The Relationship between Pornography and Violence - Report Example

Does Pornography Lead To Violence? al affiliation The relationship between pornography and violence Introduction I. Increase access to sexually related contents II. Relationship between pornography and violence 2. Influence of pornography on violence I. The Internet contributes significantly to access of pornographic content 3. How pornography influences attitudes towards sexual violence I. Exposure to pornographic content increases sexual violence such as rape cases 4. How pornography influences behaviors related to sexual violence Types of pornography and their relationship to violence 5. How pornography influences domestic violence, sexual aggression and sexual assault I. Societies with high exposure to pornographic content have a high percentage of sexual violence 6. How pornography influences domestic relationships I. Pornography contributes to domestic violence 7. Conclusion I. Sexual violence has risen due to availability of pornographic content on the media Introduction There is an astounding correlation between consumption of pornographic materials and the worrying trend of escalating perpetration of sexual violence. This topic has indeed generated a lot of debates in relation to media censorship although criticisms have been witnessed owing to the fact that media has a weak influence with an insignificant percentage of viewers (McCuen, 1985). This view is, however, not true because in the recent past, a lot of enrollment has been witnessed in the social sites and general media at large. This ranges from school going children to mature adults. In addition, there has been a strong and significant influence of the Internet over a decade with all ages of people being able to either access personal computers or visiting the cybercafé. Sites like YouTube allow viewers to access video links. In this paper, I shall attempt to examine the link therein between pornography and various types of violence as has been witnessed in the society over the years. In light of this, I shall highlight the significant relationship between addiction and sexual violence, vile material versus sexual assault and sexual incitement versus sexual aggression. It is also imperative at this point to highlight the contribution of pornography to gender-based violence. Influence of pornography on violence Pornography has contributed immensely to the different types of sexual and gender-based violence that are quite common in the society today. This is as a result of increased accessibility of vile material in the recent past due to ease of access to computers and the Internet. Even young ages can now access these gadgets within their disposal owing to the fact that stringent rules have not been enacted by both the government and the media society to ensure that their released contents are age-restricted. There are several reasons why people opt for the Internet pornographic sites compared to obscene books and related articles. First, pornographic video links such as YouTube have images. From learning point of view, it is easier to grasp an idea with image accompaniment than only audio or written content. Second, pornographic video links offer reinforcement of both written and audio and image. This creates room for emphasis of concepts which otherwise are hard to express in writing or by means of audio alone. Third, a combination of written, audio and especially image enhances arousal. This makes video links a good choice for those seeking sexual arousal as they watch the obscene content. The argument here is that it is possible to grasp and practice a pornographic style since there is an example of how each step is executed thus, providing the audience with an immediate reward. How pornography influences attitudes towards sexual violence Broadly speaking, most people’s attitude is inclined towards concluding that sexual violence arising as a result of exposure to violent pornographic content is way greater than sexual violence due to non-violent pornographic content. In addition, victims of rape who have been exposed to pornographic materials recommend less severe sentence than those who have never had a prior exposure to pornographic materials when it comes to punitive measures against rape convicts. The idea here is that they seem to have trivialized rape-associated crimes. In essence, attitude of pornographic addicts and victims is so compromised to the point of accepting sex related offences other than rape. For instance, sex callousness and other related forced sex acts. Most men who have been exposed to pornography believe that women like and enjoy rape and their attitude is that when women refuse sex, they should just continue without paying any attention in the event that a woman tries to cry, resist, struggle, scream or any other refusal mechanism. This is because they believe she needs it and will ultimately enjoy it. Some even believe that all these refusal mechanisms constitute part of the template for sex and are viewed to be sexually arousing and generally sexy. Such demeanor abuses the societal norms and perhaps has significantly led to erosion of culture among different communities (Malamuth & Donnerstein, 1984). How pornography influences behaviors related to sexual violence Pornography fuels sexual attitudes which are violent and this is one of the greatest causes of sexual behaviors that are violent in nature like has been seen in the recent past. The reason for this is that pornography manures the ground for the erosion of the line separating behavior and thoughts relating to fantasies that yield an erection. There is a great relationship between what people expose their systems to and their future behavior. Pornographic content vary from hard core, soft core to rape and violent content. These have a correlation to drugs, verbal coercion and alcohol when it comes to how men use them to coerce women sexually. Thus, men with more exposure to pornographic content that is violent are at a higher chance of committing rape and other related forced sexual acts than men with low exposure. Similarly, a society that has witnessed a higher exposure to a wide range of pornographic and associated vile materials is more likely to register rape cases and rates that are comparatively high. In connection to this, a society where juvenile segment of the population has been predisposed to sex-related and pornographic literature is more likely to register sex crimes among young members of the community and an overall increase in sex-related vices. How pornography influences domestic violence, sexual aggression and sexual assault There are comparatively increased chances of pedophilia in societies where young children, probably school-age have been predisposed and exposed to pornographic literature, whether written or video. This explains why children in different geographical locations and societies exude different sexual behavior both at young age and in adulthood. In addition, there are other sexual vices other than rape such as sexual assault and sexual harassment that women undergo in various parts of the world. These vile take place in public gatherings and job places as has been seen in the recent past. Basically speaking, sexual assault and harassment are more prone in societies where there have been significant to materials that are sexually explicit in nature. These include books, magazines, audio and video links. A good explanation to this trend is the fact that over a long period of time, people who have been exposed to pornographic contents develop addiction such that sex is in the mind all the time. It does not matter where one is; whether in job place or school or even in public utilities such as bus parks. It is no shocking to hear and witness cases of sexual assault among family members like children assaulting their mother sexually or a father sexually assaulting his daughter while they remain back at home (Itzin, 1992). How pornography influences domestic relationships Gender-based violence has over the recent past been on the increasing trend as a result of pornographic materials that people, both women and men interact with daily. It is one of the most common types of domestic violence witnessed in different homes today. In this kind of violence, one or a combination of sexual, physical and emotional violence are employed especially against women by their male spouses. A good example of physical violence is battering a woman under the influence of pornography and alcohol. In comparison to alcohol, pornography-influenced battering is more common in the society today so that a combination of the two would produce serious results. Most pornography-related abuses are as a result of women being forced by their spouses to enact pornographic scenes that they were asked to read or watch. The idea is that they are required to do exactly what they read, saw or watched like in a video. Some women have also been pushed to the extreme to the extent of abandoning their matrimonial homes due to such violence. Other than physical violence, there are several cases of emotional torture and trauma like being abandoned for several months without communication from a spouse due to failure to undertake a sex technique that was watched or read on a pornographic site or material (Crick, 1974). Conclusion In conclusion, pornography has unprecedented influence on attitudes towards sexual violence as a result of addiction on the vile material being peddled in the media. As seen in this paper, almost everybody in the society today can easily access a computer and internet whose content is not regulated, restricted or rated by either the government of the media society. As a result, pornographic vile material content can easily be accessed either on a personal computer or in the cybercafé. Owing to this, a significant number of marriages have been ruined and are still being ruined due to exposure to addictive pornographic materials by over-expectant spouses who express their frustration and dissatisfaction through violent means. This is common especially where their partners do not meet their demands and expectations. It is also imperative to conclude by saying that pornography fuels sexual aggression which in turn propagates societal vices like sexual assault and the much talked about gender-based domestic violence as has been discussed above in the paper. References McCuen, G. E. (1985). Pornography and sexual violence. Hudson, Wis: G.E. McCuen Publications. Crick, B. (1974). Crime, rape and gin: Reflections on contemporary attitudes to violence, pornography and addiction. London: Elek/Pemberton. Itzin, C. (1992). Pornography: Women, violence, and civil liberties. Oxford [England: Oxford University Press. Malamuth, N. M., & Donnerstein, E. I. (1984). Pornography and sexual aggression. Orlando, Fla: Academic Press. Copp, D., & Wendell, S. (1983). Pornography and censorship. Buffalo, N.Y: Prometheus Books. Read More