Why are radical feminists opposed to pornography?

[Zelenius]

Not all feminists are against pornography, but many of the more radical feminists believe pornography should be outlawed because it is "demeaning" to women. It is "exploitation" and "denigrating", they claim. Some even claim that men who enjoy pornography on a regular basis are much more likely to become rapists. Or in the very least, men who are into pornography are "rape supporters".

A lot of things concerning pornography get ignored by radical feminists, among them:

1) In the developed world, just about all women involved in the porn industry are doing so voluntarily.

2) In countries where pornography is illegal(Saudi Arabia, Iran), women have almost no rights, compared to the countries where porn is legal.

While some pornography does depict rape, and some black market porn may involve female sex slaves, there are already laws in place to punish pornographers who do this to women. I am against this form of porn, along with all kiddie porn.

I'm not trying to paint feminism with a broad brush; indeed, some female porn stars are feminists, who believe women should have the right to be in porn films. Interestingly enough, it's the radical anti-porn feminists who want to take away the right of women to be in porn magazines or films. As long as no one gets hurt, as long as there are no victims, what's the problem?

So what is it that radical feminists are afraid of? Why are they so against pornography? Do men who view a lot of pornography have different(perhaps "unrealistic") expectations of their female sex partners?

 

[kerikiwi]

What makes a feminist no longer an ordinary feminist, but a radical feminist?

 

[Taarkin]

1) In the developed world, just about all women involved in the porn industry are doing so voluntarily.

Things can be voluntary but still exploitative.
Also, porn affects people besides the actors and actresses.

 

[Kthulhut Fhtagn]

So what is it that radical feminists are afraid of? Why are they so against pornography? Do men who view a lot of pornography have different(perhaps "unrealistic") expectations of their female sex partners?

I have a few friends in the "industry" and while I can't provide anything other than their own personal anecdotes I've heard more than a few horror stories about the porn industry. Just saying, that probably feeds into many of their major complaints of the porn industry.

In my personal opinion, however, I find the understanding of STDs in the industry at large completely ridiculous. Given the number of outbreaks and the lifestyles many models in the industry lead I can't believe that they think a handful of tests a year will keep them largely insulated from STDs while hiring people to have unprotected sex.

 

[John Jones]

What makes a feminist no longer an ordinary feminist, but a radical feminist?

It's a matter of degree. They're both sexists. Some are more sexist than others.
DUH!

 

[John Jones]

Things can be voluntary but still exploitative.
Also, porn affects people besides the actors and actresses.

Who gets to define 'exploitive'?

 

[bruto]

What makes a feminist no longer an ordinary feminist, but a radical feminist?

Maybe opposition to pornography?

I don't know what many feminists feel about pornography, but I once heard a chilling interview (I think it was on Fresh Air close to 20 years ago) with Andrea Dworkin, in which she justified what constitute essentially nuisance arrests of persons such as newsstand vendors and van drivers, as accessories to pornography, as well as prosecution of magazine publishers even after they'd won similar cases, on the grounds that "pornography equals rape," and that this trumped civil liberties. The derivation of the Pornography=rape equation seemed to be a sort of logical chain of equations in which she explained that pornography = marginalization of women, marginalization of women = violence against women, and violence against women = rape, therefore pornography = rape.

edit to add: I should stress that the thing that really shocked me about this interview was her bald assertion that in this battle, the idea of civil liberties simply did not apply.

But I've read pieces by others who represented themselves as feminists, who thought that pornography (as an issue separate from abuses of participants and the like) was quite all right, and if anything the idea that pornography shouldn't appeal to women too was a bit chauvinistic.

I'm not sure that it's a feminist/non-feminist question.

 

[John Jones]

I have a few friends in the "industry" and while I can't provide anything other than their own personal anecdotes I've heard more than a few horror stories about the porn industry. Just saying, that probably feeds into many of their major complaints of the porn industry.
In my personal opinion, however, I find the understanding of STDs in the industry at large completely ridiculous. Given the number of outbreaks and the lifestyles many models in the industry lead I can't believe that they think a handful of tests a year will keep them largely insulated from STDs while hiring people to have unprotected sex.

what?

 

[WildCat]

Why are radical feminists opposed to pornography?

Because they can't get a man of their own.

 

[Beanbag]

Things can be voluntary but still exploitative.
Also, porn affects people besides the actors and actresses.

Such as?

Your post is an excellent example of content-free communication. You might as well say "it's bad because we know it is."

Beanbag

 

[John Jones]

Such as?

Your post is an excellent example of content-free communication. You might as well say "it's bad because we know it is."

Beanbag

What?

 

[Taarkin]

Such as?

The audience.

 

[kerikiwi]

It's a matter of degree. They're both sexists. Some are more sexist than others.
DUH!

Feminists are sexist? What, like civil rights advocates are racist?

 

[kerikiwi]

The audience.

How, exactly, can voluntary viewing of pornography exploit the viewer?

 

[Taarkin]

How, exactly, can voluntary viewing of pornography exploit the viewer?

Audience is under the "affected" column.

 

[kerikiwi]

Audience is under the "affected" column.

In that case, so what? Every film affects every audience.
Singling out pornography implies that the effect is negative.

 

[Taarkin]

Sometimes, the affect is negative. Just like with other mediums of expression.

 

[ponderingturtle]

Feminists are sexist? What, like civil rights advocates are racist?

Sure. Look at some of the antics of Sharpton and Jackson.

It is not a universal truth, not all feminists are sexist, but some certainly are or you are getting into a no true feminist argument.

 

[John Jones]

Feminists are sexist? What, like civil rights advocates are racist?

No. Who said civil rights advocates are racist?

Feminism is sexism by it's very name.

 

[Arcade22]

Women, and notice here the emphasis on WOMEN, should apparently have total control over their own bodies and sexuality but they shouldn't be able to use their own bodies in order to sell sex.

Strange, very strange.