Pornography Essay, Research Paper
Chris Goebel
April 22, 1999
Ms. Mathews
Victimization of Women
Today there are many controversial ideas on pornography. Mens
views of women are warped by the dominating and explicit scenes of
pornography. The community can find adult entertainment stores on almost
every corner and everywhere on the Internet. Women feel pornography
degrades them in the eyes of men and may have an affect on their position in
society. Pornography victimizes women by changing men?s views towards
them, by selling and advertising magazines with nude women on the cover in
every corner store in America, and showing women to be sexual toys that are
there to be dominated.
Many men?s views towards women are affected as they see more and
more pornography. Men get accustomed to seeing women used as toys
instead of people in the community. University of Virginia law and
psychiatry Professor Park Elliot Dietz states, ?A person who learned about
human sexuality in the ?adults only? outlets of America would be a person
who had never conceived of a man and a women marrying or even falling in
love before having intercourse, who had never conceived of tender foreplay,
and who had never conceived of procreation as a purpose of sexual union.
Instead such a person would be one who had learned that sex at most meant
sex with one?s children, stepchildren, parents, siblings, pets, and with
neighbors, plumbers, salesmen, burglars, and peepers.?(Somerville, 3)
Dr. Michael Stevenson found that much of the sexually violent material
people see carries the message that even if a women seems to be disinterested
or repulsed, her need to be dominated will ultimately result in her becoming
turned on once overpowered by her male assailant.(Murray, 5) Edwin Meese
asserts that pornography no only harms the individual taking part in it, but it
also has an effect on the entire community. A frequently cited 1988 FBI
study found that eighty-one percent of violent sexual offenders regularly used
violent pornography.(Somerville, 4) In 1985, researcher Sara Lee Johann
examined 2,380 cases of abuse, battering and sexual assault in Minnesota and
found that sixty-eight percent of the abusers beat or sexually abused the
victim after viewing pornographic materials. Fifty-eight percent of these
abusers actually showed their victims pornographic pictures or articles to
their victims. Pornography warps mens minds into seeing women as sexual
toys with no feelings or emotions, instead they start to see them as objects for
them to own and use when they want.
Pornography is available in almost every corner store in America. The
availability of porno is making it easier and easier for men to see women as
toys at an earlier age. N.C. Harvey does thirty million dollars a year in sales
to more than two million people.(Murray, 6) Over three thousand
pornographic pictures, including paedophilia and bestiality, are available on
the Internet at any time.(Clarke, 4) There are also interactive sex games
available on the Internet.(Clarke,5) Pornography availability has caused a
dramatic increase in sales around the world. Four hundred million adult tapes
were sold or rented in 1990, compared to only fifty-four million in
1980.(Murray,1) That is over a one hundred percent increase in one decade.
People today can simply turn on their computer or drive down the street to the
corner and have absolutely no problem finding some sort of pornographic
material. Anyone can order pornography off the Internet or through the mail.
The legal age to obtain pornographic material is eighteen, but more and more
small children are getting ahold of this material. The availability of
pornography has seriously gotten out of hand.
Pornography affects women?s position in society as well as their self
esteem. They do not enjoy being degraded in the eyes of men but more and
more they are. Feminists believe there is a direct correlation between the
availability of pornography, the use of women as sexual commodities, and the
increase in violence directed against women.(Clarke, 2) Feminists also argue
that pornography degrades women by portraying them as sexually insatiable
objects of male pleasure in a world of sexual inequality.(Somerville, 3)
Andrea Dworkin stated, ?Pornography is the theory, rape is the practice.
Barbara Somerville believes that the degradation of women in male
magazines reflects and generates male contempt for women that ultimately
leads to sexual violence and rape.(Somerville,7) Women feel that this
pornography may have an effect on their jobs. It may have a part in them not
receiving equal pay as some men receive. They may get passed over for a
raise or promotion because they do not meet the standards of the male
executive.(Clarke, 6) Women feel that men may hold sexual tension towards
them, causing women to drop in the eyes of society to nothing but sexual
commodities.
Magazines on every corner, stores on every side street, and
everywhere on the Internet pornography will continue to show up. The only
way to stop this is to find some way to regulate the sales and distribution of
pornography. If we fail to recognize the problem it will only grow to a
tremendous size in the future. Then it will be too late to stop the
victimization of women through the use of pornography. Women have been
seen as sexual toys for too long of a period a
Chris Goebel
April 22, 1999
Ms. Mathews
Victimization of Women
Today there are many controversial ideas on pornography. Mens
views of women are warped by the dominating and explicit scenes of
pornography. The community can find adult entertainment stores on almost
every corner and everywhere on the Internet. Women feel pornography
degrades them in the eyes of men and may have an affect on their position in
society. Pornography victimizes women by changing men?s views towards
them, by selling and advertising magazines with nude women on the cover in
every corner store in America, and showing women to be sexual toys that are
there to be dominated.
Many men?s views towards women are affected as they see more and
more pornography. Men get accustomed to seeing women used as toys
instead of people in the community. University of Virginia law and
psychiatry Professor Park Elliot Dietz states, ?A person who learned about
human sexuality in the ?adults only? outlets of America would be a person
who had never conceived of a man and a women marrying or even falling in
love before having intercourse, who had never conceived of tender foreplay,
and who had never conceived of procreation as a purpose of sexual union.
Instead such a person would be one who had learned that sex at most meant
sex with one?s children, stepchildren, parents, siblings, pets, and with
neighbors, plumbers, salesmen, burglars, and peepers.?(Somerville, 3)
Dr. Michael Stevenson found that much of the sexually violent material
people see carries the message that even if a women seems to be disinterested
or repulsed, her need to be dominated will ultimately result in her becoming
turned on once overpowered by her male assailant.(Murray, 5) Edwin Meese
asserts that pornography no only harms the individual taking part in it, but it
also has an effect on the entire community. A frequently cited 1988 FBI
study found that eighty-one percent of violent sexual offenders regularly used
violent pornography.(Somerville, 4) In 1985, researcher Sara Lee Johann
examined 2,380 cases of abuse, battering and sexual assault in Minnesota and
found that sixty-eight percent of the abusers beat or sexually abused the
victim after viewing pornographic materials. Fifty-eight percent of these
abusers actually showed their victims pornographic pictures or articles to
their victims. Pornography warps mens minds into seeing women as sexual
toys with no feelings or emotions, instead they start to see them as objects for
them to own and use when they want.
Pornography is available in almost every corner store in America. The
availability of porno is making it easier and easier for men to see women as
toys at an earlier age. N.C. Harvey does thirty million dollars a year in sales
to more than two million people.(Murray, 6) Over three thousand
pornographic pictures, including paedophilia and bestiality, are available on
the Internet at any time.(Clarke, 4) There are also interactive sex games
available on the Internet.(Clarke,5) Pornography availability has caused a
dramatic increase in sales around the world. Four hundred million adult tapes
were sold or rented in 1990, compared to only fifty-four million in
1980.(Murray,1) That is over a one hundred percent increase in one decade.
People today can simply turn on their computer or drive down the street to the
corner and have absolutely no problem finding some sort of pornographic
material. Anyone can order pornography off the Internet or through the mail.
The legal age to obtain pornographic material is eighteen, but more and more
small children are getting ahold of this material. The availability of
pornography has seriously gotten out of hand.
Pornography affects women?s position in society as well as their self
esteem. They do not enjoy being degraded in the eyes of men but more and
more they are. Feminists believe there is a direct correlation between the
availability of pornography, the use of women as sexual commodities, and the
increase in violence directed against women.(Clarke, 2) Feminists also argue
that pornography degrades women by portraying them as sexually insatiable
objects of male pleasure in a world of sexual inequality.(Somerville, 3)
Andrea Dworkin stated, ?Pornography is the theory, rape is the practice.
Barbara Somerville believes that the degradation of women in male
magazines reflects and generates male contempt for women that ultimately
leads to sexual violence and rape.(Somerville,7) Women feel that this
pornography may have an effect on their jobs. It may have a part in them not
receiving equal pay as some men receive. They may get passed over for a
raise or promotion because they do not meet the standards of the male
executive.(Clarke, 6) Women feel that men may hold sexual tension towards
them, causing women to drop in the eyes of society to nothing but sexual
commodities.
Magazines on every corner, stores on every side street, and
everywhere on the Internet pornography will continue to show up. The only
way to stop this is to find some way to regulate the sales and distribution of
pornography. If we fail to recognize the problem it will only grow to a
tremendous size in the future. Then it will be too late to stop the
victimization of women through the use of pornography. Women have been
seen as sexual toys for too long of a period already.
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