl, the revelations of the American escort industry show the insufficiency of the 1957 Supreme Court decision of what entails obscenity. The agencies in the escort industry base on the free speech laws to justify their practice. They therefore, avoid advertising their practice, in order to be protected by free speech law. These agencies also conduct their practice in privacy, as they send escort girls to perform private lap dances. This reason, in addition of an unregulated internet, has resulted in the booming of the sex industry, which might be regarded as promoting obscenity (Top Documentary Films Web). From a personal point of view, I consider the discernment of what is pornography, erotica, or obscene, problematic. In the media today, there are widespread materials that are sexually explicit. This ranges from television to books and other literature. It therefore, becomes hard to classify the material as erotica, obscene, or pornographic. Furthermore, it is impossible to acquire a universal definition of obscene, erotica, and pornography. This is mainly because of the varying social values and norms, which different cultures uphold. For this reason, while a specific group of teenagers will talk freely about a pornographic film they watched, another group might find them offensive. In addition, I believe that the cultural variation, coupled by the different ideologies of people, is what makes it hard to develop clear standards of measuring obscenity of a material. Since the original meaning of the word ‘obscenity’ in Greek means filth, I perceive this word to be an umbrella term for all the indecent, immoral, or dirty sexual portrayals. However, the motive behind any material or work is also important in determining whether it is obscene or not. In addition, I tend to think that content and context are the most important aspects, which could be used to judge whether a material is obscene. In this case, content alone might not be an adequate indicator of obscenity. This is because; some elements of sexual content are portrayed in different contexts. For instance, it is possible to classify the different contexts as, art, information, marketing, intentional pornography, and intentional erotica. Therefore, sexual material might not qualify as obscene when they are used as information source, especially in medicine, or for marketing purposes, as well as art. However, when these have proven negative connotations, they might qualify as obscene. Conclusively, this essay has addressed the concepts of pornography, erotica, and obscenity and how these three aspects differ. Additionally, in this essay, I have identified the criteria of determining an obscene film, book, or magazine, basing on the 1957 Supreme Court decision. Nonetheless, this essay shows that it remains problematic to differentiate these terms, due to different factors. However, social values and norms that an individual or a group upholds are important in determining the perceptions of obscenity. Nonetheless, in the U.S.A, the Supreme Court decision of 1957 is a major guiding factor of what is obscene or not. However, this decision does not provide a clear clarification nor answer the questions that arise from it. For this reason, the debate on obscenity, pornography, and erotica continues to prevail. Works Cited Hall, Kermit. “The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions.” Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. Kerri-Ann, Kuhn, Voges, Kevin, Pope, Nigel, and Bloxsome, Ellen. “Pornography and Erotica: Definitions and Prevalence.” In: 2007 International Nonprofit and Social Marketing Conference Social entrepreneurship, Social Change and Sustainability, 27 and 28 September, 2007, Brisbane, Australia: Griffith University. Web. 26 June 2013. Lauer, Robert and Lauer, Jeanette. “Social Problems and the Quality of Life” (12th Ed), New York: McGraw-Hill. The Economist. "Pornography: Lines in the Dirt." Mar 14 1992: 31. ProQuest. Web. 26 June 2013. Top Documentary Films. “American Call Girl.” Web. 26 June 2013. Read More