Lecture 14 - Pornography Flashcards
(27 cards)
What is pornography?
Visual depictions intended to sexually arouse the viewer, such as still photos, magazines, adult cable television channels, or VHS movies. Today, pornography is more likely to mean online video; and, in the future, technological changes may again shift how these visual depictions are delivered to the consumer.
- ‘The Pornography Industry’ in The Pornography. Industry: What Everyone Needs to Know
- One person’s pornography is hate speech of another person and a movie for a third. Everyone defines it differently.
- It is so highly debated
How has the definition of pornography changed over time?
Today, it is more likely to mean online video, and future technological changes may shift how visual depictions are delivered.
What are some aspects that pornography provides a glimpse into?
- Historical and contemporary morés
- Fashion
- Politics
- Trends
- Freedom of expression
What are the two main categories of the pornography industry?
- Mainstream porn and Independent (indie) porn
- They differ in a) how the content is made and distributed and (b) what kind of content is featured
What challenges exist in determining the size of the pornography industry?
No official records are kept, and few studies have attempted to analyze the economics of porn.
- Hard to determine the worth of the industry.
- In January 2015, CNBC reported that the adult entertainment business is a $14 billion-a-year industry
- Melissa Harris-Perry reported on a 2015 episode of her MSNBC news show that revenue from the porn industry is between $5 and $12 billion.
- Ponography has always existed…one would argue
What was the estimated revenue of the adult entertainment business reported in January 2015?
$14 billion-a-year industry
What functionalist view exists on pornography?
It teaches and educates about sex, helps release sexual urges (catharsis), and can reduce sexual frustrations.
- Teaches and educates people about sex: we dont talk about it so someone has to leanr how to do it one way or the other
- Helps releasing sexual urges (catharsis) and reducing sexual frustrations (reducing sexual assault)
- We marry to have stable sex lives
- Helps in maintaining marriages (less infidelity?)
- Provides many people with a good leaving (generates a lot of money)
- Only dark regimes outlaw porn
- Porn is fictional enjoyable entertainment (it is a figment of imagination so it doesn’t have impact on real life, in itself it is harmless → no victims)
What role does pornography play in marriages according to the functionalist view?
It helps maintain marriages and may reduce infidelity.
What is a common argument made regarding pornography and its societal impact?
Porn is fictional enjoyable entertainment and is considered harmless in itself.
How is female sexuality viewed in the context of oppression and liberation?
It is manipulated by taboo, glorification, and degradation.
What is the radical feminist position on sexuality?
Sexuality in a male-dominated society involves danger and perpetuates violence against women.
* Sexuality is an arena both of oppressive inequality and of constructive struggles towards women’s liberation.
* De-constructing “the sexual” sexuality, gender, and reproduction need not be fused
What do radical feminists argue about male domination and female sexuality?
Male domination shapes female sexuality and solidifies male violence.
Second Wave Feminism - Position 1
- Position I: Danger (Radical Feminists)
- Sexuality in a male-dominated society involves danger
- Sexual practices perpetuate violence against women
- Male domination shapes female sexuality through
- Practices, such as rape.
- Beliefs, such as the primacy of the vaginal orgasm
What is the ‘pro-sex’ feminism perspective on sexuality? Position II
Sexuality is potentially liberating and can be joyful through the exchange of pleasure between consenting partners.
What is the perspective that sexuality is always repressive towards women?
Susan reich - we have women have been socialized to accept sexuality and oppression
Male: subjects and masters, women: slaves and objects
* Solidifies male violence
* We need to develop concern with our own sexual benefits.
* We cannot have a fully consenting relationship when women are opressed by men
why is sex dangerous for women?
Sex is dangerous for women; we either need to step away from it completely or for it to be completely reciprocal.
Second wave feminist- position 2 (pro sex feminism)
Sexuality is potentially liberating
* Liberate sex, it can be joyful
* Exchange of pleasure between consenting partners
* Position of Ellen Willis
What was the purpose of the Dworkin-MacKinnon Ordinance?
To allow women harmed by pornography to seek damages through lawsuits in civil courts.
Sexual freedom requires the sexual equality of partners and their equal respect for one another –> Dworkin, MacKinnon,Rich
What does the statement ‘Pornography is the theory, and rape is the practice’ imply?
It suggests that pornography contributes to a culture that normalizes and perpetuates sexual violence.
Censorship is repressive?
- Pornography is potentially liberating.
- People try to build erotic communities and pornography is part of dissemination of knowledge and learning
- Censorship is always repressive
- Base of the institution being repressive towards women
What are some negative consequences of pornography consumption?
- Distorted view of bodies
- Fueling sex trafficking
- Child pornography
- Reinforcement of sexual and cultural stereotypes
What do advocates of sexual freedom argue is necessary for true sexual freedom?
Sexual equality of partners and mutual respect.
Dworkin-MacKinnon Ordinance
- Pornography as a violation of women’s civil rights
- To allow women harmed by pornography to seek damages through lawsuits in civil courts
- Violation the freedom of speech protections of the First Amendment
- Consumption of pornography is another cause of rape and violence against women.
- The production of pornography entails physical, psychological, and/or economic coercion
- Pornography eroticizes the domination of women and reinforces sexual and cultural stereotypes
- Consumption of pornography is a cause of rape and other forms of violence
Pornography gives a distorted view of men and women’s bodies, as well as the actual sexual act. - It fuels sex trafficking and child pornography.
What are the characteristics of amateur porn as described in the text?
- No script
- Regular girls being portrayed as real
- Often marketed through social media like Twitter
