Banning Pornography, Essay Example

One of the defining features of western cultures is the freedom of speech and it is especially true of America whose constitution specifically guarantees it through the First Amendment which states among other things, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech…” (American Library Association). One of the common arguments presented by pornography producers and supporters is their right to free speech. The pornography supporters fail to realize that there is no such thing as an absolute right and free speech, like any other right, also has limitations. Gun control laws are expected to be passed in the U.S. even though critics have labeled it as an attack on the Second Amendment (Newby). U.S. Government is expected to proceed with gun control laws because they will increase the overall interests of the society. Thus, pornography should be banned because the benefits of such a course of action to the society will greatly outweigh any potential costs.

An inquiry by the U.K. parliament found that exposure to explicit material harms children (Lee-Greenberg) and British Prime Minister David Cameron even announced plans last year to introduce the most robust internet child measures by any country (Jones). U.K. is not alone in its concerns about pornography and one of its European counterparts, Iceland has also announced plans to ban pornography (Kiss). The action by these two countries, also exemplary democracies like the U.S., says a lot about the dangers of pornography. The British and Icelandic governments have realized that any benefits of free speech in the form of pornography are greatly outweighed by the costs to the society, thus, it is necessary to ban pornography to advance the country’s overall interests.

We have a responsibility to protect our children. Children do not have the experience or the maturity to make informed decisions and are vulnerable. There is a reason why we ascribe ratings to video games and movies so that children are not exposed to harmful material. But pornography is a greater challenge because our children are wired 24 hours and almost every gadget they posses including portable laptops, smart phones, and tablets are internet enabled. This makes it very difficult for parents to monitor their children and the only effective solution is ban on pornography. Pornography doesn’t only distort the worldview of children but also make them vulnerable to pedophiles. If our children form views about women through pornography, it will further slow down the society’s progress towards equal rights for women as feminist Gail Dines observes that pornography today is cruel, violent, and phenomenally degrading to women (Owen).

Pornography should also be banned because it hurts the society’s progress towards equal rights for women. Pornography material often portrays women in submissive positions and sends the message that women are inferior to men. It reaffirms the traditional stereotypes that the value of women in the society is determined by their physical attractiveness. The use of derogatory words towards women helps lessen the negative stigma attached to these words and promote their usage in everyday language. One cannot underestimate the influence of the media on the viewers and pornography is no different. We have already been witnessing the influence of pornographic material on hip-hop music videos which have very loyal viewer base, both abroad and in the U.S.

Banning pornography will also improve romantic relationships among couples. Pornography has been normalizing extreme behaviors and creating unrealistic expectations among men. Psychotherapist Peter Kleponis revealed that 83 percent of pornography addicts are men and pornography sends the message that women are for men’s sexual pleasures. In order to please their male partners, women are forced to resort to actions they may be uncomfortable with yet have no choice in order to protect their self-esteem (Kleponis).

The opponents of ban on pornography argue that a ban will limit free speech and will be a violation of their basic constitutional right. The opponents also claim that it will be very difficult to enforce a ban due to the limitations of the technology because there are always ways around restrictions. Similarly, critics also claim that innocent websites may also become victim of the ban as has already happened in countries like Denmark where access to Facebook and Google was blocked temporarily due to a glitch (Associated Press). The critics are not wrong about the technical challenges but that should not stop us from at least trying due to the magnitude of potential benefits for the society. The complexity of a task is not an excuse for not doing anything and pornography is no different. Even if there will be challenges in the beginning, things will improve over time as the government and the private sector gain experience over time.

The ban on pornography is often opposed on the basis of free speech but no right is absolute. The ban on pornography will result in greater benefits than costs to the society. Pornography distorts the worldview of children and adults and slow down the society’s progress towards equal rights for women. As a society, we have an obligation to build a better world for future generations.

References

American Library Association. First Amendment of the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution. 3 March 2013 <http://www.ala.org/offices/oif/firstamendment/firstamendment>.

Associated Press. Sense or censorship? Iceland’s proposed ban on pornography divides opinion. 25 February 2013. 3 March 2013 <http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/02/25/sense-or-censorship-iceland-proposed-ban-on-pornography-divides-opinion/>.

Jones, Sam. David Cameron plans internet filter prompts to protect children from porn. 20 December 2012. 3 March 2013 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/dec/20/david-cameron-internet-filter-porn>.

Kiss, Jemima. Iceland’s porn ban ‘conflicts with the idea of a free society’, say critics. 28 February 2013. 3 March 2013 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/28/iceland-porn-ban-free-society?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487>.

Kleponis, Peter. What to Do About Pornography. 24 June 2010. 3 March 2013 <http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/what-to-do-about-pornography-part-1>.

Lee-Greenberg, Andrea. Should online pornography be blocked by default? 4 May 2012. 3 March 2013 <http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/05/should-online-pornography-be-blocked-by-default.html>.

Newby, Jow. Hundreds of gun supporters rally in Phoenix to protest gun control, Obama. 17 February 2013. 3 March 2013 <http://www.examiner.com/article/hundreds-of-gun-supporters-rally-phoenix-to-protest-gun-control-obama>.

Owen, Sian Claire. Should pornography be banned? 27 April 2012. 3 March 2013 <http://www.ivillage.co.uk/should-pornography-be-banned/147470>.