Pornographic content

Pornography

            Pornography had for a long time remained an issue in the sub-category of the obscene for it was considered intellectually and morally unfit in interpreting it even by defining it. For those scholars who dealt with pornography had their works viewed as a form of “anti-art or anti-literature”, and because of this reason many scholars did not dwell on pornography because it was seen as topic unworthy of attention in the academic fraternity. However, this did not stop pornography permeating the society where today is witnessed to have had great influence in the lives of many people. In many cases the penetration of pornography has not been censored leading to the untargeted group like the minor being caught up in the middle (Munoz, 2009). Whenever the issues of pornography political and cultural aspects are revisited in society where many critics argue on it as a cultural discourse while others base their facts on politics. In the last three decades or so, however, scholars have indeed succeeded in challenging the notion that scholarly inquiry and pornography are incompatible. Many critics have in fact taken the condemnatory stance on pornography while others have opted on the interpretation of pornography in the argument that people understand it better thus demystifying it. On the consumer’s perspective not much significance is attached to itself but only used as an aid for sexual interaction between partners and it is later forgotten. Arguably, pornography regardless of the socio-political issues, it has permeated indiscriminately in the contemporary societies at an alarming rate which to the moralists has its consequences to the people and their virtues which have been upheld (Cameron & Frazer, 2000).

            According to Brown (2000), pornography has been interpreted as form of pleasure seeking at the moment of the consumer whereby many interpret it in masturbation. Pornography is judged according to the contentwise like other genres like novels or drama. The debate of pornography revolves around the ethical implications in the society in our nature of moral evaluation on the negative consequences. Consumption of pornography in modern society is characterized by its endless nature which has turned the people in the endless pervasion. Pornography has been to many people a kind of addition rather than the kind of fulfillment which is the aim in indulging in it. Dworkin (1991) points out that pornography have been argued not only to affect the cultural values that a society upholds but also its tendency to steer the people away from the political realms and thus forget the objectives of changing the society to a better place. Pornography has many a times been equated to advertising which is intended in making a good impression when the mire truth is that it may be a lie. Therefore, pornography may be intended on making a good impression thus in that ecstasy, people suspend their relation to the real world – or to be more specific suspending our relation to the mundane dimension of the society in order to enjoy the imaginary pleasures. At the time when the mind is pre-occupied with the imaginary pleasures the production capacity is low which translates to not being able to work searching for the fulfillment of the pleasures (Nordic Gender Institute, n.d).

            In the views of Jensen (2007) pornographic discourses just like the commercial media discourses set out to portray reality or the actual events to ultimately depict actuality. Looking closely, however, this reality becomes an elusive mirage because it turns out to be dubious. In pornography, the actors flicks undoubtedly do have sex, but they exaggerate it misrepresenting what happens outside the porn shoot-out because it is never what people outside porn have sex. The texts also poignant with pornography may be about things which really happened but the mode of presentations do not deal with real social events, but with pseudo-incidents directly tied to what happened. In this aspect, pornography “cheats” people because it captures the people’s desire for reality that is substituted for the real thing. We can not live in our memories of the good imaginations but rather it would be more suitable to face the reality (O’toole, 1997). The cultural approach to pornography has always been shriveled for it does not take the complex form of porn. Fantasy has been part of our culture because they is the lack of pressing everyday concerns reinforcing reality which means much time is spend when we are engaged in fantasy than in other pursuits. Pornography indeed perpetuates fantasy which is why more emphatic policies should be put in place as the society grasps with the reality of reinforcing moral values which will oust pornography (Nordic Gender Institute, n.d).  

According to Ullen (2009), pornography indeed gives us the impression of pleasures which in reality we may not achieve as per the standards set in something that may psyche us as freaks in life loosing the fighting spirit. The notion of living in hyperreality is rather noxious for it points to the constructed social space which translates to a living lie. Pornography actually clouds our mind eyes on reality rather than unveiling the constructed social space and usher in the possibility of understanding the world in the terms of true and false. Cameron & Frazer, (2000) argue that the ideological nature of pornography is enhancing stereotypes where the point of view is quite different from what we encounter in reality. When it becomes apparent that interpreting the ideology presented is invisible then we may end up representing the potential risks involved. The pleasure principle negates hard work as the mind pursues pleasures while our productivity is definitely affected, and the detriment of such false ideology eats away the cultural values of hard work and self reliance to a society full of idlers. Therefore taking the politics of pornography in society and demystifying its consequences to the people help define the relation between fiction and reality and help the society take the bold step in condemning the access of porn literature to those who can not decipher negative impacts (Jensen, 2007).

            Today, pornography has moved from the private spaces and swung into the public spaces at alarming rate which has been attributed to the in vogue of the internet, home video and the CD-ROMS. It has proved very difficult to return porn into private spaces and the debate by the anti-porn activists still continues to gather momentum. Even though pornographic materials have been less visible in streets and other public places information about its cultural status still emerges as a force that affects the society at large (Lane III, 2001). The internet has come all the way to our bedrooms which means even the minors can lock themselves behind those doors and access the pornographic materials to no end. Whether it is to blame or not for the moral degradation in the contemporary society is a subject of debate. The young people are adventurous and without knowing are lure in porn where they realize their folly when it is beyond their turning back. They take the fantasies at face value and indulgingly fail in the insight to pornography. It is the time the society stamps out with authority this dehumanizing practice which is morally corrupting our young generation. Ironically, what continues to baffle many people lies in the freedom rights preservation and the dilemma of protecting our vulnerable children and women something which remains a contentious debate (Munoz, 2009).

            Pornography whatever the purposes and motives bring out the dehumanization or the graphic subordination of women which point to some of the social ills we can firmly accuse of causing. Even when the feminists have gallantly fought against subordination of women, pornography waters down such efforts portraying women as objects to be desire not as equals - stereotypes. Pornography by extension also presents exploitation where many people indulge it not because they want but because they are in the need to make some money. This trickle down to gender inequalities which we should not be tolerate in the twenty-first century (Purcell, 2009).

            In conclusion, pornography is among the social ills that affect our society in one way or the other. To other people porn may be a political right but to me it remains a cultural vice when its access to the minors is unrestricted. Pornography proliferation and its effects in a society bring different perceptions No matter the freedom rights the minors may have; their young minds remain susceptible to wrong interpretations for their minds are still unable to make knowledgeable decisions concerning pornographic literature. Although pornography may be a form of pleasure fulfillment, its interpretation in reality may bring disillusionment because of presenting unachievable actuality. The argument that pornographic literature socializes people on sexual culture is subject to debate for the content and the targeted groups matters a great deal. It is therefore imperative to control the access of these materials least they land to the untargeted masses.