Pornography: A sexual pleasure or sexual exploitation of women - Essay Example

Task Pornography: A Sexual Pleasure or Exploitation of Women Pornography refers to the materials that are designed and created for the purposes of stimulating the sexual excitements and satisfaction of people’s erotic desires. Many forms of media ranging from magazines, books, drawings, movies and video games are used for expressing pornographic ideas (McBain, 2002). The sexual acts are usually recorded to amount to pornography otherwise, they are termed as enabling the performances of the actual act of sex rather than describing it. For the purposes of regulating the pornographic acts, many forms of legislation have been established across various economies to curb the spread of the vice. The industry has grown tremendously with great profits being reaped from the productions currently in the market (Akdeniz, 2007). The Feminism Perspective Debate around Pornography The views of women on issues concerning pornography do actually range from condemnation to embracement of the act (McBain, 2002). It is embraced as a form of expressing female views on sex and condemned due to the violence it instigates against women around the world. The debate has a close relation and it is strongly linked to the acts of prostitution among various groups of women. The issue of pornography among the women has greatly brought about divisions among them concerning those in favor of the act and those against it. There are many women activists such as Robin Morgan and Andrea Dorkin who have led the argument against pornography (McBain, 2002). They argue that the acts are harmful to the welfare of women generally and greatly promote acts of violence against women across the globe. Activists such as Catherine Mackinnon do present the argument that the activities carried out during the production of these materials are demeaning to women. This is in terms of the physical, emotional and fiscal intimidation of the women who participate in such self-degrading acts. This argument has been presented while considering that these materials tend to depict women attaining great satisfaction from their acts. The critics of the acts also argue that these acts are themselves are abusive to women’s nature (Akdeniz, 2007). Many other female activists do argue that women who participate in these acts are either forced or deceived into committing them. This could be through the situations they face in life or their forceful recruitment into the act. For example, the actress Linda Boreman was forcefully incited to act in the movie Deep Throat through being beaten, raped and pimping by her husband who was known as Chuck Traynor (McBain, 2002). The women activists also do present several different ideas concerning how pornography depicts the roles of women in society. Many of them do argue that these acts depict women as being sexual objects, which can be abused and used to satisfy their men’s sexual desires. The arguments they present do tend to suggest that the women play a lesser role in sexual activities and are only objects of sexual satisfaction. Some sexual acts performed on the women such as their anal rape and ejaculation on their faces have been described as inciting the negative attitudes towards women. However, these acts are on the increase in the pornography world with the men being seen to enjoy them. Many other female activists have presented the argument that the pornographic acts do influence violence against women in their societies. The women activist known as Robin Morgan did present the argument that the act of pornography forms the theory part, whereas their performances are justified through rape (McBain, 2002). They have presented the arguments that an increase in sexual violence is fostered by pornographically accepted myths. Examples of these myths include the beliefs fostered that women really want to have sex with their men when they say no to the sexual act. The widespread viewing of child pornography across various economies has also been linked to the growth of sexual violence against children (Akdeniz, 2007). According to Alice Schwarzer, who writes the women’s magazine titled Emma, pornographic materials distort the perceptions we have concerning people's bodies. This is by using artificial organs that are used to give exaggerated expressions of achieving sexual satisfaction. Other activists such as Dines have argued that the production of pornographic materials has enhanced the hatred some people have against women in various countries. Several women activists have been on the forefront of the campaigns encouraging pornography for women (McBain, 2002). They argue that the active participation of women in such acts enhances their sexual freedoms and that those against the acts only hinder and belittle the role of women in sex. However, many of the activists do believe that the acts of censorship in sexual movies only plays the role of silencing the women’s concerns along with their efforts to introduce changes within their societies. The activists have also presented the arguments that legislation established to curb the vice has only been necessary for control the desire for social change by women. Many women actresses such as Sasha Grey have presented the argument that their participation in these acts is out of their own free will (McBain, 2002). They argue that these acts help them in expressing their sexualities more efficiently. The women participating in the acts also reportedly earn more money than their male counterparts do. This has helped them to acquire an equal footing with their male counterparts within the movie industry. Feminism Perspective of Pornography in UK The female activists in the United Kingdom who have been against the pornographic acts have launched several organizations that have helped to control the act. These include the formation of organizations such as the movement for women who are against the act. They also include the formations of women against violence in pornography materials and media. Many women activists in the country such as Nikki and Ann Simonton have been active participants in groups that are against the violence perpetuated on their women (Cebulko, 2007). They have been actively involved in demonstrations and other actions in public that support their views on this issue. The struggles by these women have led the government in the country into adopting several measures to curb the spread of the vice. This involves their adoption of several pieces of legislation controlling the possession and spread of pornographic material. These resulted from the high levels of publicity achieved from the sudden death of Jane Longhurst who was a victim of sexual violence (McBain, 2002). They have also resulted in the banning of pornography among children with the perpetrators of these acts receiving heavy punishments. Feminist activists within the United Kingdom have suggested that the presence of many pornographic materials within their population greatly influences an increase in sex crimes. However. they also argue that the freedoms their women enjoy are greatly spelt out in their participation in the sexual activities. Great opposition to the proponents of these theories on pornography have been brought forward through legislation, religion and feminist views on the issue. The feminists who criticize pornography present the arguments that pornography greatly stimulates the occurrence of rape and harassment in sexual activities the women encounter. The authorities in the country did make possession of pornographic material punishable (Akdeniz, 2007). This was enabled in the year 2009 with the establishment of the act on criminal justice along with immigration. The stipulations of the law are clearly depicted in part five of section three of the act. Feminism Perspective of Pornography in the United States of America The study into possession of pornographic material within the United States was begun by former president Lyndon Johnson. This was after the amendments made to their constitution in the year 1969. It prohibited different states within the nation from making possession of pornographic and abusive material illegal. The feminist activitists within the United States argue from three diverse perspectives, which range from the liberal, academic to the defensive views. Their academic perceptions tend to imply that the act of pornography helps the males to treat their women as mere commodities while exploiting them (Cebulko, 2007). Their liberal perspective on the other hand argues that women have the right to decide what activities to indulge in. This is because they have the rights to use their bodies in the best and appropriate way that ensures their welfare is secure. In their defense of their views on pornography, the female activists within the country argue that the pornographic activities do benefit their women. Other activists in the country such as Mackinnon do view pornography as a sexual offense and claim it does not deserve the protection it gets from the first amendment of their constitution. The liberals have brought forward issues such as confirmatory actions that greatly advocate for the equal treatment of both sexes within their communities. They emphasize that women should be given the freedom to choose the activities they wish to indulge in just like they have been given the liberty to express their ideas (Taylor and Quayle, 2003). In defense to the women participating in pornographic activities, the feminists do argue that their women should be left to decide how best to use their bodies. This should occur along with respect and protection that the state will offer such women. However, despite the defenses given for the involvement of women in pornographic activities, many problems are associated with the issue. They argue that pornography greatly degrades the woman’s status and increases the likelihood of committing violent crimes against women. In conclusion, the defenses offered for women participating in these activities stipulate that women additionally provide vital information from their participation. They argue that women experience several sexual arousal possibilities, get more enlightenment that is sexual and offer some emotional insight into sex. Is Pornography a Sexual Pleasure or Exploitation of Women? Pornography can be considered as an act deriving pleasure for women as well as exploitation of the women participating in the act. The act can be viewed as an act deriving pleasure for the women when considered from a liberal and defensive view. The liberal perception argues that a woman who participates in pornographic activities does so out of her own consent. It also states that it is the right of the woman to decide whether she will participate in the activities, and she should not be denied this right. Their participation in such activities enables them to derive their desired level of satisfaction without infringing on their rights. Their consents should also not be achieved through forceful influences or threats (Cebulko, 2007). It should be their own free will, as this will enhance their chances of achieving greater satisfaction in their actions. The defensive view on the other hand stipulates that women should not be victimized for their participation in pornographic activities. This is because they have the right of deciding how best to use their bodies in enhancing their satisfaction throughout their lives. These views enhance the concept of pornography giving sexual pleasure. This is because it gives the participants greater insights into the emotional and physical aspects of the act while increasing their confidence and satisfaction (McBain, 2002). Pornography can also be viewed as the exploitation of women when considered from an academic angle. This is because many activists present pornographic materials with men treating women as mere objects of achieving their sexual satisfaction. Women are depicted as objects that men use to achieve satisfaction with the latter enjoying the act than their counterparts. Women are exploited for the sexual and financial benefit of the men. According to reports in various media, women pornography actors are more highly paid than their male counterparts are. This is despite the fact that men that control the pornographic industry. Many pieces of legislation have been established for the purposes of empowering the women who are exploited for sexual or fiscal benefits. These laws have allowed women to sue the producers of such materials across many nations around the globe. There are also compensation designs that have been created and adopted across these nations for protecting victims of the vice. For example, the protection act of 1991, adopted in the United States allowed the victims to file for compensation and sue the perpetrators (McBain, 2002). Pornography Regulation in the UK Regulation of pornographic material in the UK has been quite slow with the authorities being slow in adopting constitutional legislation. The region has been relying on an approach of regulating individuals through the adoption of procedures involving noticing and taking down activities. These activities are carried out by the providers of Internet facilities across the nation to ensure that only the appropriate materials are accessed on the Internet. This happened in the year 1996 when the foundation on the Internet watch was established by the providers of Internet. The distribution and selling of obscene materials had been strict before the year 2002 when the rules became more relaxed (Cebulko, 2007). It is not an offense to be found in the possession of images displaying pornographic content in the nation. The nationals can easily access them without breaking the law within the country’s constitution. However, the regions administration greatly prohibits the indulgence of children in pornographic activities. The acts are classified as extreme acts of pornography. From the year 2009, the regime introduced tough laws against adults indulging in pornography and offered prison sentences to the offenders caught. The sentences availed go up to three years for the first time offenders. By the year 2007, the providers of the Internet services were required by the authorities to provide systems that monitored their client’s activities. This move is aimed at controlling and distracting the clients who are caught indulging in the activities (McBain, 2002). The Internet and Pornography The Internet is an interconnected network of worldwide computers that allows many interconnected parties to share information. It is open to all people who can access it and it has been vastly used to spread pornographic material. These are supplied in the form of movies, images, programs, magazines and other additional forms of media. It has also been used to enhance cases of pornography among children and the growth of immoral behaviors among them. This has resulted in different authorities across the world adopting several strategies to aid them in regulating the use of the Internet in their regions. These strategies include constitutional legislation, controls by the state and the law and the regulation of oneself. However, there is no single set of legislation in use for controlling the distribution, selling and ownership of pornographic materials across the Internet. The main areas of concern for many regimes across the world range from regulating and preventing access to these materials by children. They also focus on the implementation of adequate policies that will ensure that an individual participating in pornographic exchanges has achieved the age required by law (McBain, 2002). Regulation of pornographic materials in various countries is being enforced through the imposition of bans to various sites along with their blocking. In addition to the above strategies, the indulgence of children in pornography has also been made illegal in many countries. This has in turn helped in ensuring that the levels of sexual crimes across the globe have reduced. The distribution of pornographic materials across national boundaries to countries that do not have the adequate legislation is also on the increase. This is being carried out by the owners of the pornographic content to ensure that they avoid prosecution. Authorities in several countries such as the United States do send fake links through the Internet giving the impression that they deal with pornographic content (Taylor and Quayle, 2003). This method is used in the detection, raiding and arresting of individuals who visit the sites. This is done through tracking their addresses and their locations to deter others from engaging in similar activities. The efforts by these regimes to curb the issues of Internet pornography have greatly helped decrease the levels of immorality within their communities (McBain, 2002). Evaluation and Conclusion The evaluation of the effects of Internet pornography on the society will be done through a variety of methods. These methods will include preparing questionnaires to evaluate the impacts of Internet pornography on the population and conducting interviews among the populations. The other form of evaluation strategy that will be put to use will be determining the effects of Internet pornography by comparing current and previous behaviors within the societies (Cebulko, 2007). These strategies will be vital for establishing the effects of the vice to the population along with determining how their impacts can be reduced. The evaluation of the impacts of pornography on the populations will be done through a variety of ways to monitor the trends their society is encountering because of using the Internet. This will help to ascertain whether the Internet influences the occurrences of sexual crimes and enhances violence towards women. The evaluation process will also help the respective authorities in determining whether the increase in pornography results from an increase in feminism. Through the control and regulation of pornography, the authorities will be able to determine whether the rise in pornographic materials across on the Internet facilitates the rise of immorality within communities (McBain, 2002). Evaluation of the current practices across the Internet will be important in determining the urgency with which the relevant authorities should formulate and implement strategies to curb the growth of the vice. The strategies developed should enable the authorities to achieve their desired results in the most efficient and cost effective means. In conclusion, the authorities should control the rise in Internet pornography that is currently being witnessed across many different nations. This will solely be for regulating access to the materials by the under age children (Akdeniz, 2007). The children tend to be easily influenced by the contents of such sites and the appropriate measures should be adopted to curb the growth of the vice. Stringent forms of punishment should be administered to the people availing the obscene materials to underage people to deter others from participating in the act. This will aid them in preventing the occurrence of similar activities in the future (McBain, 2002). References Akdeniz, Y. 2007. Internet Child Pornography and the Law, National and International Responses, Ashgate Publishing, London. McBain M. A. 2002. Internet Pornography, Awareness and Prevention, iUniverse, New York. Cebulko S. 2007. The Impact of Internet Pornography on Married Women, a Psychodynamic Perspective, Cambria Press, New York. Taylor M. & Quayle E. 2003. Child Pornography, an Internet Crime, Psychology Press, London. Read More