The Porn Industry
The topic covered in class today, regarding the channeling of pornorgraphy through hotels and other large businesses is obviously one that covets much debate. Yes, there is money to be made when making pornographic materials available to clientel, and there is something to be said for the fact that it IS a legal industry, and therefore citizens of this country reserve the right to veiw these materials as they see fit. This, however, does not make the industry itself an ethical one. Through a communitarian perspective, it can be argued that the images and ideas portrayed in pornography, though not necessarily explicitely stated, are not beneficial to our society as a whole, and in particular, they are not beneficial to women as a gender. Like so many industries today, women in pornography are portrayed a objects. They fullfill a classic archetype, which we have seen throughout the centuries in fictional material, this being the archetype of "whore".
It might be interesting to research the statistics regarding the number of women who can be found writing, producing or directing pornographic materials. I say this because one major criticism that has been put forth by the feminist movement is the idea that in entertainment industries where men have been the predominent source of creativity (classicaly, this refers to literature) it can be found that women represented in these works typically fit into one of two categories: the madonna (insinuating virtue beyond question) and the whore (in which the woman serves no other purpose than to fullfill a sexual need). The problem in this is that these characters are unidimensional. They are not portrayed as human beings, but as objects, and just as this has been true throughout works of literature in days of old, it is true of pornography today.
Now, it can often be confused when speaking of feminist ideology that one is insinuating that men are the root of the evil, and that women are innocent bystanders who are merely carrying the burden. This obviously is not true of the porn industry, as these women are active and willing participants in their own objectification. So to be clear, I am not man bashing over here. It is merely an interesting thought, to wonder if the things that were once true of literature could be carrying over into the porn industry today.
I found a website that seems to have some interesting statistics on the use of porn, the profits made through adult materials, etc. etc. The following is the link to the site: http://www.porndestroyswomen.org/
Each statement is sited and the resources seem to be academic in nature, but I did not go through and varify each one.
The following are a few of the statements made on PornDestroysWomen.org . They are taken ver batim.
"-Regular users of pornography are more likely to think of women in stereotype, (1) as "socially non-discriminating, as hysterically euphoric in response to just about any sexual or pseudosexual stimulation, and as eager to accommodate seemingly any and every sexual request." (2)
-Regular users of pornography are more likely to have sexually callous attitudes and accept the rape myth (that when a woman says "no," she means "yes.") (3)
-Regular users of pornography have increasingly hostile and aggressive sexual fantasies. (4)
-Regular users of pornography are less likely to convict for a rape, and less likely to give a harsh sentence to a rapist if in fact convicted. (5) Conversely, individuals who do not use pornography are more likely to convict an accused rapist. (6)
-Areas with pornography outlets and sexually oriented businesses experience significantly higher sexual offenses and property crimes than areas without such businesses. (7)
-Some "adult" bookstores derive significant income from peep show booths, some with "glory holes" to provide anonymous sexual encounters. According to Dr. Stephen Joseph, former Health Commissioner of New York City, "The proprietors are essentially operating an AIDS breeding ground, with profit being the driving force." (8)
-Clinical research shows that pornographic images create chemically encoded messages on the brain that can remain through adulthood. Human memory is formed in part by the release of the chemical epinephrine which, upon emotional arousal, leaves behind an imprint on the brain. (9)
-While spending three evenings watching sexually violent movies, male viewers became progressively less bothered by the raping and slashing. Compared to others who were not exposed to the films, the also, three days later, expressed less sympathy for domestic violence victims and they related the victims' injuries as less severe. (10)
-As pornography became more widely available during the 1960s and 1970s, the rate of reported that rapes sharply increased—except in countries and areas where pornography was controlled. In Hawaii, the number of reported rapes rose ninefold between 1960 and 1974, dropped when restraints on pornography were temporarily imposed, and rose again when the restrains were lifted. (11)
-Sales of sexually explicit magazines (such as Hustler and Playboy) in the fifty states correlate with state rape rates. After controlling for other factors, such as the percentage of young males in each state, a positive relationship remained. Alaska ranked magazine sales and first in rape. Nevada was second on both measures. (12)"
(www.porndestroyswomen.org)
Reading through these statements made on porndestroyswomen.org , it becomes increasingly disturbing to know that there are so many large scale corporations, which we use and associate ourselves with everyday, who are profiting from the distribution of these materials. At what point does the almighty dollar subside to what is best for the people in this world? And at what point in our history did it become more important? We know that there was a time that, not necessarily ethics, but personal morals, goverened what we did and did not do. In many ways, as a country, we have lost the internalization of these concepts in our citizens. In one respect, this loss of internalization of specific moral codes fosters more freedom for choice and personal belief. On the other hand, at what point do we become too free? The responsible solution, I suppose, is to lose the internalization of moral concepts, and to gain the willpower to become critical thinkers... To ask,"Is this what is best for our country, our children, and ourselves?" And what are we to do when we come to the conclusion that perhaps many of the large economic powers in our country are taking profit a few steps beyond reason?
It might be interesting to research the statistics regarding the number of women who can be found writing, producing or directing pornographic materials. I say this because one major criticism that has been put forth by the feminist movement is the idea that in entertainment industries where men have been the predominent source of creativity (classicaly, this refers to literature) it can be found that women represented in these works typically fit into one of two categories: the madonna (insinuating virtue beyond question) and the whore (in which the woman serves no other purpose than to fullfill a sexual need). The problem in this is that these characters are unidimensional. They are not portrayed as human beings, but as objects, and just as this has been true throughout works of literature in days of old, it is true of pornography today.
Now, it can often be confused when speaking of feminist ideology that one is insinuating that men are the root of the evil, and that women are innocent bystanders who are merely carrying the burden. This obviously is not true of the porn industry, as these women are active and willing participants in their own objectification. So to be clear, I am not man bashing over here. It is merely an interesting thought, to wonder if the things that were once true of literature could be carrying over into the porn industry today.
I found a website that seems to have some interesting statistics on the use of porn, the profits made through adult materials, etc. etc. The following is the link to the site: http://www.porndestroyswomen.org/
Each statement is sited and the resources seem to be academic in nature, but I did not go through and varify each one.
The following are a few of the statements made on PornDestroysWomen.org . They are taken ver batim.
"-Regular users of pornography are more likely to think of women in stereotype, (1) as "socially non-discriminating, as hysterically euphoric in response to just about any sexual or pseudosexual stimulation, and as eager to accommodate seemingly any and every sexual request." (2)
-Regular users of pornography are more likely to have sexually callous attitudes and accept the rape myth (that when a woman says "no," she means "yes.") (3)
-Regular users of pornography have increasingly hostile and aggressive sexual fantasies. (4)
-Regular users of pornography are less likely to convict for a rape, and less likely to give a harsh sentence to a rapist if in fact convicted. (5) Conversely, individuals who do not use pornography are more likely to convict an accused rapist. (6)
-Areas with pornography outlets and sexually oriented businesses experience significantly higher sexual offenses and property crimes than areas without such businesses. (7)
-Some "adult" bookstores derive significant income from peep show booths, some with "glory holes" to provide anonymous sexual encounters. According to Dr. Stephen Joseph, former Health Commissioner of New York City, "The proprietors are essentially operating an AIDS breeding ground, with profit being the driving force." (8)
-Clinical research shows that pornographic images create chemically encoded messages on the brain that can remain through adulthood. Human memory is formed in part by the release of the chemical epinephrine which, upon emotional arousal, leaves behind an imprint on the brain. (9)
-While spending three evenings watching sexually violent movies, male viewers became progressively less bothered by the raping and slashing. Compared to others who were not exposed to the films, the also, three days later, expressed less sympathy for domestic violence victims and they related the victims' injuries as less severe. (10)
-As pornography became more widely available during the 1960s and 1970s, the rate of reported that rapes sharply increased—except in countries and areas where pornography was controlled. In Hawaii, the number of reported rapes rose ninefold between 1960 and 1974, dropped when restraints on pornography were temporarily imposed, and rose again when the restrains were lifted. (11)
-Sales of sexually explicit magazines (such as Hustler and Playboy) in the fifty states correlate with state rape rates. After controlling for other factors, such as the percentage of young males in each state, a positive relationship remained. Alaska ranked magazine sales and first in rape. Nevada was second on both measures. (12)"
(www.porndestroyswomen.org)
Reading through these statements made on porndestroyswomen.org , it becomes increasingly disturbing to know that there are so many large scale corporations, which we use and associate ourselves with everyday, who are profiting from the distribution of these materials. At what point does the almighty dollar subside to what is best for the people in this world? And at what point in our history did it become more important? We know that there was a time that, not necessarily ethics, but personal morals, goverened what we did and did not do. In many ways, as a country, we have lost the internalization of these concepts in our citizens. In one respect, this loss of internalization of specific moral codes fosters more freedom for choice and personal belief. On the other hand, at what point do we become too free? The responsible solution, I suppose, is to lose the internalization of moral concepts, and to gain the willpower to become critical thinkers... To ask,"Is this what is best for our country, our children, and ourselves?" And what are we to do when we come to the conclusion that perhaps many of the large economic powers in our country are taking profit a few steps beyond reason?
posted by Shauna at 10:23 AM
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