Argumentative Essay- Pornography: Effects on Society

Pornography:

Effects on Society

Pornography, as taken from the 1986 Attorney General Commission on pornography, is a material that is “pre dominantly sexually explicit an intended primarily for the purpose of sexual arousal.” Pornography is a high earning business in the United States and in other countries. According to an article entitled “ Pornography by Kerby Anderson”, in the U.S. the number of adult stores that sell pornographic products even outnumber the number of McDonalds restaurants. Though illegal in most countries, different forms of pornographic materials are available to the public in the form of videocassettes, soft porn magazines, audio porn and on cable TV. Although it is said that pornography has its advantages, showing signs of therapeutic effects in society; I still stand on the fact that pornography should not be legalized in the Philippines and even in other countries because, (a) pornography may have a psychological effect leading to violence; (b) it degrades the morality of women; and lastly (c) it is against the Catholic religion.

The availability of pornography in our world today contributes to the dangers happening in our society. Due to this, criminals such as rapists, pedophiles and killers would have the chance to view pornographic materials and these may trigger their sexual desires, which would possibly lead them to committing sexual crimes to fulfill their fantasies. In the article “Pornography”(Anderson), based on psychotherapist David Scott’s findings “half of the rapists used in the study were found out to have used pornography to arouse themselves immediately prior to seeking out a victim.” This proof shows that pornography may be a key ingredient in the makings of a sexual predator. Though others may this believe that pornography does not contribute to rape and men are just insensible about rape to begin with, won’t the availability of pornography just fuel the desire of men to act out their sexual fantasies?

Pornography is available to both genders, male and female, but there is a higher market for male consumers. Because of this, the content of most pornographic materials consist of pictures, and videos of women. This form of arousal for men degrades the morality and dignity of women. According to some experts, some women consider pornography as their source of living and that it is also a form of art and expression. It does not take away the perception of men about women because of this. Pornography’s portrayal of women is awful and degrading. This generalizes all women to be this way, as what is shown or seen by men in pornographic materials. Due to this, men tend to be disappointed because not all women are like the ones ion pornographic materials and tend to be more aggressive towards women, (leaderu.com/orgs).

In the Philippines, almost 90% of its population is composed of Roman Catholics. The Bible, the holy book of Catholics, states that God’s gift of sexual intercourse was for the main purpose of procreation which happens after a man and woman unites through marriage (1 Cor 7:2-3). Because of sin in the world, sex has been misused and abused. Most of us forget about the importance and intimacy of sex. By using pornographic materials for our sexual pleasure, we disobey God’s command of keeping ourselves pure. Sexual immorality is achieved when one is caught up in thought regarding sex, which is considered condemned.

We could see that there are experiments and researches supporting the legalization of pornography and its contributions to society, we could still say that the legalization of pornography would still do greater harm to the society than good it can contribute. By stating all these facts, I firmly stand on my belief that pornography should not be legalized.

Reference list:

Anderson, K. (n.d.). Pornography. Retrieved December 3, 2009 from

http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/porno.html

Reflection:

The last essay was average in difficulty. I think by having the debate and sticking with the topic we debated on was a good idea. By having the debate I got some key information from both parties and that made my essay stronger. I think that my topic was a bit risqué and that it would grade the reader’s attention. My essay stated a lot of valid facts about the topic. I think one of the tings my essay misses is the advantageous side of the topic. I should have shown the pros of my topic and how it could help society.