Zach Nelson
Instructor: Peter Shea
Class: Composition II ENC 1102
December 7, 2012
The Negative Effects of Pornography on Society
The opinion of most people today is that pornography is harmless and that there are no real harmful effects that result from it. The truth is, we all can be affected by pornography, and the sexual messages our society is exposed to. Pornography and the messages it conveys have a direct effect in shaping attitudes and encouraging behavior that can harm, not only individuals who view it but also their families as well. Pornography is often viewed in secret, which creates deception within marriages that can lead to divorce in some cases. When one develops a lifestyle dedicated to pornography, they
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2) These statistics are proof that pornography does play a part in rape. Susan Gubar, author of Depictions of Female Violation, states: through the transformation from image to act and act to image, we become lost in a world of mirrors that teaches us to see women as the willing, desirous, and deserving slaves of punitive masters.
Every day we see ads in magazines and commercials on television that display vivid pictures that are used to catch your eye. This form of advertising is used because society finds such displays compelling. These images can have an effect on ones attitude as well as their way of thinking, which has a direct result in the behavioral choices they make.
Another effect of pornography is its destruction to relationships. I have witnessed many marriages break up due to the Husbands insatiable addiction to porn. This is also an end result for many Boyfriends and Girlfriends that have been in long term relationships. There is a Quote by Naomi Wolfe: “The reason to turn off the porn might become, to thoughtful people, not a moral one but, in a way, a physical- and emotional-health one; you might want to rethink your constant access to porn in the same way that, if you want to be an athlete, you rethink your smoking. The evidence is in: Greater supply of the stimulant equals diminished capacity.”
Yes, obsession with sex certainly isn't good for a society as a
Pornography is commonly used in many cultures across the world. Within the United States, alone, roughly 40 million people regularly visit porn sites (Streep, 2014). And yet, despite its growing popularity, only a handful of studies have explored pornography’s potential effects on sexual satisfaction for those in exclusive relationships (Bridges & Morokoff, 2011; Daneback et al., 2009; Maddox et al., 2011; Stewart & Szymanski, 2012; Stulhofer et al., 2010; Zillmann & Bryant, 1988). As using pornography can potentially have negative effects on both the user’s and their intimate partner’s sexual satisfaction, it is important to
It today’s society, pornography is a fast-growing epidemic that is evident in families, marriages, and teenage lifestyles. Supporters of pornography claim that it can be used as a tool to teach students about sex education. However, critics claim that pornography is unjust, influential, and dehumanizing. Pornography is unjust because it has the potential to break down intimate relationships and marriages. It can also have negative effects on children in particular young boys. More and more young boy’s minds are being influenced by pornography which is leading to misinterpretations about how to have a healthy sexual relationship. Most importantly, pornography dehumanizes women and it exploits children. Women and children are being victimized for the sheer pleasure of someone viewing pornography.
From the “No” aspect written by Michael Seto, Alexandra Maric, and Howard E. Barbaree, they argue that 1) there is enough evidence any where proving that pornography is the cause of rape or rape crimes. They do not feel that it proves that men objectify and dehumanize women or that violent pornography desensitizes men to rape, 2) Knowing the definition of pornography and understanding the different versions help to identify where the issue lies, and 3) there are causal models that link pornography and aggression.
Another information that I learned is having pornography online for easy access statistics says that it lowers sexual assault crimes. It outlined in the book in pg. 142, that pornography helps lower sexual assault, divorces, suicide and child sexual exploitation. Sexual assault is a major crime and if research are saying that pornography helps reduce cases, then it should be pursued not abolished. In addition, divorces have been on the rise in American families because financial problems, or just lack of passion. Using pornography, the book says that it is helping to rekindle most of the lost passion married couples suffer from on regular basis. Moreover, the decline of suicide
There have been many speculations about porn and its significance. Many would argue there is no sole purpose for it other then opening up doors for people to fantasize about things that generally do not happen in a normal sexual encounter. However, that is quite the contrary research has shown over the past decade that porn isn't entirely 100% bad. Although, there are negative connotations associated with porn especially for a female, researchers are finding that more
As a matter of fact, those individuals with damaging thoughts are the ones that watch and produce pornography. Additionally, “exposure to obscene material correlates with increased rapes, prostitution, child molestation, violent crime, the abuse of women, and sex addiction in men” (Hacker 5). Many of these correlations are a result of ideas that pornography planted in minds. Pornography alone does not cause people to commit a sexual crime, but it affects minds enough to influence people to act in an unethical way.
Antiporn feminism (here on, APF) limit their definition of pornography to inegalitarian pornography, namely "sexually explicit representations that as a whole eroticise relations characterised by gender inequality” (Eaton 2007: 676). This effectively excludes genres such as gay pornography, or violent pornography (with the absence of inegalitarian representations). For the sake of this argument those genres are not considered. Firstly it is important to note the range of harms that antiporn writers address and the ones we will look at. Production harms - such as coercion and abuse in the making of pornography are not considered in this argument. Antiporn feminists focus on post production harms - specifically the harm that exposure to pornography causes. Other antiporn writers note that pornography is also harmful as hate speech however we focus only on the former harm. The harm that this argument outlines is always indirect, in a sentence the Harm Hypothesis shows that pornography shapes 'attitudes and
Just like how it took decades for society to understand that smoking was harmful, we are learning and understanding more and more that pornography is dangerous. Pornography has the power to twist and rewire how your brain operates. Your brain’s functions will be less connected, less active, and even smaller in some areas. The brain is constantly rewiring itself and laying down new nerve connections. The neural pathways that are being made because of porn are only reinforced and become stronger every time there is usage. This is why pornography can be seen as an addictive process. Pornography also has the ability to be extremely addictive to some and is also just as bad, if not worse than drug use.
Pornography shows people as sex objects. For people who fear they aren't sexually adequate, this is scary. “The social myth covering this personal fear is that consumers of pornography will begin to see all men or women that way. This naive, inaccurate assumption also denies the healthy dynamic of lovers agreeing to objectify each other during their sexual (M K)." Pornography shows people experimenting via sex. This is a scary concept for those who fear that their experimenting can lead to trouble. Pornography invites viewers to stimulate their inner sexual feelings. Pornography also encourages acting on natural lustful instincts. It also depicts many of their fantasies are deemed as taboo in the standards set forth by society. By censoring pornography, such people feel they are keeping others out of danger, but in fact they are really suppressing others though of sexual fantasies and query. So in a culture where people learn to fear their own sexuality, sex appears to require censorship if it is sex for pleasure, healing, or
While many will argue that pornography is not harmful and a “victimless crime”, are not of the real effects that pornography can have on a family, or a society as a whole. First of all pornography is detrimental, because it treats humans as objects. Pornography depicts people, especially women, in demeaning and degrading ways. Even if the only ones involved were adults who freely chose to be involved in the production of pornography and even if they were compensated well enough to feel good about what they are doing, pornography does not build the integrity of persons who are made in the image of God. Another effect of pornography is that it is linked to different forms of violence. Pornography can be linked to rape, abuse, murder, and other felonies. Pornography is also harmful to society in that the outlets for obscene material are often outlets for other material such as prostitution, pandering, drug dealing etc. Finally, pornography harms the family. Like other sins, pornography is addictive and progressive.
For many years there has been a lot of arguments about the ethical and morality of pornography. pornography is defined as the depiction of erotic behavior intended to cause sexual excitement. When it coms down to pornography, people have different opinions about it. Some people might find it moral because it gives them pleasure and it satisfies them physically. some individuals see it as a form of art that describes the figure of a human body in an artistic form. Others see it as immoral because it harms and degrades an individual. Personally I believe that it all depends how pornography is conducted and how we respond to it. It can be morally healthy that we like it because it makes us happy, such as it helps with your marriage relationship in intimacy, and it can be immoral when it is used in an unhealthy that we do not like it because hurts an innocent person.
Pornography has many obvious as well as not-so-obvious consequences within society. Pornography has the power to ruin marriages, destroy trust, excite a person to the point of sexual crime, or create an unhealthy view of human sexuality and the opposite sex.” (WowEssays, Pornography)
My first question was how pornograpgy changes the mind and why people find it entertaining. One thing I found was an interview with Ted Bundy about the effects of porn and how they manipulate the brain of people (http://fightthenewdrug.org/serial-killer-ted-bundy-last-interview/). After watching this video its really weird to see someone as mentally ill as Ted Bundy talk to society and warn people about the effects that pornography can have. I interviewed one of my friends. She attends college in Moorhead. She told me that although she didn't have an addiction to viewing pornography, she has heard and known people who have and could possibly have had an addiction to it. She also stated “I don't think it becomes an unhealthy thing until you go too far and let it consume you. That's when it can become an addiction”. Bundy stressed that nowadays and even 20-30 years ago that it was everywhere and that even children aren't safe in their homes because it is so accessible. One thing that should concern society is that back when Ted was a child he didn't have technology, and with today's technology it is so accessible to anyone and it can be so private that no one would be able to tell if a kid or anyone was addicted to it.
Pornography is a sin that has catastrophic in its effect on the state of men and women in the United States. In 2016 alone, “more than 4,599,000,000 hours of porn were consumed on the world’s largest porn site (Lazzaro, 2017).” This statistic is shocking, in that, one year only has 8760 hours in it for one individual. That means that these hours would make up 5,246 centuries of time spent watching pornography in one year. These numbers are astronomical, and porn continues to create billions of dollars in revenue with some numbers estimating that in 2016 the porn industry as a whole took in 97 billion dollars worldwide (Fredrickson 2007). But why is pornography bad? Clearly there is a large market for it that is being met, but why is this a
My first question was how pornograpgy changes the mind and why people find it entertaining. One thing I found was an interview with Ted Bundy about the affects of porn and how they manipulate the brain of people (http://fightthenewdrug.org/serial-killer-ted-bundy-last-interview/). After watching this video its really weird to see someone as mentally ill as Ted Bundy talk to society and warn people about the effects that pornography can have. I interviewed one of my friends. She attends college in Moorhead. She told me that although she didn't have an addiction to viewing pornography, she has heard and known people who have and could possibly have had an addiction to it. She also stated “I don't think it becomes an unhealthy thing until you go too far and let it consume you. That's when it can become an addiction”. Bundy stressed that nowadays and even 20-30 years ago that it was everywhere and that even children aren't safe inside their homes because it is so accessible. One thing that should concern society is that back when Ted was a child he didn't have technology, and with today's technology it is so accessible to anyone and it can be so private that no one would be able to tell if a kid or anyone was addicted to it.