Fletcher 1 Juliet Fletcher Professor Bivins ENC 1101 6 November 2013 Habitual Use of Pornography and the Perpetuation

of Misogynistic Violence The habitual consumption of pornographic materials is so ubiquitous in society that it undoubtedly has significant effects on the thoughts and behaviors of those consuming it. Pornography is viewed by people of any variety of relations to women including husbands, fathers, employers, and by people at all levels and sections of society. Internalization of the images and dynamics portrayed in pornography specifically causes cisgender, heterosexual men to have decreased empathy towards victims of sexual assault, commit acts of forceful sex, coerce sexual partners, and carry out pervasive, gendered power dynamics in nonsexual parts of their life. Pornographic material should not be censored under law nor should it be protected as free speech under the first amendment; rather men need to be held responsible for the effects they have on the women around them by examining the pervasive connections between these behaviors. Pornography portrays women as happily and compliantly submissive, and the internalization of these images by habitual viewers causes them to apply these caricatures onto women in all situations, including those who are victims of sexual violence. When physical aggression towards women is present in porn, 95% of the responses are of pleasure or no response at all (Brosi and Bannon 217). This gives the impression that women are constantly sexually available and enjoy all sex acts, in turn leading those who habitually consume pornography to perceive victims of sexual violence as willing participants in consensual acts,

Fletcher 2 unable to imagine a woman opposing any sexual acts. This perception that women are always consenting to sexual acts, even when violence or force is present, and therefore are responsible for the acts they are subjected to, is known as victim blaming. The practice of victim blaming as a result of using pornography has been proven to cause men to stand idly by when witnessing potential cases of sexual violence rather than stepping in to help the victim or stop the situation from unfolding (Foubert 243). Bystander intervention is one of the most effective ways to stop rape and sexual assault from taking place, but pornography users are so desensitized to sexual violence that they do not respond appropriately when it is necessary and potentially lifesaving. Considering the pervasiveness of porn viewing in society, it is implied that even men with social authority, for example police officers or jurors, undoubtedly practice victim blaming. The implications of this projection is that women reporting sexual violence are doubted, and questioned for ulterior motives, rather than treated as victims of a violent crime. If the crime is reported and is handled in a courtroom, lawyers often argue that a victim was willing, therefore rape was not committed. Juries are made up of the general society; in turn, many jurors blame victims for their own sexual assault or rape, which translates into lessened punishment or dismissal of the crime. Victim blaming is extremely harmful behavior and is absolutely detrimental to the well being of sexual violence victims. Habitually consuming porn and a decreased empathy towards victims of sexual assault leads to either behavioral intent to commit, or actually committing sexual violence. There are two ways to inflict sexual violence: physical force and coercion. Physical aggression towards women is found in 88% of mainstream porn videos and consuming significant amounts of this type of imagery causes the viewer to become desensitized to violence in sexual situations (Brosi 213). At least half of videos containing degrading acts also depict women as smiling and

Fletcher 3 compliant to any act requested or inflicted by the man (Gorman et al 142). The combination of this expectation of compliance and the normalization of violence in sexual situations undoubtedly leads to actual instances of men using force, which constitutes as rape, and/or the behavioral intent to commit rape (Brosi 214). A sect of feminism, touting sex positivity, argues that forceful or degrading sex is not rape if enthusiastic consent is present from both parties, however, being complicit in ones own degradation and abuse does not negate the abuse being inflicted. The dominate partner is still performing the act of rape, and consent does not change this. Coercion is a more subtle type of sexual violence in which consent is present, and that does not necessitate the use of physical force. Viewing pornography causes men to experience dissatisfaction with their partners physical appearance, sexual performance, and sexual curiosity (qtd. in Brosi 216). If these feelings are verbalized, their partner is likely to suffer from overall lowered self esteem and seek affirmation, therefore being more easily influenced. Dissatisfaction with their monogamous sex life pushes men to pressure their partner to participate in sexual acts they might find objectionable, and partners with feelings of lowered self worth are more likely to comply. Though verbal consent may be present, if it is a result of compliance rather than genuine interest, it is coercive. Coercion through devaluation followed by suggestion is a form of rape. Patterns of dominative social behavior stem from the sexual practices of expectation of female submission and forceful or coercive processes. When the dynamics of interactions present in pornography is incorporated into cisgender, heterosexual male social behavior, it leads to domination transcending sexual interaction, and permeates nonsexual interaction. The assumption in heterosexual romantic relationships that the woman will comply with the social

Fletcher 4 precept put in place by the man is a particularly subtle assertion of domination, and is reinforced by pornography. Domination can manifest in conversational dynamics, and coercion can be used in decision making processes, in which the mans expectation of the woman is of a submissive object, without will, subject to his autonomy. For example, mens career goals taking priority over the womans plans, or the man simply and quietly not doing personal domestic work, because he assumes she is subservient to him. As Lynn May Rivas describes, to make a mess that another person will have to deal with the dropped socks, the toothpaste sprayed on the bathroom mirror, the dirty dishes left from a late-night snack is to exert domination in one of its most silent and intimate forms (88). Women are objectified and reduced to vehicles of mens will and pleasure. Pornography focuses almost solely on male pleasure, and even scenes in which a woman is pleasured are attentive strictly to the arousal of either the male(s) in the scene, or the male viewer (Brosi 140). Videos are inundated with images of women being compliant vessels of mens autonomy. The woman becomes a tool, rather than the living human being with needs and wishes that she is and the manifestation of this in nonsexual interactions is the most pervasive, intimate repercussion of porn. The habitual viewing of pornography poses a serious, systemic threat to the safety and well being of all women. The use of pornography by cisgender, heterosexual men is not harmless fantasy; rather it is a sexual act. Sexuality does not exist within a vacuum, separate from society and therefore is not immune to critical analysis. Pornography is proven to cause men to overlook sexual violence, develop the intent to or to actually commit acts of rape and sexual assault, coerce and manipulate their partners into compliance, and to assert domination in all aspects of romantic relationships. These are very real, very dangerous implications and repercussions that require meaningful examination by pornography viewers. Legal measures, such as censorship of

Fletcher 5 materials, to curb the use of pornography are not nearly far reaching enough and would only potentially stop the act of viewing from occurring. The pervasive, systemic nature of this problem necessitates personal action in the form of reflection and assessment of behavior that can only occur within the men themselves.

Fletcher 6 Works Cited Brosi, Matthew W., and Sean R. Bannon. "Pornography Viewing among Fraternity Men: Effects on Bystander Intervention, Rape Myth Acceptance and Behavioral Intent to Commit Sexual Assault." Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity 18.4 (2011): 212-31. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. Foubert, John D. "Integrating Religiosity and Pornography Use into the Prediction of Bystander Efficacy and Willingness to Prevent Sexual Assault." Journal of Psychology and Theology 41.3 (2013): 242-51. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. Gorman, Stacy, Elizabeth Monk-Turner, and Jennifer N. Fish. "Free Adult Internet Web Sites: How Prevalent Are Degrading Acts?" Gender Issues 27.3/4 (2010): 131-45. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. Rivas, Lynn M. "Maid to Order." Global Woman. Ed. Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Russell Hochschild. New York: Metropolitan, 2003. 88. Print.