The Pornography Plague

Psychologist Edward Donnerstein (University of Wisconsin) found that brief exposure to violent forms of pornography can lead to anti-social attitudes and behavior. Male viewers tend to be more aggressive toward women, less responsive to pain and suffering of rape victims, and more willing to accept various myths about rape.

Researchers have found that pornography (especially violent pornography) can produce an array of undesirable effects such as rape and sexual coercion. Specifically they found that such exposure can lead to increased use of coercion or rape, increased fantasies about rape, and desensitization to sexual violence and trivialization of rape.

One study demonstrated that pornography can diminish a person's sexual happiness. The researchers found that people exposed to nonviolent pornography reported diminished satisfaction with their sexual partner's physical appearance, affection, curiosity, and sexual performance. They were also more inclined to put more importance on sex without emotional involvement.

There are a number of compelling statistics that suggest that pornography does have profound social consequences. For example, of the 1400 child sexual molestation cases in Louisville, Kentucky, between July 1980 and February 1984, adult pornography was connected with each incident and child pornography with the majority of them. Extensive interviews with sex offenders (rapists, incest offenders, and child molesters) have uncovered a sizable percentage of offenders who use pornography to arouse themselves prior to and during their assaults. Police officers have seen the impact pornography has had on serial murders. In fact, pornography consumption is one of the most common profile characteristics of serial murders and rapists.

Obscenity and Pornography: Behavioral Aspects

Portrayals of sexuality have existed in virtually every society for which we have historical records. At the same time, virtually every society (Denmark being an exception) has called for at least some limits to sexual material, leading to precarious balances between free expression and social control.

Sex is a deep and mysterious part of human nature, being intimately linked to many aspects of human behavior, including those with the potential for good and the potential for evil. Some thinkers believe that pornographic or obscene portrayals provide insight into the nature of life and sexuality, while others contend that such portrayals cause moral and physical harm.

The controversy over the effects and meanings of pornography and obscenity is complicated by several factors that will be examined. First, many different types of sexual depictions are available, with each bearing different meanings and impact; furthermore, researchers disagree about which types are most prevalent in society. Some pornography contains substantial artistic value, while other material appeals predominantly to base prurient and aggressive emotions. Second, demonstrating effects has proved to be elusive because most of what we know is based on laboratory experiments rather than the real world, and the key concepts that govern research are unduly vague and elusive. Third, one's assessment of the impact of sexually oriented material is often at least somewhat dependent upon the political and moral values one brings to the table, and upon one's assumptions about human nature. The elusiveness of the concepts of research leaves room for value judgments to enter one's assessment.

Finally, efforts to limit the availability of sexual materials have to be cognizant of constitutional limits that protect freedom of expression. Under the sway of the First Amendment in the United States, courts have attempted to balance free speech with the rights of the community to limit the most offensive and potentially harmful material.

Art & pornography: where's the line?

Actually it is really difficult to put a line between art and pornography, or even name the pornography as an art work. If we look through the dictionaries and definitions we will find different explanations for pornography which have same meaning at the bottom. The definitions of ‘pornography’ currently found in the literature fall roughly into six different categories: 1. those that define ‘pornography’ as the sale of sex for profit, 2. those that define it as a form of bad art, 3. those that define it as portraying men or women as, as only, or only as sexual beings or sexual objects, 4. those that define it as a form of obscenity, 5. those that define it as a form of (or contributor to) oppression, and 6. those that define it as material that is intended to produce or has the effect of producing sexual arousal (Michael C. Rea,2001). When it comes to judging each definition for pornography about which is unacceptable or even damaging to society might well differ from someone else’s. I have found a video that shows a group of people’s opinion about the difference between an artwork and pornography.

In some points I agree with some of them. I think the purpose of these works is an important element in judging them. For example we haveThe Kiss, marble sculpture, by Auguste Rodin,French sculptor, that we can name it as one of his great master pieces. The sculpture, The Kiss, was originally titled Francesca da Rimini, as it depicts the 13th-century Italian noblewoman immortalised in Dante's Inferno (Circle 2, Canto 5) who falls in love with her husband Giovanni Malatesta's younger brother Paolo (Wikipedia). Rodin indicated that his approach to sculpting women was of homage to them and their bodies, not just submitting to men but as full partners in ardor. This sculpture can be named as one pornographic work, but its nature is absolutely an artistic masterpiece that shows real love and unity.

On the other hand if we look at the pornography as sexually explicit material it will be impossible to ignore the damages that it brings to the society. Women, families, and children are the victims of using these materials. All I can say is that this type of material in these days can be harmful in many aspects and the degree of its damages depends on the knowledge, education, age, gender, and beliefs of the people and the norms and cultures and of the society. Bur we should remember that pornographic works such as Rodin’s sculpture has their artistic worth that we cannot ignore them.

Pornography - Is it Harmful?

Pornographic images are now freely available to virtually everyone, including, unfortunately, children. And, disturbingly, not all for these materials simply show consenting adults engaging in....sexual activity. Some of it includes violent content, scenes in which victims usually, but not always, women are abused, exploited, and harmed in various ways.If exposure to violence in the media can increase aggressive tendencies among persons exposed to such content, it seemspossible that exposure to violent pornography might also produce such effects. And it would be the Effects of pornography which are stronger than that of media violence.In fact, because pornography often generates high levels of arousal...it seems possible that such effects might even be stronger than is true for media violence that does not containsexual content. Although there is currently much less evidence on the issue than on the effects of the media violence generally, some findingssuggest that violent pornography may indeed have negative effects.

Here there is a graph that it shows how much people spend or in the other word countries have revenues from pornography. I think this number are terrible . But you can see and judge.

2006 Worldwide Pornography Revenues

Country	Revenue (Billions)	Per Capita
China	$27.40	$27.41
South Korea	$25.73	$526.76
Japan	$19.98	$156.75
US	$13.33	$44.67
Australia	$2.00	$98.70
UK	$1.97	$31.84
Italy	$1.40	$24.08
Canada	$1.00	$30.21
Philippines	$1.00	$11.18
Taiwan	$1.00	$43.41
Germany	$.64	$7.77
Finland	$.60	$114.70
Czech Republic	$.46	$44.94
Russia	$.25	$1.76
Netherlands	$.20	$12.13
Brazil	$.10	$53.17
Other 212	Unavailable
	$97.06 Billion

Pornography

Pornography is not only on the internet but in every magazines, newspapers, TV programs, movies and etc. you can find them. But the worst is the internet where everyone especially children or immature people can access the pornography. It could be really dangerous.

Women are not sex objects to be hurt, to be bought. If then we can’t teach our children how to encounter with this, at least, we have to CONTROL it. Now it’s called legal. Yes it can be. But when there is also the right limitation. And when there is no limitation on media, there should be the CONTROL. If there is no control, now it’s better to be banned.

Pornography

In past few years, an immense industry for the production and consumption of pornography has grown, with the increasing use of the different type of media such as: Internet TV and etc. Amateur pornographic has become widely popular and generally distributed via the Internet for free. Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from printed literature, photos, drawing, painting, animation, video or video game. However, when sexual acts are performed for a live audience, by definition it is not pornography, as the term applies to the depiction of the act, rather than the act itself. Thus, portrayals such as sex shows and striptease are not classified as pornography. So from my point of view pornography is not legally.

pornography

Pornography or porn is the depiction of explicit sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual excitement. If we see on the world now most of people think that sex is free, so it’s normal to allow pornography is legal, but for me I don’t think so withpornography is legally. Even somebody say its natural manner of human to have sex, but sex is shouldn’t show at clear. How about if person who can’t distingue which is wrong or right see pornography, then they follow into the wrong way.

Pornography

Pornography became of the word porn (related to Greek language) means ‘whore’ and the word graphy means writing by/about something. So pornography means writing by/about whore. In response to those who say pornography is “freedom of expression”, I have to say they are in a wrong way. Pornography is what we can call it “freedom of industry”. Pornography is a kind of money making trade around the world. Billions of dollars are spend on it. If you want more of it, you have to pay for it. In the other side, there are those who say “some people really need to see pornography. It’s part of their natural manner.” It’s just a simple excuse. But the truth is that pornography is addictive. As a person begins, can’t stop it, only with a powerful decision. Psychologists have proved that pornography will stick to one’s mind for ever and will be as reason of repetition. This addiction caused some pervasive effects on social and individual lives. Divorce is one of those effects. Since one of the partners, or both of them, are addicted they won’t find each other exciting. They begin to tell lies. It causes violence.That’s what psychologists say about it.