Watching Sex

by Loftus, David

• ISBN13: 9781560253600
• ISBN10: 1560253606
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-12-17
• Publisher: Da Capo Pr

Summary

The gulf between critics of pornography and those who use it seems unbridgeable. Not only do the two sides disagree about its effect on society and individual men and women, they cannot even agree on what it is. Where one finds objectification, subordination, degradation, and violence against women, the other sees beauty, fun, pleasure, female power and assertiveness, and fantasy. Freud never asked, "What do men want?" but Katherine MacKinnon asserts, "Pornography provides an answer. Pornography permits men to have whatever they want sexually. It is their 'truth about sex'." Is this true? Dozens of books have been published on pornography, yet almost none feature the voices of the men who use it. Indeed, most of our ideas about men and pornography are theoretical, and most are entirely derived from women. Watching Sex explores pornography through the eyes of men who use it. The interviews with nearly 150 menbetween the ages of 19 and 67, single, married, divorced and widowed, of straight, gay, and bisexualare telling and provocative accounts of what they think, feel, and do in response to pornography. Their answers confound the now conventional wisdom promulgated by anti-pornography feminists, who would have us believe, in the words of Robin Morgan, "Pornography is the theory; rape the practice." Watching Sex provides a window on the true nature of men's sexuality that will prove of enduring importance.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Unveilings: Men's First Exposures to Pornography
age, content, how it happened, initial reactions	1	(20)
Growing Up: The Social Context
parents' attitudes, social messages about porn	21	(8)
I Know What Boys Like
men's tastes, what they want to see more of	29	(20)
The Appeal of ``Lesbian'' Pornography
why are ``lesbian'' scenarios so popular?	49	(12)
The Image of Men in Pornography
reactions to the men in porn; comparisons, the issue of penis size	61	(12)
How Men Use Pornography
how often, correlation to mood and masturbation, feelings after use, concerns about use	73	(12)
Sharing Porn with Others
use and discussion with other men; attitudes of, use by, and discussion with significant others	85	(22)
Off the Beaten Track
men who like special kinds of pornography	107	(22)
The ``Slippery Slope'' and the Question of Addiction
periods of lesser or greater use, the issue of porn addiction	129	(8)
Reality versus Fantasy
whether porn fans confuse characters in porn with real people, or import sex practices from porn	137	(12)
Pornography as Hell, Pornography as Therapy
stories of men who found either a curse or a savior in porn	149	(32)
Public Policy: Should Society Control the Use of Pornography?
possible harms of pornography, the distinction between porn and erotica, social and legal controls	181	(26)
Pornography and Violence
to what extent does porn depict, encourage, or increase violence?	207	(22)
The 75% Problem: Child Sex Abuse and the Porn Industry	229	(74)
The Public Debate: What Did Everyone Get Wrong About Men Who Use Pornography?
the tenets of antiporn theory	245	(40)
The Public Debate: What Did Everyone Get Wrong About Pornography?
objectification, subordination, degradation, and hatred of women	285	(18)
Toward a New Theory of Men and Pornography	303	(10)
Notes	313