Under the First Amendment, pornography is sometimes protected as freedom of speech in our country today. However, pornography harms our society in several ways. Pornography is detrimental to attitudes and views about healthy sexuality, particularly the views held by men. Pornography promotes violence and simultaneously makes a violent rape culture more acceptable by using free speech as its excuse. It also celebrates masculine dominance and devalues equality with women. While the feminist reclamation of pornography could potentially be seen as empowering, on a whole, pornography still remains emotionally destructive for both sexes, including but not limited to those involved in the creation and distribution of pornography, those who view it, and those who become the perpetrators and victims of violence as a result of its subtle manifestation in their lives.
[...] Women in the sex industry suffer on an entirely different level. One reason violence and pornography seem to correlate is that violence, even in supposedly non-violent pornography, is often present is not shown. Anti- pornography activist Catherine MacKinnion believes that pornography acts against women twice: once when made, and once when viewed (MacKinnion, “Pornography,” 1). The most publicized case of pornography violence was against Linda Marchiano, who starred in the 1972 film Deep Throat. After the released of the movie, Linda wasn't paid. [...]
[...] Perhaps revoking the right to publish any form of pornography is severe, but if it's ceasing to exist does not end up at least mitigating and somewhat solving the aforementioned problems, it can be reinstated in full. Erotica, argued to be inoffensive in ways pornography is not, can easily replace he need for visual and external sexual stimulus and can teach mutual please, truly sex-positive values at the same time. With pornography out of the way and its confusing cues left behind, rape may not end—many problems with not cease in total. [...]
[...] Men get singled out for these crimes not only because they are so often the perpetrators, but men are also the primary audience of pornography and other subtitles in media that seem to imply that rape and violence can be expected. Instead of teaching a message of nonviolence, we encourage women to take self-defense classes, tell them to avoid walking or being alone after dark, and we have much less sympathy if she was not being as careful as we deem necessary or possible. [...]
[...] It can be linked to violence in many cases though, and its messages of misogyny are often blatant. It encourages sexual violence against women and male dominance in an unhealthy way. It focuses on entitlement and obtaining rights by force. It feeds negative messages about sexuality and creates false standards (Levy 34). When weighing the positive and negative aspects of the issue, it is difficult to find a good argument in favor of pornography beyond the first amendment. Examining its destructive effects clearly shows many reasons why pornography is a deadly force in our society. [...]
[...] Because adults believe they know, it is also assumed that children will understand the difference between the sensationalized pornography in magazines and how sexual relations work in reality, whether or not guidance has been provided. What also factors into the argument is the evidence that men overwhelmingly consume the majority of pornography. The aforementioned 1995 study found that of the 60% of females under the age of eighteen who had seen pornography (many coerced by boyfriends) of those female did not wish to see pornography again due to its disturbing content (Russell 129). [...]
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