Argument Explanation
The author argues that pornography is a speech act that silences women on sexual decisions (Langton, 1990). First, she justifies pornography as a speech act that encourages women’s subordination in all sexual affairs and suggests that it should be banned or highly regulated. Most pornographic films portray women as sexual objects who go far and beyond to please men through weird sexual positions without asking questions (Langton, 1990). This communicates a lousy message to the audience that women should always be ready and eager to please men without declining or asking questions. In that way, the male audience will practice this in society, where they expect women to act similarly to those in pornographic films. Similarly, the female audience may interpret this as the usual way of life, making them submit to dishonor from their sexual partners. In this case, the freedom of speech will be infringed on for women, not because they cannot utter words but because their psychological reasoning is distorted.
To further explain the argument, the author compares pornography with an actor on stage, performing a script where they should shout ‘fire.’ At first, the audience understands that the actor is performing and that they are in a fictional world. However, this gives a chance for misunderstanding: if the actor sees a fire in reality and tries to warn the audience by shouting ‘fire,’ people will still presume it to be just a script. That way, the speech act for giving a warning is ineffective (Langton, 1990). Similarly, pornography portrays women saying no to sex while they actually mean yes. This communicated a negative message to the society where men will always interpret a woman’s no to sex as a yes. Men end up believing that every woman will always say no to sex when they actually want it. This impact disables women’s ability to consent to sexual matters as their speech is misinterpreted.
Moreover, some pornographic films include violent sexual activities against women, where the latter’s consent is not sought. Some women say no, but the men do not regard their speech but go ahead to force them into sex. This is translated as rape, and pornographic films are its perpetrators. Also, some films involve women being tied up, gagged, and stripped, stripped before or during sex. The man’s lustful moans accompany the woman’s painful cries. Such films allow the male audience’s perception of sex to shift to forced and violent ones. So, men view rape and violence against women as regular activities (Langton, 1990). Also, such films subject women to psychological issues where they view themselves as subjects to men. So, when they are raped and violated, they tend to conceal their troubles, reasoning that it is normal, every woman goes through the same, and there is no point in reporting the issue. Below is an in-depth evaluation of this argument.
Evaluation
The film industry significantly influences people’s attitudes, morals, and behaviors through the content they produce, pornography included (McKee et al., 2021). Regular exposure to specific kinds of films may change an individual’s social, political, or religious perspectives and beliefs. Pornography is a crucial social concern as it shapes viewers’ moral behaviors on sexual matters. Although Candice Vadala founded a robust feminist pornography industry, statistics reveal that fewer people get to watch them, as the google algorithm and financial backing favor the mainstream films with bad pornography. Additional information is that 34% of pornography viewers are women (Statista, 2022). This is good in one way and wrong in many ways. The good part about it is that women who do not watch pornography are less likely to be misinformed, meaning they can stand against sexual abuse. Unfortunately, 34% may tend to conform to portrayed sexual activities and yield to sexual harassment. Having a group of women in society conforming to pornographic standards gives men strength to combat the voices of the rest.
Misogynistic pornography indeed acts as a catalyst for sexual violence against women. This does not only happen through men but also women who regularly consume pornographic content. The pornography industry portrays destructive sexual behaviors as good through sound effects and attractive location views. McKinnon ascertained that people who constantly watch pornography tend to change their beliefs about sex, adopting destructive myths (McKinnon, 1987). For instance, women who watch pornography may fantasize about rape, viewing it as an excellent sexual adventure. This implies that they will not raise their voices or act against it when it happens to them. Also, they will not defend women in a similar situation and might even encourage their peers to embrace it. This is psychological silencing that would result in a dystopian system where women are sexually abused, and everyone is made to believe that it is normal. Also, men watching violent pornography become addicted to such experiences. They lose interest in peaceful and consensual sex and seek such violent adventures. This leads them to rape women or physically assault them during sexual activities (Morgan, & Lederer, 1980). Men will not regard sexual resistance from women because that is what they have learned from pornography.
Additionally, pornography has silenced women’s refusal through female actors that are always willing to please men. What people consume dramatically impacts how they think, believe, or act. Showing pornographic films where women have an unending appetite for sex makes the women in society numb to their fears. In one way, male pornography consumers interpret this as the normal way of life. They believe women should always be ready to offer themselves whenever men ask. This makes them disrespectful and aggressive toward women as they view them like objects (Srinivasan, 2021). They will not seek consent before sex nor regard any objections. Also, women watching pornography get a different view of sex, likely affecting their self-worth. When female pornography actors show up as sexual objects, women tend to believe that this is actually the reality. They believe they are objects and should always be ready for sex and act similarly. Consequently, women cannot voice their displeasure when sexually mishandled because they fear losing a husband, a lover, or a partner who is giving them money (Langton, 1993). This psychological damage is passed over from one person to the next and from one generation to another. For instance, a woman may teach their daughter to always submit to unhealthy sexual treatment for specific benefits, claiming that everyone is doing it.
Moreover, pornography portrays women as indecisive and confused humans who always say no, when they want to have sex. This is a deliberate misrepresentation of women that is meant to basically silence a ‘no’ in a female’s vocabulary. Speech is only effective if the desired message is conveyed correctly and effectively (Langton, 1993). In pornography, a woman will either submit to a man with a ‘yes’ or say ‘no,’ and then submit. Either way, the answer is interpreted as a yes. This applies in films where men ask for consent, but it is ineffective. Male pornography consumers believe that women will always say no, even when they want to have sex. Some women also adopt this behavior as they consider it contemporary and suitable. Eventually, a truthful ‘no’ to sex from a woman is disregarded, what Langton calls silencing. An in-depth analysis of this concept would indicate a dystopian system where women are robbed of their freedom of speech through consumerism. The refusal of sexual advances by women is disabled by distorting the meaning of a ‘no’ from a female. Some men may innocently proceed with sexual activities after a ‘no’ because they believe it is right. In contrast, others will hypocritically ask for consent and dishonor it (McKinnon, 1987).
Conclusively, pornography has influenced the effect of consent in a sexual relationship. Consent is a significant element in sexual activities and is highly abused in the case of women. Men are stronger, making it easier to force women into submission. Although the law is against rape, there is an unclear definition of the term, and most cases often lack enough evidence. Pornography has disabled women’s right to refuse sex through various ways. Both male and female consumers have been made to believe that it is normal to have violent sex. This influences their actions even to those who do not believe the same. Female pornography actors are always willing to have sex, making society adopt this as the norm. Women who disagree remain silent because they fear discrimination. Also, the word ‘no,’ which is essential when giving consent, has been silenced through female actors who always say it while they mean the opposite. Pornography is a speech act that communicates women’s subordination, which does not sit well with feminists. The main problem in dealing with bad pornography is that it is an art industry, and people’s creativity must not be limited. Producing more feminist pornography would help neutralize the problem.
References
Langton, R. (1990). Whose right? Ronald Dworkin, women, and pornographers. Philosophy & Public Affairs, pp. 311–359. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2265317
Langton, R. (1993). Speech acts and unspeakable acts. Philosophy & public affairs, pp. 293–330. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2265469
MacKinnon, C. A. (1987). Feminism unmodified: Discourses on life and law. Harvard university press.https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=rxE8FQzjpYMC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=McKinnon+1993+MacKinnon,+C.+A.+(1987).+Feminism+unmodified:+Discourses+on+life+and+law.&ots=wiBF7gd_0S&sig=TYCq3jBoQEdY5vZImF8ArCgF5rA
McKee, A., Attwood, F., Smith, C., Mercer, J., & Paasonen, S. (2021). Sexual objects, sexual subjects and certified freaks: rethinking’Objectification’. MAI: Feminism and visual culture. https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/149792/2/66c4c941-2c00-4525-8e2b-3fd0d6ae6aeb.pdf
Morgan, R., & Lederer, L. (1980). Take Back the Night: Women on Pornography.
Srinivasan, A. (2021). The right to sex: Feminism in the twenty-first century. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Statista, (2022). Do you have the habit of visiting pornographic websites? Statista.https://www.statista.com/statistics/1099039/pornographic-websites-access-frequency-gender-france/#:~:text=It%20appears%20that%2C%20at%20the,percent%20on%20a%20regular%20basis.
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