Revising our views on Porn

The article below begins to address some important issues about pornography - acknowledging their full complexity.
Whether it is true that some of us enjoy some kinds of porn, or that porn should be protected by the first amendment (which protects free speech), or that many women choose this work and enjoy it and would consider it to be liberating.. We know that for some people porn is feminist.

But is that true of all porn? Is that true of the majority of porn? Is that true of the reasons behind the popularity and strength of this billion dollar industrial complex? I wonder if after reading this we can begin to question which one is closer to the truth: is porn as an industry largely constructed on the basis of providing images of abuse, humiliation, and the illusion of the rape of women's bodies - and it is mainly created to satisfy a male audience's need of ownership of the female body and it's sexuality? or is it a source of liberation and empowerment of women, an educational tool, etc?
If the answer is complicated - does ignoring the current state of things help or hurt the cause of women (for liberation, respect, equality, etc)?
If there is further discussion to be had, and changes to be made -- are we avoiding this discussion just because it is too complicated? who suffers if the discussion is avoided? Who wins?

Below is an excerpt from the article on alternet that I'm referring to. Use the link to see the full text.

RU

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http://www.alternet.org/story/62833/

Pornography and the End of Masculinity

By Don Hazen
September 22, 2007


In his new book, Robert Jensen forces the reader to face the music
about the effects of a porn industry gone gonzo and the need to
reassess the trappings of masculinity as the source of increased
violence against and degradation of women.

I have always been part of the collective liberal progressive
libertarian value system that accepts pornography as a legitimate
expression of the First Amendment. Part of that thinking is that women
participate in porn films of their own free will and that porn often
represents fantasies -- though sometimes quasiviolent or degrading --
that people actually have. So as long as people are merely acting in
porn films and there is no coercion, or law-breaking, it is
acceptable.

But I've changed my mind. No, I'm not a prude, or anti-sex. Nor do I
think there should be a national campaign to snuff out all porn. In
fact, I sometimes watch certain kinds of porn. But what has become
clear to me is that, under the guise of the First Amendment, a huge
and powerful porn industrial complex has grown out of control. And a
big part of its growth is fueled, not just by the internet, but by
continually upping the ante, increasing the extremes of degradation
for the women in tens of thousands of films made every year. I am
convinced, although it is, of course, difficult to document, that the
huge audiences for porn and the pervasiveness of the themes and
behaviors of degradation are having a negative impact on the way men
behave and the way society treats women.