Watch: “The Price of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality, and Relationships”
https://sdsu.kanopy.com/video/price-pleasure (Links to an external site.)
Gail Dines compares the analogy of “if your against pornography, you’re against sex” to what?
What are some of the ways that pornography has been pushed into the mainstream? Do you think this mainstreaming has normalized pornography? Why or why not? How does the normalization of pornography affect the culture and the content it produces?
Look into the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2002 ruling in favor of virtual child pornography. Research other legal battles the Free Speech Coalition has lobbied for since its founding in 1991. How has their presence changed the current state of pornography?
What aspects of our popular culture are rife with erotic imagery? What aspects are not? Why is sex used to sell products and services? Who primarily controls the messages in advertising and other forms of media?
Robert Jensen argues that pornography has been commodified within capitalism. Explore your thoughts about the process of commodification. What should be commodified? What should not?
Is pornography just a fantasy? Why or why not? How does pornography shape and/or reflect our understanding of human sexuality?
Why do you think racist imagery is so prevalent in pornography? Do you think the mass media has been successful in correcting some of the stereotypical imagery they produce? Give specific examples.
Do you believe Ernest Greene’s statement that “evildoers do evil things and don’t need pictures to tell them how”? Do you think images can shape our thoughts and actions? Why or why not?