Pornography

Pornography can take the form of videos, erotic literature or pictures designed to aid sexual arousal. They are widely used, particularly as an aid to masturbation, and can be aimed at straight or gay people, men or women, although when most people think of porn they tend to think of straight men.

Pornography has come under attack, mainly from certain groups of feminists, who argue that it degrades and humiliates women, reducing them to objects with the sole purpose of giving sexual gratification to men. They see pornographic actresses not as consenting performers on an equal footing with their male counterparts, but as duped victims who have been brainwashed by patriarchy into sacrificing their dignity. They also claim that "pornography is the theory, rape is the practise" (Robin Morgan), i.e. there is an explicit link between porn and violent sex attacks on women.

However, on the other side of the coin, pro-sex feminists have provided support for the pornography industry and in particular highlighted the benefits it can have for women. For instance, porn allows women to see how it might "feel" to experiment with different things from the safety of their own homes and can be seen as a form of "solitary enlightenment": http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/mcelroy_17_4.html.

The catharsis theory also claims that porn can help to channel sexual urges and therefore reduces real life sexual attacks on women. Theorists often point to the fact that countries such as Japan which have very liberal laws surrounding porn also have low rates of sex crimes.

As much as I hate the idea of someone being forced into doing something like porn, I think that if they are consenting adults then it is their decision and they shouldn't be condemned for it. There is also porn available to women as well as men, which often features men performing sex acts which are mainly geared towards giving pleasure to the woman.

The debate surrounding porn: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1986869.stm