Dating back all the way to the 1980’s, before the internet, pornography was still a very popular and readily accessible phenomenon sweeping the nation. Many groups have tried to shut down the whole institution for the stigma it has of being very distasteful and obscene. These groups, including feminists, religious groups, and even the Reagan administration, for years, have been working toward legislation to outlaw pornography.(Suderman) What they don’t realize is that they are actually trying to remove a safe and creative sexual outlet for many people. Pornography can be defined very differently from person to person. Most people would say that it is simply words, pictures, or videos that they find sexually explicit. In 1964, Justice Potter Stewart said “I can’t define pornography, but I know it when I see it”. (“Pornography and Obscenetity”). Pornography allows people to explore their fantasies from the privacy of their own home, it allows them a safer alternative in most situations, and in some cases it can even be used as a way to educate people.
Pornography can be found ranging anywhere from simple and traditional sexual encounters all the way to people playing out some of the more obscure and wild sexual fantasies. This allows people to explore wild sexual fantasies in the privacy of their own home. "Internet pornography has become so popular partly because it offers a level of anonymity never available before." (“Introduction to online Pornography: Opposing Viewpoints”) From the privacy of one’s own computer, there is access to an infinite data base of any porn imaginable reachable by merely logging into the internet. Some people even find it to be arousing to post their own “amateur” porn, whether it is in the form of e...
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...their freedom of speech, discretion, and expression.
Work Cited
"Introduction to Online Pornography: Opposing Viewpoints." Online Pornography. Ed. Emma Carlson Berne. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Holden, Stephen. "Erotic Fantasies as Topics To Discuss With Strangers." New York Times 7 Feb. 1997. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
"Pornography and Obscenity." Current Issues: Macmillian Social Science Library. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2003. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Apr. 2014
Suderman, Peter. "The war on porn continues." Reason May 2014: 14. General OneFile. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Yost, Megan R., and Eileen L. Zurbriggen. "Power, desire, and pleasure in sexual fantasies." The Journal of Sex Research Aug. 2004: 288+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Pornography is considered by many to be an unwelcome and distasteful part of our society. However, I argue that it is necessary to voice the unpopular viewpoints, under the Constitution. This paper is a defense of pornography as a constitutional right of free expression, under the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. In illustrating this argument, I will first define pornography as a concept, and then address central arguments in favor of pornography remaining legal and relatively unregulated – such as the development of the pornography debate throughout modern US law, and how activist groups address the censorship of adult entertainment.
Slade, Joseph W. Pornography and Sexual Representation: A Reference Guide. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2001. Print.
In this paper, I will attempt to review the debate on pornography in Chapter 4 - State and Society - of Philosophy and Contemporary Issues, Seventh Edition by John R. Burr and Milton Goldinger.
When deliberating over whether access to pornography should be prohibited, four areas of contention must be elaborated upon and evaluated critically to provide a sensible basis on which a judgement can be made. Firstly, it must be concluded whether pornography can be classed as a form of speech, and whether it enjoys the same protections as art and literature under the principle. Secondly, works such as those of Catherine MacKinnon can be drawn upon to offer a feminist perspective of the effects of pornography on the treatment of women within modern democratic society. Moreover, the principles of Devlin and Feinberg offer relevant acumen regarding the criminalisation of pornographic media. Overall, this essay will argue that whilst access to pornography should not be entirely prohibited; publications that depict ‘extreme’ situations should be subject to regulation and restriction.
In her essay “Let’s Put Pornography Back in the Closet,” Susan Brownmiller, a prominent feminist activist, argues that pornography should not be protected under the First Amendment (59). Her position is based on the belief that pornography is degrading and abusive towards women (Brownmiller 59). She introduces the reader to the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, and explains how it relates to her beliefs on censoring pornographic material (Brownmiller 58). In addition, she provides examples of First Amendment controversies such as Miller v. California and James Joyce’s Ulysses to explain how the law created a system to define pornographic material (Brownmiller 58). She described the system that used a three-part test as confusing (Brownmiller 58). Regardless of whether or not the First Amendment was intended to protect obscenities, she and many others believe that the legislatures should have the final say in the decision of creating and publishing pornography (Brownmiller 60).
14 Baird, Robert M. and Stuart E Rosenbaum. Pornography - Private Right or Public Menace. Pg. 51
Laura Kipnis has described pornography as “an archive of data about...our history as a culture”. Therefore if, she described it as such, what can it tell us about the sexual history of the 20th century? Examining the history of the forms of archive from pornographic playing cards to blu-ray discs and the internet, this shows the ever changing form of how as a society we view pornography. From the forms of archive come the social implications of pornography. This will be examined through the 1986 Meese Commission in the United States of America into the pornographic industry. Finally, this exposition will also examine the differing views of Gay and Straight pornography and the changes that have taken over the 20th century. Overall, the 20th century was a fundamental shift in sexual attitudes towards pornography.
With over 759 million registered domain names, the Internet has proved to be the definitive source of information (Hunter). Covering a full spectrum of subjects and services, it is an entity that we can not do without. However, despite all this usefulness, more than 14 percent of all websites are dedicated to pornography (Ward). To further worsen the matter, more than 13 percent of all searches made daily are
Not only has porn become more popular, it has become more available and much more explicit. Years ago, the most explicit pornography that one could access was a Playboy magazine, but today that is known as ‘softcore porn’. In today’s world of high-speed Internet, extremely graphic videos of every conceivable genre of sex can be found for free at the click of a button (Clay).
Pornographic and erotic works have closely been related to technological development of the modern age. In fact, according to the Federal Communications Law Journal’s article on pornography, “throughout the history of new media…pornography has shown technology the way” (Johnson 217). Pornography has pioneered many services that are now commonly used on the Internet. For example, it has popularized the online payment system, which allowed people to pay to view pornography via credit card. Another prominent innovation that pornography made popular was streaming content. Erotic pictures were not enough to meet demand so programmers of various porn sites worked to develop a format of video that functioned well in web browsers. Developments made in video led to the creation of another popular feature of online pornography: live chat. Live chat allowed paying customers to interact with women over the Internet. Because of these increasingly popular new high-quality content that were being delivered to people’s homes, internet connections had to be improved from the existing dial-up connections. Broadband was developed and popularized thanks to pornography. One technological advancement led to the next as faster internet connections led to internet traffic management and optimization. Porn websites be...
The issue of pornography has been debated and argued among many about its effects on morality and society. The questions most raised are is pornography moral or immoral and what defines it as such. Also, what makes something be seen as pornographic and therefore immoral. Often when someone brings up the subject of pornography they often envision something dark and seedy which in no way could ever be justified as virtuous. However, there are others who see it’s as being a healthy outlet and without harm to others. When applying the sociological theories of utilitarianism and deontology we can understand the different ideas of pornography. We can also use the perspectives of Emotivism and ethical egoism to make a rational argument about
In the today’s society, social media has gone out of hand. Most people these days have a cell phone, Ipad and/or laptop and most definitely a television at their home. Therefore, access to pornography has become extremely easy and can be available to any individual in less than 5 minutes. The best definition of pornography can be explained as sexually explicit words or images intended to provoke sexual arousal. The easy access to porn has raised many people to question if porn is harmful, if it should be censored, and if it is unsafe. Many debates have been going on about porn concerning freedom of rights, speech, and entertainment and right of privacy. The main people to have argued on this point are Catherine Mackinnon and philosopher J.S. Mill.
Fisher, William, and Azy Barak. “Internet Pornography: A Social Psychological Perspective On Internet Sexuality.” Journal of Sex Research. 38.4 (Nov. 2001): 312-24.
In recent years, pornography has established itself as perhaps the most controversial topic arising out of the use of the Internet. The easy availability of this type of sexually explicit material has caused a panic among government officials, family groups, religious groups and law enforcement bodies and this panic has been perpetuated in the media.
To some, pornography is nothing more than a few pictures of scantily clad Women in seductive poses. But pornography has become much more than just Photographs of nude women. Computer technology is providing child molesters and child pornographers with powerful new tools for victimizing children. Pornography as "the sexually explicit depiction of persons, in words or images, Sexual arousal on the part of the consumer of such materials. No one can prove those films with graphic sex or violence has a harmful effect on viewers. But there seems to be little doubt that films do have some effect on society and that all of us live with such effects.