Introduction
Pornography is a form of entertainment meant to raise sexual emotions. Pornography has exploded sporadically from humble period of nude cards, stag films to being viewed almost as a normal thing in the society. Recently, pornography has become a very controversial socio-political issue.
It has sparked debate among various groups. Much has been established on the issue including attitudes towards sexually and explicit materials among the youth. Findings from the investigations endorse their perspective that pornographic materials have both harmful and positive effects.
However, the majority view them as harmful, thus supporting pornography restriction. Additionally, the studies show that men watch pornography at a higher rate and hold a more favorable opinion towards the materials as compared to women, thus it points out that gender role has an influence on the attitudes toward pornography (Lottes et al., 1993).
This paper provides you with a deep insight into the issues related to pornography including the factors leading to wide spread of this, the various perspective and attitudes towards the matter, and lastly, discuss its various impacts in the society.
Factors facilitating the wide spread of Pornography
The introduction of Internet has made pornography more invasive because the world wide web is full of pornographic materials. This has increased the number of individual’s watching pornography. The websites lure individuals who would otherwise not have viewed them, thus increasing the number of addicts.
The rate of those who access pornographic materials on the internet per second is estimated to be over twenty eight thousand users. The number of pornographic websites is approximated to be more than 4.2 million.
As researchers have discussed, the accessibility, affordability and anonymity are the three factors that have facilitated the rapid increase of pornographic addiction. These factors are often termed as the Triple A engine.
The pornographic materials are accessible in that millions of such websites are available 24/7. The prices are kept low, and sometimes, these sites are free making it even more affordable. Anonymity also contributes to the spread of this issue as the communication is held confidential and anonymous in those websites.
Therefore, the individual feels free in his actions since there is a reduced ability to look for judgment in facial expression as it were in face to face interactions. These are the major factors that lead to sexual compulsivity and psychological disorders (Tarver, 2010).
Perspective and Attitudes towards Pornography
There are four major perspectives towards pornography. These include the liberal, religious conservative, anticensorship feminist and anti-pornography feminist. The liberal perspective argues that there is no sound evidence that links pornography to harm in the society.
Whilst pornography may be offensive to the others, to some, it gives harmless pleasures. They reject those opinions that pornography degrades woman or undermines the traditional moral values of the society. The religious conservatives view pornography as a threat to the family values. Arguably, it encourages couples to engage in sexual activities outside their marriages.
They emphasize the harm for children and the erosion of the moral fabric of the family and society at large. The anti-pornography feminists endorse strongly the fact that it highly violates women’s personal rights. They state that it is a form of sexual discrimination which hinders women’s opportunities for equality.
Anticensorship feminists reject anti-pornography feminist opinions arguing that pornography is in no way the cause of inequality. They say being against it downplays the sexism issues. They believe that open discussions and the presentation of the diverse sexual practices benefit the society by inferring the sexual freedom (White & Kimball, 2009).
Opponents of Pornographic Materials (negative)
Clearly, pornography addiction is a real problem in the society. Research estimates show that about $3075.64 is spent on pornography every second. Another study conducted shows that 47% of Christians admit that it is a major problem of the families with 53% of men seeking for help to fight that addiction.
This implies that the number of marriages failing due to pornography addiction is skyrocketing. To be precise, about 68% of divorce cases have one party involved in pornography, in 56%, one party is excessively obsessed in pornographic websites, and 33% are involved in the chat room, such as cybersex.
In 2004 and 2005, the U.S. hearings of the panel agree on this note arguing that the Internet pornography has really affected the couples, families and individuals of varying ages (Diamond, 2009).
Furthermore, pornography has led to many young people being addicted to it, and this has influenced their relationship with their friends in a negative manner. This addiction has adverse on the nation’s economic and social responsibilities of the families, co-workers and the community at large.
Other studies show a proportional relation between pornographic addiction and violence inflicted on women, men and children. Future studies are focused on establishing the neurological role of pornography addiction to give a sound grounds and proofs to affirm decisions on the role of pornography addiction in breaking families.
As research shows, the moment of sexual release causes the secretion of natural occurring chemicals to be released in the brain. The individual becomes addicted to the opiods just as heroin. The user becomes addicted to the feeling and pleasures induced by the drug.
This explains why the addicted individual sometimes requires a more extreme form of pornographic materials to achieve the same level of pleasures with a lapse of time. As they become more and more used to the expressions, they require more explicit view in order to reach sexual arousal (Young, 2008).
Pornographic addiction results in emotional problems. It causes cravings just as those caused by cigarette and liquor. The addicts also admit that there is a difference between online and offline emotions. This renders them to suffer low self-esteem.
Additionally, they become introverts and suffer from depression, and damaged relations. They isolate themselves from society, and their career productivity is decreased which is translated to financial crisis. Sometimes, their behavior is associated with anxiety, guilt, self-blame and potential legal problems.
They become lonely, and restless, and only internet use makes them feel better. Internet sex offers many themes to a fantasy world to develop where there are a lot of people interested in the individual.
As the addiction continues to grow, the individuals become more immersed in this world which makes them change their views of the strangers as mere friends and partners to a more real than an actual spouse or family member (Boyle, 2011).
Another feature commonly not tolerated by the community is pornographic materials where youths and kids are involved as actors, participants or a part of viewers. Additionally, there is an increased exploitation in the industry, especially to the young girls.
These kids barely know what is comfortable and what is not. Some of the scenes have physical impact on the bodies of the participants. Any act in the pornography can be damaging, especially if performed repeatedly or for a long period.
Sometimes, the positions designated for visibility are of no comfort and can cause injuries. In some cases, the acts come with no protection, and the individual is at risk of contracting diseases, such as STI and AIDS.
Physical abuse is very common in bestiality. Individual’s private parts become pretty badly cut up due to the untrimmed, unclean claws pawing on their body (Young, 2008).
It has also been established that most of the pornographic addicted have distorted attitudes and perceptions of the sexual matters. Men who are addicted tolerate abnormal sexual behaviors, such as sexual aggression, promiscuity and rape.
Additionally, they view women and children as sex objects and commodities to fulfill their sexual pleasures. Therefore, pornography materials have negative influence on the society because they are a part of the industry that exploits participants, whether male or female, by displaying degrading positions and treatment of the participants.
Secondly, it leads to break down of traditional societal morals through its offensive and disturbing acts. These acts have been linked to the increased sexual violence, such as rape in the US and all over the world.
Studies show that majority of addicts who have been convicted of Internet based sexual offenses had committed a real life sexual abuse of the children to an average of over thirteen different child sex abuses (Tarver, 2010).
Therefore, pornography contributes to the development of unhealthy anxiety in imagination and conduct. This interferes with the individual’s moral growth and his/her ability to sustain healthy and mature relationships especially in marriage and family life.
Family is the only place where one can find a mutual trust and moral integrity. Pornography mitigates the individual from experiencing a true human sexual expression by making him or her to have frenzied search for personal pleasure and gratification rather than enjoy the real expression of enduring love in the marriage and family.
It distorts the individuals’ value of having normal relationship through distorted perceptions about sexuality. It also increases the level of withstanding other bizarre types of pornography. The result is a decreased sexual satisfaction with the partner performance, affection or morphology.
This raises doubts in the marriage, eroding the foundation and the stability of the family and society at large. The greatest effect of pornography addiction in marriages is the loss of trust. Viewing pornographic materials is seen as infidelity and dishonesty contributing to a larger part of distrust.
Most individuals, especially the married couple, tend to keep their computer pornography private. Since pornography involves intimate relationships and sexuality, it is very disruptive and destructive thing to the marriage secure attachments. This kind of consumption increases the level of marital infidelity rate to a more than 30% (Voros, 2010).
Clearly, pornography erodes the warmth of the family affection through the traumatizing moments that the kid can accidently see, such as seeing a parent masturbate, encountering a hidden pornographic material, magazines, films, and internet sites or arising other conflicts in the family facilitated by these acts.
Sometimes, it may also lead to reduced parental attention and family time spent together, and in extreme cases, cause a job loss and financial strain to the parents. Also, there is an increased risk of the child becoming consumers of pornography themselves.
It creates distress amongst them especially when they see their parents fight as this creates a stressful environment at home. The situation can worsen especially in cases where there are risks of parents divorcing or separating. It also exposes the kid to develop a different perception of human beings, such as viewing women as sex objects.
As discussed above, pornographic addictions lead to an increased desire for abnormal and bizarre activities for perverted stimulation. It causes the addict to turn to child pornography. This leads to the increase in pedophilia.
Studies show that children from families where parents are pornographic addicts have feeling that they are lusted especially by their fathers. This makes them suffer from insecurity and fear making the home a nightmare rather than a safe heaven (Twohig et al., 2009).
Proponents of pornographic materials (positive)
Arguably, those who watch pornographic materials offer others a chance to express their fantasies which gives them pleasure. They claim that pornographic materials give a positive displacement activity for sexual aggression. Others say that it actually empowers women by loosening their shackles of social prudery or other antisocial restrictions.
They argue that pornographic materials help individuals improve their sex relations among adults by offering a bottled-up sexual masturbation pleasures. It is also a good teacher to people on sexual techniques giving the individuals positive affects that they otherwise would lack.
Therefore, they argue that they should be made available to adults and young youths. They say being against it downplays the sexism issues. They believe that open discussions and presentation of the diverse sexual practices benefit the society by inferring sexual freedom (Tarver, 2010).
In some cases, it has been reported that there is a steadily decrease of rape incidences amongst countries, such as Japan, that have legalized the sale of pornographic materials. It is clear that Internet pornographic has gone a notch higher and has been made available to almost everybody and almost freely, and this seems to benefit the society somehow.
For instance, the number of rape cases reported in Japan decreased from 33% in 1972 to 18% in 1995. During the same period, the rate of sexual assaults and violence also decreased significantly (Diamond, 2009). Studies done in China, Czech Republic, and the US show a decrease in rape as pornography became increasingly available (Voros, 2009).
Conclusion
Statistics reveals that the pornography industry annual income is approximately $57 billion in the world with the $12 billion in the US (Lewis, 2007). This indicates that the revenue is larger than all combined revenues of other professions.
The investigations show further that the 4.2 million pornographic Web sites obtain 372 million hits on daily basis. The sites are said to be the cocaine crack in the internet. Research shows a wide range of negative consequences for pornographic viewers.
Evidently, pornography degrades women and undermines the traditional moral values of the society. It is a threat to the families. Arguably, it encourages couples to engage in sexual activities outside the wedlock.
Additionally, it creates more harm to children and erodes the moral fabric of the family and society at large. Pornography highly violates women’s personal rights. It is a form of sexual discrimination which hinders women’s opportunities for equality.
Pornography involves intimate relationships and sexuality; it is very disruptive and destructive thing to the marriage secure attachments. It increases the level of marital infidelity rate to more than 30%. This erodes the warmth of the family affection.
References
Boyle, K. (2011). Producing abuse: Selling the harms of pornography. Women’s Studies International Forum, 34(1), 593-602.
Diamond, M. (2009). Pornography, public acceptance and sex related crime: A review. International Journal of law and psychiatry, 32(1), 304-314.
Lewis, A. (2007). Extent and Cause of the Problem. Web.
Lottes, I. et al. (1993). Reactions to pornography on a college campus. Sex Roles, 29(1), 1.
Tarver, M. (2010). The effects of pornography addiction on Marital Consent. Studia Canonica, 44(2), 343-368.
Twohig et al. (2009). Viewing internet pornography: For whom is it problematic, How and why? Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity, 16(1), 253-266.
Voros, F. (2009). The invention of addiction to pornography. Sexologies, 18(1), 243-246.
White, M., & Kimball, T. (2009). Attributes of Christian couples with sexual Addiction to internet Pornography. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 28(4), 350-359.
Young, K. (2008). Internet Sex Addiction: Risk factors, stages of development, and treatment. American Behavioral Scientist, 52(21), 1. Web.