Reform, don’t censor

Liz Kiser

Now, I know that it’s hard for you fellas to believe, but
most women do not find Ron Jeremy particularly attractive. Most
women are not turned on by sexual acts that end only when the man
has finished. But, I’m here to let you in on a little secret.
We do like porn. Ever notice that Anais Nin book on your
girlfriend’s bedside table? That’s not a romance novel,
boys.

I realize that the average feminist is particularly abhorrent to
the images of pornography and its depiction of women. Yet these
days, the ranks of pro-porn feminists are growing. How do we
justify this when almost every snippet of pornography has at least
one act or image of violence?

The second-wave feminists are not wrong. The pornography
industry puts forth primarily degrading, often violent images of
women as nothing more than faceless vessels of male arousal. I
believe these images when consumed en mass by men do perpetuate the
ideas of the female as a lesser being and facilitates unhealthy
rape fantasies in the culture as a whole.

Do I think that watching porn makes a man go beat his wife? No.
Not any more than I believe watching a violent movie or listening
to Marilyn Manson makes a kid shoot up his school. But violent
movies create a culture that accepts violence and violent
pornography creates a culture that accepts violence against
women.

So how is it that I can condone this? I do not believe that porn
is inherently bad. I believe it simply needs reform. A
woman’s touch, if you will. If we diversify the industry, the
images of violence and degradation against women will move out of
the mainstream and into the fetish arena thus lessening any
cultural manifestations it may have.

The sexual appetites of Americans are diverse and they transcend
race, religion and gender. Yet, the pornography industry sees only
one side of the spectrum of arousal. Aside from the odd fetish film
or two, one pornographic video is exactly identical to the next.
The films portray actions that are specifically appealing toward
men and in which the woman’s pleasure is secondary if
existent at all.

The fact is women have a right to pornography too. Yet, there is
very little out there in the way of arousing pornography unless
you’re into the Ron Jeremy look.

So what can we do to change this? Well, ladies get out your
trench coats and head on down to Christie’s Toy Box! If we
want to change the industry, we must become consumers and demand
products that fit our specific needs as women. Activism and
awareness-raising will help but in this country the almighty dollar
is always king. Even better, let’s get more females behind
the camera and in the production room. Instead of shaking our
fingers at the porn industry from the periphery, lets change it
from the inside out.

Don’t worry, I’m not advocating that we blare porn
from our school PA systems. Obscenity laws still apply and little
boys should NOT be getting their sex education from porn.

When we force the porn industry to embrace the power of female
sexuality, we will also force them to relinquish the fascination
with violence and perhaps, in a perfect world, even learn how
healthy and erotic egalitarian sex can be. 

—Liz Kiser is a professional writing
graduate student. Her column appears every other Tuesday. She can
be reached at opinion@oudaily.com.

 

Reject, don’t conform

Hillary Cox

Why aren't more women already endorsing the porn industry?
Because support of such immoral exploitation doesn't exactly
further the feminine cause.

Why shouldn't more women start endorsing pornography? Because if
women want to be recognized as equals in this often sexually
divided world, playing "catch-up" to men is not the answer.

Women can still make a way in this country without entirely
conforming to a man's world. But one thing's for sure. If women
start a mass endorsement of the porn industry, we'll have no basis
for complaining about equality between the sexes. We'll have just
put ourselves right in the line of fire.

We won't be furthering the quest for equality, we'll be
furthering the quest for being walking pieces of meat.

And you know what? Maybe there's a reason endorsing porn won't
earn women equality with men. Hmm, let's think. Maybe it's because
they're NOT men! The world has yet to accept the fact that men are
not women and women are not men.

It's not a tough concept.

This new scientific theory of men and women being two separate
entities explains why men don't notice a pile of dirty laundry on
the floor, but they can spot that speck of dust on the dashboard of
their car. Or why women cry at the drop of a pin but show no
emotion when a bad call costs the team a victory.  

The quickest way to drain all that women have accomplished and
start right back at square one is to dive into pornography. It
perplexes me that any woman would want to do that, would want to
help create a horribly distorted image of beauty.

I don't know where you're from, but where I come from, the
United States, the term "slut" has a negative connotation.

Plus, the promotion of pornography would have negative
repercussions far beyond the business arena.

Aside from losing perspective on what is real and true in terms
of beauty and love, our generation's already distorted image of
truth would be even further skewed.

Sexuality is not a bad thing, it is a beautiful thing. It is the
ultimate expression of love, happiness, and emotional connection.
Why would anyone want to undermine the power of such a great thing
by cheapening it to strangers in costumes? 

Pornography is terrorism on the soul. It is no lighter a
situation than the terrorism we face in the world today. In fact,
the desensitization to truth posed by pornography may be a faster
developing threat.

If women embraced the porn industry, the world would become used
to its effects. Soon, we would be living in Aldous Huxley's Brave
New World, with the true adventure of love long forgotten.

Or has that happened already?

Does anyone in my generation know what it's like to be truly in
love? For sex to be exotic, mysterious and special?

Use your senses.

It makes so much more sense to shoot for longevity in pleasure,
with side effects of joy, rather than live from one perverted
moment to the next, destroying the soul with each experience, and
setting up our future generation for the same path of
destruction.

—Hillary Cox is a pre-law and letters
sophomore. Her column appears every other Tuesday. She can be
reached at opinion@oudaily.com.
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