Pornography Does NOT Cause Violence Against Women

1641 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Cause and effects of pornography

Introduction

Pornography is a controversial subject all around the world. Part of its appeal is its taboo nature. It has been argued that pornography is harmful. Porn is an underground market that is more or less legal but is it harmful? An article written by Diana E.H. Russell in “Dangerous Relationships: Pornography, Misogyny, and Rape” argues that it is. Diana E.H. Russell is a sociology professor. She has researched the issue and argues that pornography is profoundly harmful. Professor Russell believes that it inclines men to want to rape women and that it encourages them to act out rape fantasies. However, Michael C. Seto disputes Professor Russell's theory that pornography is harmful. Michael Seto's article, written with Alexandra Maric and Howard E. Barbaree, “The Role of Pornography in the Etiology of Sexual Aggression” contends that there is a lack of evidence in the research that would link pornography use and sexual offense. This debate has many interesting points. Let's see which researcher makes the stronger case.

“Yes” Article

Diana Russell's poses a valid argument that pornography is harmful. Ms. Russell gathered evidence from many different sources revealing experiments that were done with male college students, testimonies from a real court case, and interviews with men that have been imprisoned due to rape crimes. Evidence provided in the article will show that exposure to pornography exposure stimulates violence toward women in the form of physical abuse, mental abuse, rape or the idea of rape.

Three main points pulled from the evidence are 1) pornography objectifies and dehumanizes women, 2) upholds the myth that women enjoy rape, and 3) men become desensitized to rape when watching rape...

... middle of paper ...

...n likely sexual abuse, in order for that picture to be painted in their head. I believe that people who search out porn that has violence in it have been abused themselves. Should an experiment be conducted on regular people with no history of violence, they would either not be turned on by pornography that consists of violence or rape. It is likely that some people, including some of the men in the experiments, were turned on due to the act of sex more than the act of women being abused sexually.

Works Cited

Russell, Diana E. Dangerous Relationships: Pornography, Misogyny, and Rape. (Sage Publications, 1998.)

Seto, Michael C, Maric, Alexandra, Barbaree, Howard E. The Role of Pornography in the Etiology of Sexual Aggression”

Slife, Brent. Taking Sides; Clashing Views on Controversial Psychological Issues. 12th Edition. 2002. McGraw-Hill/Dustikin.

Show More
Related

  • A Pornographic World By Robert Jensen Summary

    502 Words  | 2 Pages

    A pornographic world [What is normal] by Robert Jensen takes an inside look at the culture of masculinity and what role pornography takes in shaping that culture. Jensen describes how he was forced to play a “macho” role as a child out of fear of being bullied and ridiculed for not being manly enough. Pornography use started for him and his friends in grade school – they would steal magazines and hide them to share in a group later. He talks of how he learned of a social concept, called the “ideal of prostitution” (the notion of men “buying” women in various forms of undress, solely for their pleasure), at a young age. While there has always been a stigma around pornography, whether stemming from moral or religious reasons, Jenson continued to use porn until his 30s.

    Read More

  • Censorship Of Pornography

    2262 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...of pornography as an expression that should be defended. I have described ways that pornography is currently being battled for in modern legislation, as well as the Liberal Feminist arguments for pornography as expression. The Radical Feminist arguments against pornography were addressed and negated, as not having any empirical support to their theoretical claims. Pornography has no substantial evidence in favor of harm to women, in terms of subjugation or violence, and therefore cannot be regulated as a form of free speech.

    Read More

  • Dreamworlds 3: The Role Of Women And The Media

    788 Words  | 2 Pages

    Today, the media plays an essential role in the Western civilization. Considering this, entertainment, social media, and the news are all intrinsically valuable media literacy devices. In addition, the media “helps to maintain a status quo in which certain groups in our society routinely have access to power and privilege while others do not” (Mulvaney 2016). For instance, both in the music and pornographic industry the female body is perceived as a sexual object. In Dreamworlds 3: Desire, Sex & Power in Music Video, Sut Jhally mentions that “examining the stories that music videos tell us about both male and female sexuality, about what is considered normal, allows us to do more than just understand one aspect of our culture” (Jhally 2007).

    Read More

  • The Mask You Live In Research Paper

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    Exposure to pornography increases sexual aggression by 22 percent and increases the acceptance of rape myths that women desire sexual violence by 31 percent. American culture is producing rapists. Every 9 seconds, a woman is beaten or assaulted. 35 percent of male college students indicated some likelihood of raping if they knew they could get away with it. 1 in 5 female college students is the victim of an attempted or completed sexual assault.

    Read More

  • The Relationship Between Pornography and the American Culture

    957 Words  | 2 Pages

    A review of the contemporary research on the negative effects of pornography is replete of scholarly and anecdotal evidence and opinion about the damages associated with viewing it. But the evidence is limited when it comes to criticism of mainstream media’s damages to certain groups, particularly young women with their romantic comedies.

    Read More

  • Women In The Pornography Industry

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kristol’s article writes that pornography and the pornographic industry has always been dominated by men (491). Throughout the history of the United States, men have taken precedence over women in many aspects. Men were considered the workers of the family while women stayed home and acted as housewives or catered to the men. The idea of feminism and women’s equality, however, is growing throughout the nation. With feminism and women’s equality at large, society must progress toward eliminating male domination and allowing the extension for women's opportunities; therefore, pornography and the male-dominated industry should be limited by the government. Aside from men and the power statuses they hold in pornography, Gail Dines in her article “Facts and Figures” discloses information about the male tendencies after watching pornography. Men have been reported to support female rape, have aggressive behavior toward women, have a decreased sex drive toward wives or girlfriends, and desire forced sexual acts after viewing pornography (1). Despite America’s best effort to protect all citizens, in reality, females are typically victims of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and pornography is a cause of such violence. Although it is a key factor that plays a role in causing violence and aggressive behavior toward women, Americans are able to easily access videos or films instantly because of modern technology and the lack of pornography censoring. Because of the tendency to cause abuse in the real world, pornography must be censored in order to ensure that women are granted equal amounts of safety and

    Read More

  • Sexual Victimization of Women

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    College campuses are one of the most popular scenes for crimes of rape to occur. A disturbing statistic resea...

    Read More

  • The Sociological Issues Of Pornography

    1848 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Pornography Promotes Rape

    1378 Words  | 3 Pages

    The topic “Is pornography an inducement to rape?’ discusses that whether pornography can be considered as a consequence of rape. In other words, that is to indicate whether some behaviors such watching or reading pornography could encourage people, especially males, to commit sexual assault. This essay involves the discussion of the activity of pornography is positive or negative, necessary or unnecessary, harmful or harmless to those who watch pornography as a significant encouragement of rape or not. Furthermore, especially on the questions whether any link exists between pornography and sexual assault and what the link might be.

    Read More

  • Is Censorship Justified?

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... between exposure to pornography and commission of violence, but this research was conducted in 1993 which is now outdated. Another point, which she emphasized, was that a greater availability of sexually explicit material seems to correlate with higher indices of gender equality. But when the sexually explicit material shows the subordination of women or women presented as sexual object who enjoy pain or humiliation, how can they be equal as men when the men are shown as the gender that enjoys subordinating women. (Strossen,550). Feminist author Diana Russell notes in her book Rape and Marriage the correlation between deviant behavior (including abuse) and pornography. She also found that pornography leads men and women to experience conflict, suffering, and sexual dissatisfaction.

    Read More

  • Don Jon

    1927 Words  | 4 Pages

    Watching pornography is popular all around the world; from children to adults both man and female, however little is known about the psychological and relational affects it can have on both men and women. Pornography refers to the explicit description or exhibition of sexual subjects or activity in literature, painting, pictures, books, films, etc., in a manner intended to stimulate sexual excitement rather than aesthetic feelings (Syzmanski & Stewart-Richardson, 2014) In order to examine the affects that pornography has on males I will explore and examine the movie Don Jon and provide background information, foundations of psychology, and application. Background Information Jon Martello, a New Jersey bartender who only cares about his body,

    Read More

  • Internet Pornography Addiction

    4354 Words  | 9 Pages

    Fisher, William, and Azy Barak. “Internet Pornography: A Social Psychological Perspective On Internet Sexuality.” Journal of Sex Research. 38.4 (Nov. 2001): 312-24.

    Read More

  • Liberal Feminism Essay

    2063 Words  | 5 Pages

    Many feminist theories believe that pornography is part of male culture and the patriarchy in which women are exploited and abused. In fact, one of radical feminism philosophy’s primary concerns is pornography as they believe porn degrades women and that women involved in the industry are physically damaged by patriarchy, as pornography as often directed by male pornographers (McElroy 2016). Renowned radical feminist Andrea Dworkin explored issues like misogyny and pornography. Dworkin spoke out for several causes, primarily in ending violence against women. Her famous work Pornography: men possessing women (1981) argues that porn teaches men to rape and violently abuse women. However, studies show that watching pornography its self does not cause any considerable social harm. Despite this, it is true that the adult industry itself can be torturous and

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Pornography

    1343 Words  | 3 Pages

    IF viewed by a sexually immature adolescent, it can be harmful as it displays unrealistic standards for sex, improper to no contraception use and displays a relaxed attitude of casual sex and sex for pleasure. If pornography is the only sexual education a young person is receiving, it can be said that the young person is in trouble in terms of their sexual health. This, however, is not the fault of pornography itself. Pornography is a stimulating and arousing activity meant for sexual release. A child who views pornography is not interpreting it the same way an adult is and may perceive it as real where an adult would not. It is the fault of parents not monitoring internet use, having serious discussions with their children about sexual safety and the school systems health education program that these inconsistencies in what adolescents see and experience. With proper sex education, adolescents and even adults can make appropriate judgments of pornography for what it is, entertainment, rather than an education. This can lead into the idea of pornography itself causing sexual violence. With the evidence provided, it seems that pornography can create the implication that rape myths are true, victims should be blamed, and women are powerless, however it is the few that go beyond this and act upon these urges that are the problem. An average person has the required inhibitions to stop themselves from committing sexual violence, even if they have warped views of blame for the incident. The view that pornography perpetrates sexual crimes should not be the definitive perception as many functioning adults can consume pornography with out their lives being completely destroyed as those against pornography would have someone believe. As with all things, people will abuse and become addicted. It is not the item 's fault itself, but rather the amount, improper education and the individual

    Read More

  • Pornography

    1739 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Pornography Does NOT Cause Violence Against Women

Open Document