I believe that pornography, as defined by pornographic imagery and videos, is responsible for a huge part of our way of thinking and actions regarding sex and sexuality.As pornography is created by actors, to base our ideals of something that is such a huge part of every culture and is in every race in humanity, on something so fake, creates huge misconceptions.
The first point we need to look at is the one that defenders of pornography would argue.It has been asserted that pornography is a way to let off steam,that it is an introduction to sex.Comments such as “Do you want the young teenagers of today to be having illegal sex...Its just an innocent way to vent some testosterone” are common. As far as people in the grip of a pornographic addiction, because it is addictive, are aware there is nothing wrong with it.
And what is wrong with it?
Firstly, pornography creates an unrealistic image of sex;both for men and women.It establishes the mind-set of 'to feel like that I have to look like that'.How can men and women expect pleasure when one is attempting to act in a way that naturally is abnormal and the other is awaiting on something fabricated by a massive industry?The crux here is that pornography is not here to show us real sex,it is not here to endorse it.I wish it were.Then every pornography addict would relise that that is what is keeping them from fulfilling their needs.If we are given an unrealistic view of women and men how can we connect?The sex industry, selling pornography,sex toys,prostitution and the like makes a massive amount money each year:In the 1990's over a million dollars a day in the U.S was spent on pornography,and I hardly think that number has dropped;every second over three thousand dollars is spent on pornography.The pornography industry is making more than the legal film and music industries combined, and they can not afford to show content that would make their consumers realise everything they show is fake,that's done by people paid to act-just like on Home And Away.In 1992, 29 percent of boys called porn their "most significant source" of sex education which I find very scary.Those boys will be having sex and look what 'trained' them!Would we call someone a doctor just because they've watched a whole season of Shortland Street?
Furthermore, is pornography just a new way of controlling women since the sexual revolution in the 1970's? Now women have the right to vote,to work anywhere they choose, to have an opinion, but they are still in need of liberation from what is refered to as the 'Iron Maiden'.An Iron maiden is traditionally a torture device,it is a cabinet like thing that was big enough for a human being to fit inside.People put in them would die either from lack of oxygen or blood loss from spikes,nails or knives lining the walls.Now we use the term to talk about this image of perfection that surrounds us.And that can eventualy distroy us.Anorexia is five times higher in Western countries than in the East.Coincidently pornography is illegal in a large number of countries in the Eastern world..
How can women be emancipated until this fake image of éclat is eliminated?
Even worse perhaps, this imprisonment in the mind, is not going to be contained to women for long.As the amount of women watching pornography grows,a study by The Sun showed upto 66% in the U.K,so does the rate of male mental health issues.In the U.S alone one million men and boys suffer from an eating disorder.If the pornography industry is really taking over the lives of so many men and women why isn't it being stopped?
Finally, there is a definit connection between porn and violence.The attachment between the two is undeniable,though many people still try to deny it.I think it is impossible to contradict it when there are statisitics like: the percentage of male college students who said they might rape a woman "if they could be assured of getting away with it" was 25 to 30% .That percentage rose to 57% after watching ten hours of rape pornography; 81 percent of serial killers interviewed by the FBI named hard-core porn their "highest sexual interest." ; In 1988 86% of rapist admitted to using pornography frequently and 56 percent of the rapists said they imitated their favorite porn scenes during their crimes. In Oklahoma City 150 pornography shops were closed, and the city's rape rate declined 27 percent over 5 years. Elsewhere in Oklahoma, reported rapes were up 19 percent. And in Phoenix, neighborhoods with a porn shop had 40 percent more property crime and 500 percent more sex offences than neighborhoods without. I think when we have statistics like these, it should be obvious things need to change.
In conclusion if societies views on pornography does not change rape and violence will increase,men and women will find it harder and harder to become intimate and connect, and the mental and physical health of humanity will continue to deteriorate.I believe this change can happen if the problem is brought into the open and discussed as being something that threatens our dignity,health and rights.
