Philosophy of Sex Part 3: Having, Viewing, and Working Sex
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ต.ค. 2024
- This is a general introduction to moral philosophy for undergraduates, but this is also the third installment in a series on sexual ethics called Philosophy of Sex.
Currently, this course is Contemporary Moral Problems at MiraCosta College.
Textbook:
books.openbook...
Recommended Reading:
Amia Srinivasan. The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021.
Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics:
classics.mit.e...
Utilitarianism:
www.gutenberg....
Groundwork for the Metaphysic of Morals:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/www.earlymoder...
Read!
What I found interesting (which happens to be a result of that study that I don't find quite surprising) was from around 11:29 and on, where a lot of both the males and females in the study were found to be insecure about sexual performance and body image respectively. What is unfortunate is when you take a step back, you see how insecurities (not *only* within the "world of sex") plague society, especially among the youth. Younger people see people online, whether it be "influencers", celebrities, adult film stars, etc. and hold themselves to the standards depicted in the media they consume. This, in a way, is an add-on to the list of reasons as to why "adult content" should certainly be kept away from youth because, aside from other obvious reasons, it sets unrealistic expectations and poor personal insecurities for them as they grow. Those same youth become the adults in our society, possibly perpetuating these misplaced beliefs and insecurities.
I agree with your response and I think body image and insecurities within people is a very big problem in the world today. I do believe it is an "add-on" to why p*rnography should be kept away from younger individuals because it is most certainly an unrealistic expectation of sex. I think it is crazy to see how common p*rn is a problem or a "hot topic" in relationships now and how it makes the other individual in the relationship insecure or like they are not good enough/performing to their partners standards in which are set by watching p*rn.
@@EmilyP0225 Thank you both for your insights! It gets worse along the lines you are describing. If you read her book, The Right to Sex, there is a part where she describes a girl dealing with a break up. Her boyfriend would tell her that "she's doing it wrong," during sex and she didn't know what he meant until she watched p*rn. She had her first sexual experience with a guy who had his first sexual experience "in front of a screen," and that gave him unrealistic expectations. Now she has to live with the pain of those expectations and the resulting break up.
I thought the connection between the categorization of sex and capitalism (13:44) was very interesting and something I never really thought of until watching this video. The normalization of categories perpetuates harmful ideas that only furthers the heteronormative capitalistic system. It is also so hard to distinguish what is "liberation" and what is benefiting those oppressive ideas of sex that have enabled the patriarchy for so long. The line is so blurry, and the vast access people have to content now a days makes it harder to step back and think about the negative effects of porn consumption.
I know! At one moment, it's like, "Okay, porn, so what?" Then you look at some studies and your like, "What have we done to ourselves?" The line is blurry, as you say. Thank you for your insights!
Around 08:20, the video spoke about the complaints from men regarding sex and expectations of them and there shortly after, the complaints from women regarding sex and the lack of pleasure that they were receiving. Following these complaints, it was stated that one had asked "But if it weren't for p*rnography, how would we ever learn to have sex?" I would like to comment on this specifically because I feel like p*ornography sets this almost unrealistic expectation of sex and how it should be, leaving individuals feeling uneasy about their sex lives and whether or not they are doing enough/too much. I think the question was a great one to ask because in what other ways are we taught about sex? Which, there are a few and those being by word of mouth or maybe a reading but those aren't generally as easy to understand for "visual" learners. Around 09:24 it is quoted that "sex for my students is what porn says it is." This leads me back to my statement of it being an almost unrealistic expectation. Everyone has a different need, want, or expectation during sex. Some find things more intriguing than others and things that work better for them. Does this generation look at sex as act of what p*ornography says it should be? Or an act of love. Why does sex have to be what p*rnography portrays it as? I think some individuals watch and find more excitement, as you will, watching p*rn than they do with their partner or significant other. It sets this precedent for how sex should be and can instances taint a relationship ruining something that could have been so great had it not have been affected by this. On the flip side, it can be the beginning of trying new things or a way to bond with your partner depending on how one's views of p*rnography. Many questions/thoughts have arised just by typing this but the last one that I will leave here is... if one has a set expectation of sex as a direct result of watching p*rn, will they ever be truly satisfied in their relationship? Do they find constant excitement by the script that is "written" or will the repetitiveness finally come to an end? I guess what I want to know is does one ever find true pleasure in the midst of having to live up this expectation?
I agree with you that porn can set unrealistic expectations when it comes to sex with a partner. In some ways I believe porn can take the intimacy out of sex and paint it as this picture that's opposite of being an act of love, which you brought up. I think too the thought of sex stresses a lot of people when they're first being introduced to it and pressures them to turning to porn in hopes of gaining some sort of insight. Unfortunately for this, as you mentioned, it's not always the best source and may taint further experiences.
Something that I found to be quite concerning was the possible effects that porn consumption has on people’s minds (11:55). Studies have shown that porn consumption, whether it was violent or non-violent, may lead to violent tendencies towards women as well as a lack of empathy for rape victims. It’s very disturbing that something so easily accessible in today’s world can have such a negative impact. These violent tendencies and lack of empathy has plagued some to turn the cheek to sexual assault happening right in front of them (12:15). That just absolutely blows my mind. The fact that sorority members are self-reporting that they would allow sexual assault to happen right in front of them, and not intervene (contact the authorities, physical or verbal intervention, etc.), is some of the most cowardice shit. It’s even more disturbing that these people are the future generation.
I would agree with the video at (7:41) when it discusses that porn plays a role in promoting the subordination/objectification of women, but I can also make the assertion that for some (not all) it can also be used as a tool to educate them on what sex is, or can be. Although I do not think all porn can be educational nor realistic, I think for some it may provide them a sense of comfort in knowing what they could possibly expect, especially for those without much knowledge on the matter. Overall I agree with Aristotle stance with "moderation" and "acceptable use" (19:27), as porn can be detrimental to character growth, and overall self image, so it is the responsibility of the person engaging in said manner to hold themselves accountable, and to determine appropriate use.
It is a difficult balancing act, isn't it?!
I agree with the idea of select porn being used as an educational tool when approaching sex-- this does come with its merits and consequences but is definitely a resourceful way of looking at it!
At 8:26 it’s talked about how men would have expectations of certain ways to behave during intercourse due to do on screen pornography. With this being said, I feel like in our younger years we should be taught to have more knowledge and education on sexual matters and safety precautions in sexual terms.. along side just learning body parts. I feel like if taught more, they wouldn’t be as curious?
@@velanavaldez2384 I too believe watching can answer a lot of questions someone may have, but definitely could become more of an addiction than a learning lesson!
porn sets unrealistic standards for men and women. it can build insecurities and doubt about their own bodies and abilities and some of that is not changeable. If someone wants to use porn as an educational tool it is the assumption that it is for young people. If it's their first exposure to sex then it can have many negative outcomes.
It's very interesting to have a pov of viewing sexwork. The media we consume in general is "midwestern" media. Before television the beauty standard for women was round women until midwestern media came and suddenly the beauty standard changed. It became thin, tall, light skin, etc. Midwestern media dominated culture values. This still continues today how having round curves with a tiny waist is the new beauty standard but these standards are extremely difficult to achieve without the help of getting work done. The same is implied when it comes to porn. How males can't change the size to their penis or their height. How women can't all the sudden loose weight and look like porn models. I can't see how this is healthy for anyone. Time and time again the media is influencing us and changing our views. Media can be seen as propaganda, all the marketing and promoting of beauty standard generates revenue for companies. Seeing how this ties with Kantian ethics by seeing people to an end and how capitalism abuses people.
Referencing 9:30 and 15:22
I think what you wrote is very powerful, I completely agree that but these standards are extremely difficult to achieve and can be very toxic for people, especially for younger individual's. I also really resonated with how you described how "media can be seen as propaganda, all the marketing and promoting of beauty standard generates revenue for companies", I think the beauty industry has historically always historically targeted insecurities and imperfections, but nowadays its so beyond unrealistic due to a mixture of social media, heavy editing, and like you said just propaganda, which in turn promotes their pockets while creating unrealistic envisions of beauty in the process.
I find this interesting, as well. Comparing this aspect of Western society's culture to that of, let's say France (or Europe, really), there doesn't seem to be such a critical view on greater amounts of expressing sex in a larger way. It's not just relative to how we view the "beauty standard" you mention, but it also contributes to other unrealistic expectations (mainly sexual) placed within our society. This also plays into the high level of sexual content addiction, as the West prefers to make sexual content "all or nothing", making the "all" too extreme for youth audience. Being kept away from this hypersexualization will usually only cause the youth to seek it out even more. The way it should be is like that of how Europe treats sexual content... nothing extreme to where it's obviously inappropriate for common viewing and instead, seen as a normal part of human nature. Maybe this would reduce the level of porn addiction among the youth in Western society.