I am currently teaching "Our Raunch Culture" in my composition courses, and the theme, has been a hit. Surprisingly, men have reacted favorably even more than the women. I have had so many guys say to me that they have totally re-thought their views on pornography and their role with it. There are no grand promises or "look at me, aren't I great" attitudes, but instead, I have had real, honest, complex conversations where men really seem to see the degradation to women, humanity--but just as importantly, to themselves--that porn causes.
My gratitude is huge to such leaders in the anti-porn movement as Dr. Robert Jensen, Dr. Gail Dines, and Dr. Rebecca Whisnant for their powerful slideshow presentation: "Who Wants to be a Porn Star" and also Media Education Foundation's The Price of Pleasure documentary. Both harrowing visuals really moved students and reached them at a profound level.
Pamela Paul's Pornified has been invaluable at illustrating that porn is not really a "free speech" issue afterall. It is a relationship issue. Relationship with self, with others, with humanity.
The internet is vast, endless. The porn that occupies it saturates all corners. The only way out of the dark spot we find ourselves in is through an understanding of what we want for ourselves and others. We control what goes in and what comes out.
