Tolerance of Pornography in Society
Introduction and opposing viewpoints
Pornography is broadly defined as “any form of explicit representation of the human body or sexual activity with the goal of sexual arousal and/or sexual relief.” It takes form in all sorts of media, including movies, magazines, literature, and artistic representations by which it has made its way into the homes of over 221 million Americans today. It can be professional, amateur, or voyeuristic in nature. The issue of pornography acceptance in society is somewhat based on personal opinion. A large number of Americans enjoy porn and form part of the $100 billion market, whereas others find pornography distasteful and avoid it. Amongst those who enjoy pornography lie many genre preferences of pornography, from anal creampies and bukkakes to illegal forms of pornography such as child and zoophilia-oriented porn. Amongst those with a personal distaste for pornography is the heavy outcry from obscene feminist movements and other critics who favor censorship and claim that pornography is the epitome of society’s moral deterioration by ruining relationships, lives ("pornography addiction"), exploiting women, and worsening perversions.
This is not an essay about the benefits of pornography for the individual per se. This is not an essay attempting to persuade you, the reader, to watch or enjoy pornography. The aim of this essay is to call for tolerance of pornography in society because, I believe, it has enormous benefits for society as a whole -- particularly in a society which values the freedom of expression. I will attempt to debunk the most common, unevidenced myths against pornography, and will discuss how the tolerance of pornography by those who do not watch pornography, and how the availability of pornography for those who do watch pornography, benefits us all.
Claim: Porn leads to an increase in sex crimes.
Evidence suggests that the increased availability of porn (i.e. the growth of the internet of which there are
Pornography is broadly defined as “any form of explicit representation of the human body or sexual activity with the goal of sexual arousal and/or sexual relief.” It takes form in all sorts of media, including movies, magazines, literature, and artistic representations by which it has made its way into the homes of over 221 million Americans today. It can be professional, amateur, or voyeuristic in nature. The issue of pornography acceptance in society is somewhat based on personal opinion. A large number of Americans enjoy porn and form part of the $100 billion market, whereas others find pornography distasteful and avoid it. Amongst those who enjoy pornography lie many genre preferences of pornography, from anal creampies and bukkakes to illegal forms of pornography such as child and zoophilia-oriented porn. Amongst those with a personal distaste for pornography is the heavy outcry from obscene feminist movements and other critics who favor censorship and claim that pornography is the epitome of society’s moral deterioration by ruining relationships, lives ("pornography addiction"), exploiting women, and worsening perversions.
This is not an essay about the benefits of pornography for the individual per se. This is not an essay attempting to persuade you, the reader, to watch or enjoy pornography. The aim of this essay is to call for tolerance of pornography in society because, I believe, it has enormous benefits for society as a whole -- particularly in a society which values the freedom of expression. I will attempt to debunk the most common, unevidenced myths against pornography, and will discuss how the tolerance of pornography by those who do not watch pornography, and how the availability of pornography for those who do watch pornography, benefits us all.
Claim: Porn leads to an increase in sex crimes.
Evidence suggests that the increased availability of porn (i.e. the growth of the internet of which there are