The "problem" of pornograph1 is analyzed here through an examination of published literature and Canadian case law and legislation. Feminist analyses of the harms associated with pornography and corresponding feminist remedies are presented as attractive alternatives to traditional moralist and civil libertarian approaches. The history of obscenity legislation is traced from its earliest focus on heresy and sedition to the law's contemporary consideration of sexual materials. The relationships between federal obscenity restrictions and provincial and municipal Pornography controls are outlined. The "community standards" concept is discussed in terms of its central role in the circumscription of pornography in Canada. The controversy Surrounding its ambiguous nature and arbitrary application is profiled. The validity of the standard of intolerance as a basis for criminal law is questioned. Feminist analyses of the existence and function of Pornography address the unequal power relationships within a patriarchal society. Anti-pornography and anti-censorship views "re contrasted to illustrate the diversity of approaches which coexist within the feminist camp. The incoherent state of the "pornography effects" literature militates against the possibility of an empirical answer to the harm question.

https://summit.sfu.ca/system/files/iritems1/5155/b14961891.pdf

Pornography and Sexual Aggression.

Approaches to pornography : a consideration of harm beyond the moralist/civil libertarian dichotomy

Massive increases in the availability and explicitness of pornography in the United States are correlated with increasing rates of sexually maladaptive behaviors. Correlation-causation issues are acknowledged and barriers to resolving this molar question are noted. However, agreement among various theoretical predictions and experimental findings on functional relations between pornography and behavior suggest that changes in the intensity and prevalence of certain classes of pornographic stimuli have probably contributed to increased rates of maladaptive sexual behavior in the US. New conceptions of behavioral contagion and social entropy are offered to unify this field of information into an explanatory whole that suggests a resulting decrease in cultural viability. I advise an experimental reversal of current culturally endemic pornographic self- stimulatory practices. Science is only beginning to understand the diverse forces that can strengthen or weaken the probability of long term survival for a particular culture. One such force is a population's sexual practices. Like other organisms, humans are genetically endowed with strong motivation to engage in sexual behavior. But more than other organisms, the sexual behavior of humans is regulated by conditioning and learning and cultural rules (Rosman & Rubel, 1995). Rules can be viewed as analogs to contingencies of punishment and reinforcement (Malott, 1988). Their function is to regulate sexual behavior by age, gender combination, and kinship. Cultural rules also regulate the conditions under which stimuli that normally cause sexual arousal and behavior may be presented. I will analyze the profound changes in rules governing the general availability of pornography in the US and possible effects upon population sexual behavior..

America: an applied theoretical analysis

Staying power: the mainstreaming of the hard-core pornographic film industry, 1969-1990

background

Examining the Associations Between Pornography Use and Relationship Outcomes

Varied sources of data suggest that male aggression against females occurs with considerable frequency among young people. For example, Giarusso, Johnson, Goodchilds, and Zellman (1979) reported that over 50% of the large sample of male high school students interviewed believed that it was acceptable “…for a guy to hold a girl down and force her to have sexual intercourse” in various situations, such as when “she gets him sexually excited” or “she says she’s going to have sex with him and then changes her mind.” Similarly, Kanin and his associates (Kanin, 1957, 1965, 1967; Kanin and Parcell, 1977) found that over half of the female college students interviewed reported experiencing offensive male sexual aggression during the previous year. Furthermore, FBI Crime Statistics (1978, 1979, 1980) indicate consistently that the most frequent age of arrest for rape is 18 years. Consequently, the topic of aggression against women is certainly relevant to the primary focus of this book--aggression in children and adolescents.

Pornography and Sexual Aggression.

Citations

Approaches to pornography : a consideration of harm beyond the moralist/civil libertarian dichotomy

America: an applied theoretical analysis

Staying power: the mainstreaming of the hard-core pornographic film industry, 1969-1990

Examining the Associations Between Pornography Use and Relationship Outcomes

The Mass Media, Individual Characteristics, and Aggression Against Women

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