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 WHAT IS PORNOGRAPHY?
“I shall not today attempt further to define
[obscenity]; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so.
But I know it when I see it….”
That famous statement, uttered by the late Justice Potter Stewart in
1973 when faced with a case involving obscenity, illustrates the difficulty
of
trying
to determine what constitutes obscene or pornographic content. The term
“pornography” has no well-defined meaning, certainly no legal
definition. And if a Supreme Court justice had trouble defining the
nature
of sexually explicit material, how easy is it for the rest of us—each
of whom looks at the world in a different way? Lack of consensus is
one
reason the subject of pornography is such a contentious legal
issue.
You Must Decide for Yourself
When it comes to judging content, your definition of
what’s unacceptable, pornographic, or even damaging to your children
might well differ from someone else’s. One parent might feel that
exposure to violence is much more harmful to children than exposure to
sexually explicit material. Another might believe that sexually explicit
material poses a moral danger. Some feel it’s a matter of degree,
others remain unsure. Furthermore, not everyone
agrees on what material is sexually explicit.* A line drawing of a
sexual organ in a medical textbook might be regarded differently than
a photograph of the same organ in an adult magazine.
Even if the distinction were made between extremely
sexually explicit imagery and, say, responsible information on sexual
health, there are ambiguous areas that are often the center of parental,
school, church, and civic debate. These include: sex
education, dimensions of sexual desire, sexual
orientation, sexually suggestive advertisements, content from mainstream art
and science, and celibacy sicussions.
Topics of Contention
- Sex education:
This is a highly contentious subject that some public
schools avoid teaching because parents have such different perspectives
on what information is appropriate for young people. The idea of providing
educational material about sexuality often incites debate. back
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- Dimensions
of sexual desire:
Opinions differ on how people
should behave romantically and sexually. The traditional “script”
depicts romantic heterosexuality, in which the male is active and powerful,
both in pursuit of a female partner and in sexual activity. The female
is often portrayed as passive and coy, whose power lies in luring men.
Materials that explore nontraditional roles, thereby broadening choices
that people make about their sexuality, often cause controversy. back
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- Sexual orientation:
Some materials depict or describe what it means to
be lesbian or gay in sexual orientation. What for some people is a description
of positive feelings about one’s orientation might for others be
an endorsement of an unacceptable lifestyle. Some parents, however,
find such material useful in helping their children explore aspects
of their own sexuality. back
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- Sexually suggestive
advertisements: Mainstream media have grown
more sexually suggestive. Materials such as Victoria’s Secret ads
and Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issues, for example, make
some parents uneasy and others angry about what they consider inappropriate
material. Others consider this material to be completely harmless, or
they aren’t offended by how it depicts women. back
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- Content from mainstream
art and science: Some people might consider
some graphic elements used in these disciplines pornographic. For example,
a plaque carried on Pioneer 10, the first space probe to leave
the solar system, was called pornographic by some because it included
nude human figures. Others object to images of classical Greek and Roman
statues or other depictions of nudity; for example, Leonardo da Vinci’s
Vitruvian Man. And there are parents who don’t consider
any of this improper. back
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- Celibacy discussions:
Underage adolescents wishing to remain celibate might
engage in sexually explicit discussions with like-minded others in order
to deal with questions and feelings associated with managing their sexual
desire and dealing with peer and media pressure. back
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