June 2005 Issue
Letters To The Editor
LettersOur readers respond.
To the Editor,
Mr. Gago's article on Pornography (The Pain of Pornography, May 2005) is well-thought out and quite acceptably well-written. Though this letter focuses on shortcomings, it is not my point to demean the article. The points that pornography is as powerful an industry as Hollywood or professional sports, and that pornography is a damaging, addicting substance, are well-made and worth making, but a couple of omissions in the article need to be corrected in order to ensure that the reader’s world-view is informed by the article, which is the good standard for any editorial publication. Understand that I am no expert, and my purpose is only to direct both expert and initiate to a critical understanding of the problem in a broader sense, so that misconceptions are dispelled not than supported.
Sexual appetites are in many ways comparable to physical appetites, they are naturally healthy and good and satisfying – this point may have been assumed, but is unmentioned in your article, and would have been worth mentioning, because a surprisingly prevalent perspective in this country is to be disgusted by sex in basically all its forms. Call it sexual anorexia, or extreme prudery, but this attitude is unhealthy, especially when it is used as a tool to condemn others. Making it clear that sex is natural and healthy, as a starting point denies the prudish attitude the ability to support itself based on your particular condemnations of certain unhealthy releases of sexual appetite.
This omission of a general disclaimer about the good, healthy nature of sex is made more serious by the use of certain value-laden words throughout the article. This prudery sometimes villainizes prostitutes, who are arguably nothing but the biggest victims; it is important to remember that these are people and that there but for the grace of God… Words such as “carnal” and “virulent”, along with phrases like “goddess of the sack” carry deep connotations of the negative value of sex. While in fact there should be no perceived inherent wrongness with sexual pleasure, with a talented woman or otherwise, these choices convey a deep negative value judgment that doesn’t adhere specifically to pornography, but to sex in general.
The other crucial omission is the historical context within which the United States experiences its own struggle with sexual perversion.
You speak of pornography and sexual perversion as though it is something unique to our country, and these last few decades. Phrases like, “In the splendid days of yore…” tend to imply that sexual perversion is a new thing. It is true that the pornography industry has, “blossomed overnight” if by overnight you mean fifty-two years since Hefner’s Playboy hit the streets, but while pornography in magazines and on TV is new, sexual perversion has existed as long as sex, and with each new medium come new perversions. Really, sexual perversion has been, and probably will be, one of the single largest sources of misery throughout the history of human civilization.
Plus, context should include the fact that, so far as this uniformed reader knows, Europe has a greater pornography problem than we, Africa has a considerably greater problem with objectifying women, and while we’re on the subject, no one wants to think too hard about South Asia at all.
Kelley Meck '08
To the Editor,
I just read your "The Pain of Pornography," and thought it was very poignant and revealing. Your message, which I felt stayed relatively unbiased, needs to be propagated in larger media circuits.
I liked how you addressed the problem from a cultural and statistical angle, rather than the more dismissible slant of moral or religious motivations.
Good job.
Douglas Hayes '08
To the Editor,
I have to tell you, I really strangely enjoy reading the Beacon! I do not consider myself a conservative, but I am very thankful that there is a space on campus for conservative voices to present arguments in a way that is genuinely committed to humanity and reason, rather than the Review's somewhat reactionary (and anti-feminist) approach to conservative politics. I enjoyed your essay on abortion in the most recent issue. Though I personally believe abortion should remain legal, I also agree with your stance that it should be discouraged as an option rather than flagrantly espoused as a choice. Bruce Gago's piece on pornography was intriguing too, except that I do not feel that he adequately presents an argument for the ways in which pornography has been emblematic of some communities' freedom.
I have huge problems with the porn industry, especially as it is currently dominated by images that come uncomfortably close to existing power inequalities in society (the rape/humiliation of women, the race dynamics that are presented in porn, etc.). However, as a gay man from a sexually conservative nation, I consider that pornography is symbolic of a freedom that I feel too many Americans take for granted (and hence, take to its unhealthy excesses).
Shin-En Wong '07
To the Editor,
I just wanted to compliment you on the article (The Pain of Pornography) just printed in the Dartmouth Beacon. I found it well written and a good description of the situation in our society today with pornography. I usually do not agree with the Beacon's stances on issues, but I applaud your treatment of this hushed topic. Truly, pornography is a phenomenon that goes unnoticed far too often and is a monumental detriment to our society. Thank you for writing that article.
Sincerely,
David Sampayo '08