THE EFFECTS OF PORNOGRAPHY ON SEXUALITY
"I know all about you bitches, you're no different,
you're like all of them. I seen it in all the movies.
You love being beaten. (He then began punching the
victim violently). I just seen it again in that flick.
He beat the shit out of her while he raped her and she
told him she loved it; you know you love it, tell me
you love it" (Silbert & Pines, 1984).
This excerpt was taken from an interview with a woman who was recalling the comments of the violent assailant who raped her. This kind of comment, implying the prior use of pornography, is commonly reported in rape cases. Nevertheless, a 1970 report of the Commission on Obscenity and Pornography found that "empirical investigation provided no evidence that exposure to or use of explicit sexual materials plays a significant role in the causation of social or individual harm . . . there is no evidence of a relationship between exposure to erotic presentations and subsequent aggression, particularly sexual crimes" (Barnes, 1970). The conclusions of this report portray the widespread belief that pornography is not damaging to its viewers in any way, a view still held by many people today. However, recent criticism has come from those who argue that by depicting women in subordinate sex roles and as sexual objects, pornography, especially the violent kind, may affect people's attitudes toward women in a way that promotes a sexist ideology and callousness, if not violence, toward women (Garcia, 1986). Nonetheless, a common stereotype persists: Pornography is seen as sexually liberating, bringing pleasure and sexual arousal to its mostly male viewers. Unfortunately, the Committee's report did nothing to challenge this harmful attitude.
Recent research shows that this stereotype is not only wrong but also very detrimental to both men and women. New evidence suggests that pornography is harmful in two very ...