The Pornography - Essay Example

Is Pornography Harmful: A Sociology Research Paper Is Pornography Harmful: A Sociological Research Paper code) (Date Submitted) Is Pornography Harmful? Abstract Pornography has been a long time debate among sectors of the society. Some claim it is a menace to the society, others reiterate it plays a part to break monotony in the society. This argumentative research paper tries to present a discourse on both sides of the debate. Of particular concern is the question if pornography is harmful. The study had dissected the reasons of both liberal minded and conservative groups on their stand regarding the harm of pornography to include some related literature to support each argument. Included in the argument of the liberal minded groups are the reasons pointing pornography as not harmful instead it displays the beauty of art and as a choice while conservative groups included discussion on the harm pornography can bring to children and women. Introduction The term pornography alone seems to be as controversial as its meaning since it is defined in many ways. To have a consensus of what pornography is, it is describe as a media material that involves visual, verbal images, organs, and depiction of behavior relating to sex that may intensify sexual urge. For the past several years, pornography has been observed to have proliferated not only in reading materials but more especially on websites. For every second, there are 28,258 users online with 372 of them looking for terms related to adult search (http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com). It brought a new opportunity for business enthusiasts to create pornographic videos in matters of minutes because of the income it can yield in seconds. However, the magnitude of pornography had created varied reactions. Liberal minded people consider it as a form of art, and a choice however conservative groups look at it as harmful owing to what it can do to children and women. Review of Related Literature Arguments Refuting that Pornography is Harmful Everyday, we hear people complain of the nude scenes and photographs posted in the internet but to artists, those visual images of organs and photos of men and women are a form of art. Artists claim that nudity is an expression and communication of their feelings but not to offend nor harm other people. To them, their work of art becomes harmful only when the viewers attest lust in it when it is their intention to display beauty and wonder. This might be the reason why artists employed nudity in their visual arts during the Renaissance period. Until today, schools of art cannot do away with nude photographs owing to the beauty it portrays. This notion is supported with the article entitled “Nudity: art or pornography” (2011) where it mentioned that it is difficult to find school these days not offering nude model to refer to for their students. It further stated that warriors train without clothes to display their muscles believed to depict heroic, divine, and athleticism. In addition, the article claims that the erect penis demonstrate manhood as it shows a powerful magic of elated man. Written materials like Kama Sutra are purposely for sexual experience alone and not for obscenity. All of these make nudity an art and not in any way harmful to viewers. Liberal minded people still implied that pornography is a choice and in no way harmful to anyone involved. Everyone is free to make her own fate (Raven, 2011). If a woman posed nude, it is because she agreed to do it. Actresses and actors of pornographic magazines and sites voluntarily submit themselves. It might not be the best choice but the individual involved is making a choice on what she wants to do with her life. It might be the only option for the person to earn a living to survive a family. According to a functionalist perspective, this form of job occurs in the society to signal the inadequacy of the government to provide jobs for those who do not have too much choice. In addition, the presence pornography functions to serve those whose sexual needs are not met within their marriage or other socially acceptable means (Schaefer, 2011). In an article “Feminist perspectives on pornography” (1996), it also illustrated how people involving their selves in a live sexual acts have chosen to do so as they claim they are not children anymore but adults who can take care of themselves. Along this line, curtailing people of what they want to do with their life is a greater evil as one of their rights is violated which is more harmful. Again, pornographic pictures and scenes become harmful if it is exploited, degraded, and violated by the pornographic industry. It is known that pornographic pictures are in great demand by people with evil purposes misusing them and the intention is undermined. Arguments Agreeing that Pornography is Harmful Conservative groups hold on to the notion that pornography is harmful. This is especially so in children and women. Such concept is obvious in an all out campaign by the authorities in most countries to confiscate pornographic materials sold either legally or illegally. Supporting the policemen in their quest to stop pornography is the effort of the internet companies trying to block inappropriate materials from children to shield them from viewing. The forbidding of the accessibility of pornography is also observed in South Africa. In the study of Roux (2010), she revealed that parents are hesitant to let their children participate in a research study regarding the effect of pornography on children. Roux further indicated that even the government of South Africa believes that children’s exposure to pornography is alarming. Considering the developmental stage of children, it would be very easy for them to be influenced with behavior they see around them since they do not possess yet the mature way of thinking to sort out inappropriate behaviors. Along this line, Bandura affirms that children learn through observation of what their environment presents them and imitate such behavior (Santhrock & Yussen, 1984). For instance, if children are allowed to watch pornography on television and internet, it is likely that they may involve themselves in sexual activities at an early age. The effect of pornography on children is similar to the influence violent movies and news has on them. Thus, an exposure to an unhealthy environment to include pornography results to dysfunctional sexual orientation. Another reason why anti pornography group reiterate that pornography is harmful is what it can do to women. It results to physical abuse where men may inflict physical harm. On interview of some sex workers, it was found out that men are aggressive with pornography and could ignore the sexual capacity of women to enjoy sex too. In general, men only pay attention to their sexual desire without consideration if the sex worker involved feels pain. In addition, it was also uncovered that men may go beyond sexual satisfaction to do other things. One sex worker disclosed that some of her customers went beyond the limit of vaginal sex to include fingering of anal opening even if it is off limit as agreed. This only proves that women are perceived as sexual object without giving regard to their feelings and could be manipulated as they wish. More than this, men become aggressive when they observe pleasure from their partner whether the response is true or fake. Such act may motivate men to be more aggressive which pose more harm to women. This may set a cultural norm for its acceptance and could be practiced to harm more women. It may even lead to the likelihood for men to rape (Malamuth & Stein, 1984). Another physical harm is the danger of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. There are about 22 porn stars positive for HIV alone in 2004 and it is predicted to increase for the coming years ( www.mankinirevolution.com). As long as pornography is here to stay, more women and men would be afflicted with different STD’s. Not only physical harm result from pornography but it also affect the values and attitude of women. Altstedter (2011) in his report pointed out that women become submissive to men. With the training they get from the porn industry, they learn to submit to male domination and authority to accept spanking, hair pulling, whipping and other form of punishments. Along this line, women view sex as meaningless with its sanctity and value gone. Implication The problem of pornography is not an individual issue alone but had created division among sectors of the society. Some group says it should not be tolerated since it is physically and emotionally harmful, interferes with values formation and distorts attitude. However, some proposes that nudity should be viewed in a different angle to consider it as an art and a choice. One obvious problem facing nudity online is the lack of regulation on the part of internet industry. Studies reveal that the unregulated posting of adult images is among the reasons why nudity turns into obscenity. Although there is clear evidence that pornography is harmful, it does not justify the censorship of it all. Recommendations Since internet is used by many regardless of age and as many times the user wants, it appears that the best solution to the problem of pornography would be to regulate the internet companies who are marketing sex and nude commodities (Schaefer, 2006). This may reduce the risk of performers from contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Likewise, it may also modify aggressive pornography reducing the behavior of men attached to it. It is known that whatever the behavior of men holds towards women in pornographic picture is true to all. With legislations to permit adults only to access pornographic materials would block children from images catered for adults only rather than having it readily accessible (Chapman, 2011). Conclusion Answering the question of whether pornography is harmful seems to be elusive to most. However, the best solution after considering the arguments of both the liberal minded group and conservative sectors would be the regulation of the internet, guidance from parents, and the responsibility to exercise sound judgment. After all, the use of internet is irresistible and what it can do to individual is too great to ignore. Work Cited Page Altstedter, A., (2011). Pornography detrimental to societal values, summit hears imagery of submission reduces to simply gratifying men. The Ottawa citizen. P. 3. Chapman, J., ( 2011). Internet firms will be forced to protect children from online porn. Daily mail. P. 35. Feminists Perspectives on Pornography. ( 1996). Discussion archive. Retrieved from http://caae.phil.cmu.edu/cavalier/Forum/pornography/archive/prochoice.html. on July 9, 20110. Malamuth, N.M., & Stein, D., ( 1984). Book review of pornography and sexual aggression. Academic press. Retrieved from www. Web.ebscohost.com. on July 8, 2011. Nudity: Art or pornography. (2011). 123helpMe.com. Retrieved from http//.www.123helpme.com/view.asp. on July 9, 2011. Raven, C., (2011). For most women, free choice is still something we can only dream of. The Independent. p 33. Roux, E., (2010). Pornography: Human right or human right violation. Theological studies. Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com.library.gcu.edu:2048. On July 9, 2011. Santrock, J., & Yussen, S., (1984). Children and adolescents: A developmental perspective. Brown publishers. Dubuque. Iowa. Schaefer, R., Sociology. (2006). New York. McGraw-Hill companies. Read More