Contemporary speakers Gary Wilson and Ran Gavrieli during TEDx talks and Noam Chomsky during an interview offer a position on pornography that is likely unpopular for the male culture “at large” but supported by the feminist movement (Chomsky, 2008; Gaverieli, 2013; Wilson, 2012). The men share similar sentiments concerning how pornography reflects patriarchal ideas regarding the roles of women and men. Gavrieli refers to pornography as “filmed prostitution,” emphasizing the subordinate position of women and domination of men (2013). According to Gavrieli, those in positions of power in the porn industry deem whatever men find arousing to be “sexual” (2013). Noam Chomsky easily defines pornography as the “humiliation and degradation of …show more content…
The speakers would agree that this couldn’t be further from the truth. Gary Wilson notes it has been seen that males are most aroused by “new” women, or ones they haven’t seen before, in pornography (2012). This readily available novelty contradicts ideas of monogamy that are encouraged in traditional American society. The unnatural nature of pornography includes depicting encounters that are anything but intimate, including “hands free” sexual activity (Gavireli, 2013). The results of this might be that the viewer doesn’t expect or desire sexual activity that includes the touching of body parts beyond genital-to-genital contact. Pornography portrays women as sexual objects, not sexual subjects, meaning that instead of having a sense of power, women are passive recipients of sexual activity (Ryle, 2015). This contributes more to the patriarchal ideas of society, as previously …show more content…
Whether or not the author “agrees” with these arguments is yet to be determined, as this assignment has provoked an interest in further research and a subsequent literature review on the effects of pornography on individuals and relationships. Still, many of our lives have been touched in some way by pornography, and the author is no exception. Personal experience has shown that viewing pornography can negatively impact an individual’s sexual interest in their partner, causing turmoil in intimate relationships. Pornographic film also change the expectations for intimate encounters. Women are seen as sexual objects, to be used by men for their pleasure. Sadly, as a consequence, the experienced pleasure of the woman is not a priority and can even be seen as irrelevant for the man. Most information presented, such as the neurological effects of pornography by Gary Wilson, is simply fact, leaving little room for