I Know It When I See It

Porn is a touchy subject, no pun intended... Where is the line between healthy artistic expression and perverted obscenity? As shown in our class discussion, porn is completely subjective to both the creator and viewer. In the spirit of Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, "I know it when I see it" captures this sentiment. No one can create a static definition of what constitutes the visual depiction of sex as pornography.

Religious extremists believe ANY visual portrayal of physical affection constitute pornography--even a simple kiss shown in PG movies is morally repulsive. On the other extreme, some view any porn as artistic expression of a basic element of humanity--sexuality. My personal views fall somewhere in between these two. I don't personally watch pornography and I don't think that people who do are terrible people.

But, I do have a problem with the objectification of a human being in 99.9999% percent of pornographic videos. Whether heterosexual or homosexual pornography, there is a distinct hierarchy of power that creates a distinction between sexual participants: a dominant and a subservient. This unequal power distribution places the dominant individual "in charge" of the sexual encounter and allows them to dictate the sexual experience of the other. In this way, the subservient participant adopts an inferior sexual role; an objectification that deems he/she as "less human." While viewers of porn may be unaware of this distortion of power, the act of watching the pornography subconsciously introduces this binary of superior/inferior into their mental ideology. Over time, this continued exposure desensitizes the viewer and they may display similar behavior in the real life. This possible realization of sexual objectification that is induced by pornography raises complicated questions about its relationship with violence and sexual crimes.

While porn isn't the root of rape and sexual violence in this country, it certainly isn't helping to eradicate the underlying issue of gender equality and human supremacy. Yes, it may be liberating and satisfying to some individuals. But, do these fleeting benefits of this institution outweigh the perpetuation of these corrupt ideologies and its potentially violent repercussions?