ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Instructor’s name

ENGL 112

Annotated Bibliography

18 September 2013

Pornography: An Annotated Bibliography

Cuilty, Phillip. Personal Interview. 14 Sep. 2013.

In this interview I asked Phillip Cuilty to tell me about how pornography affected his marriage and what his past and present views are on the subject. Cuilty was married for 10 years, but the marriage ended in divorce. During the marriage he asked his wife to view pornography with him on several occasions. Cuilty’s wife was disgusted by pornography and refused to view it and told him she did not want him viewing it either. At that time Cuilty did not see anything wrong with pornography and thought his wife was being unreasonable. He began watching pornography behind his wife’s back and continued undetected for approximately three years. When his wife discovered what he had been doing she felt betrayed and hurt. She asked him repeatedly to stop, but Cuilty continued viewing pornography thinking he could somehow keep it from his wife. Eventually, after repeated unsuccessful attempts to get Cuilty to stop, his wife divorced him. Cuilty said, at the time, he thought the pornography was harmless, but now realizes that it destroyed his marriage. He did not realize until it was too late how much it hurt his wife and how bad it made her feel. Cuilty sought counseling from his pastor and has since rejected all forms of pornography. He realizes now what a destructive vice pornography really is.

I will use this interview with Phillip Cuilty to support my position that pornography is damaging to a marriage when it is done against one spouse’s will or in secret.

Douthat, Ross. "Is Pornography Adultery?" Atlantic Monthly 302.3 (2008): 80-86. Literary Reference Center. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.

In this journal article Douthat discusses the validity of the claim that pornography is adultery. While many experts agree that watching pornography can lead to the viewer eventually acting upon their desires and committing adultery by having sex with someone other than their spouse, Douthat argues that just the act of viewing the pornography is committing the act of adultery without the viewer actually having sex. Douthat uses the example of ex-Governor Eliot Spitzer to show why viewing pornography is adultery. Eliot paid a prostitute to come into his room to have sex. If he had paid a prostitute to come into his room to have sex with someone else while Spitzer watched, this would still be viewed as adultery. Douthat explains that there is no difference between paying to watch someone have sex live and paying to watch someone have sex on the internet or television. Today’s pornography is so realistic that it blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, therefore blurs the lines of what has been traditionally accepted as adultery.

I will use Douthat’s article to support my claim that when one spouse secretly views pornography, this is a violation of trust in a marriage and therefore should be considered adultery.

Eberstadt, Mary. "Is pornography the new tobacco?" Policy Review 154 (2009): 3+. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 15 Sept. 2013.

In this article Eberstadt compares the taboo of smoking with the taboo of viewing pornography. In the 1960’s smoking was widely accepted as a social norm. Citizens could smoke in public places, smoke with their children, and smoke in the home without ridicule. Television stars smoked and it was considered glamorous. On the contrary, pornography was not accepted in the 1960’s as the norm. People did not advertise that they viewed pornography or even admitted to viewing it. These two issues have reversed in the last 50 years. Smoking is now a social taboo. People that smoke with their children in the car are looked down upon and ridiculed. Smoking in public places is banned in many states and there no longer is a glamorous air to smoking. Pornography, on the other hand, is widely accepted today. It is almost expected that people view pornography. There is not the stigmatism attached to it that was present in the 1960’s. Hollywood has glamorized sex today the way smoking was glamorized in the 1960’s. Today a woman would be vehemently opposed to putting a cigarette in her mouth, but would view pornography and not be ashamed.

I will use Eberstadt’s article to show that pornography is widely accepted today as normal and not seen the same as it was in past generations. Because it is widely accepted there seems to be complacency about the issue and it is allowed to permeate our lives more than ever.

Linz, Daniel. "Pornography Is Not Addictive and Does Not Lead to Violence Against Women." Addiction. Ed. Christina Fisanick. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Response to Testimony Before the United States Senate." Free Speech Coalition. 2005. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 15 Sept. 2013.

In this article Linz argues that there is no scientific proof that pornography is addictive or that it leads to violence against women. By society using the term “addiction”, the act is considered uncontrollable and therefore not the viewer’s fault when the behavior is continued. Linz states that this is a fallible conclusion because there is no evidence that the behavior is addicting. It is a choice to continue and can be stopped at any time that the viewer chooses. In his research Linz found few negative effects from viewing pornography on a regular basis.

I will use Linz’s article as an opposing viewpoint to the idea that pornography is harmful and addictive.

Manning, Jill C. "The Impact Of Internet Pornography On Marriage And The Family: A Review Of The Research." Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity 13.2/3 (2006): 131-165. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Sept. 2013.

Manning’s journal article addresses the effects of pornography on individuals, marriages, and children and adolescence. The effects on individuals distort their perception of intimacy, relationships, monogamy, and sexual fulfillment. Marriages are impacted greatly because of these distorted views. Also impacting marriages are the financial strains of internet pornography purchases. Pornography is cited in over fifty percent of divorces as a contributing factor in the failing marriage. Children are impacted by the failing marriages as well as viewing the pornography themselves. When children view pornography they get a distorted view of sex, have unrealistic expectations regarding sex, and tend to engage in sexual activity at a much earlier age than children that do not view pornography. There was one exception Manning gave to the idea that pornography is bad. That exception is when a husband and wife view pornography in an open, mutual, and consensual manner. This has proven to bring couples closer and can be enriching to the marital intimacy.

I will use Manning’s article to support my position that pornography is harmful when viewed by an individual over a long period of time, when a spouse in the marriage views pornography alone or secretly, or when it is viewed by children. I will also use this article as an opposing viewpoint that a married couple can mutually enjoy pornography and it can be a positive aspect of their intimate relationship.

Naughton, Louise. "Sexual Wallpaper." Community Practitioner 86.7 (2013): 20-2. ProQuest. Web. 15 Sep. 2013.

In this scholarly journal Naughton discusses the effect pornography has on today’s youth. Because of technology pornography is available to most teens via cell phones, computers, iPads, and even in their music. Teens are being constantly bombarded with sexually explicit material. Naughton interviews psychologist Dr. Linda Papadopoulos for this journal article. Papadopoulos states that sexual material affects boys and girls differently. It makes boys feel they have to be hyper-masculine and aggressive. Girls are constantly told they have to be pretty, skinny, sexy, and decorative. Furthermore, it is not just the fact that teens are bombarded with sexual material, but the majority of the sexual material is degrading to women. This teaches boys to disrespect women and girls to accept this sort of treatment. To combat this, parents need to be hyper-vigilant about monitoring what their teens are doing online. Also, parents need to keep an open dialogue with their teens about sex, pornography, and the dangers of the internet.

I will use Naughton’s journal article to show the effects of pornography on teens and to show how parents can make a difference if they get involved.

Paul, Pamela. “How Women See Pornography.” Pornified. New York: Times Books, 2005. Print.

In chapter four titled “How Women See Pornography,” of Paul’s book, she explains how women are viewing pornography at a higher rate than ever before. She attributes this to the shift in roles that men and women play in relationships. In the past it was expected for women to be sexually docile and submissive to her husband. Since the women’s movement and the sexual revolution that took place in the 1970’s and 1980’s, it is now acceptable for women to be the aggressor in a relationship and to be sexually dominant. Pornography producers have taken notice of the increase in women viewers and began producing pornography tailored toward women. More movies have a story line and are more than just sex. Women find pornography helps them explore their sexual side and broadens their ideas of sexual positions and attitudes. Thirty-five percent of women that have viewed internet pornography said it helped them feel sexy.

I will use chapter four in Paul’s book to counter the viewpoint that women hate pornography because it degrades and objectifies them. From this viewpoint women are not only accepting pornography, but actively seeking it out. This is contrary to what most experts report regarding women’s views on pornography.

Reynolds, Jeff and Carla Reynolds. Personal Interview. 12 Sep. 2013.

In this interview, I asked Jeff Reynolds and Carla Reynolds to tell me about their marriage, their feelings toward pornography, and any negative or positive effects pornography has had on their marriage. Jeff Reynolds and Carla Reynolds have been married for 20 years and have what both describe as a happy marriage. They are monogamous, very open with each other, and both enjoy watching pornography together. They feel it adds a spark to their marriage and keeps it from getting boring. Neither watches anything without the other and they always agree on what kind of pornography they watch. If one or the other is not comfortable with the material or they are just not in the mood to watch it, that decision is respected. They have been viewing pornography together for their entire marriage and have not had a negative experience with it. Both feels this is because of the strong respect they have for each other and the fact that it has never been a secretive part of their marriage. Because this is something they enjoy together, neither feels objectified or disrespected in any way.

I will use this interview with Jeff Reynolds and Carla Reynolds as an opposing viewpoint that as long as both spouses are in mutual agreement and mutually enjoy the pornography that it is not detrimental or negative.

Townsend, Tim. "Porn, an Old Moral Threat, Finds New Ways to Worry Pastors." St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) 20 Mar. 2009. Newspaper Source. Web. 12 Sept. 2013.

This newspaper article by Tim Townsend addresses the danger of pornography that the Evangelical Christian faith sees as a threat to the American family. Because pornography is more accessible via laptops and cell phones, the average age of pornography consumers has changed to include more youth than ever before. Townsend quotes the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families as saying pornography “is as addictive as cocaine or heroin.” While churches are coming together to fight against the pornography industry, those that are successful in the industry do not view pornography as a threat to families or see anything wrong with the increased success of the industry.

I will use Townsend’s article to show how pornography is affecting younger Americans and how the mode of delivery has changed over the years. Also, I will use this article to show how the religious element in America is trying to combat the pornography industry.

Wright, Paul J. "A Longitudinal Analysis Of Us Adults’ Pornography Exposure: Sexual Socialization, Selective Exposure, And The Moderating Role Of Unhappiness." Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, And Applications 24.2 (2012): 67-76. PsycARTICLES. Web. 17 Sept. 2013.

In this academic journal, Paul J. Wright, discusses how pornography depicts sex as an extremely casual encounter void of any attachment, commitment, or responsibility. Wright did an experiment to see if people viewed sex more casually because of the pornography they watched or if they watched pornography because they already viewed sex in a casual way. The results showed that people that viewed pornography on a regular basis increased their number of casual sexual encounters by two-fold. The experiment also found that people that described their life as unhappy viewed pornography on a more regular basis than people that described their life as happy. The implications of this experiment were that people that viewed pornography were at a higher risk for sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, and physical and sexual aggression because these issues increase when sex is viewed casually and casual sexual encounters increase.

I will use Wright’s article to support my position that viewing pornography negatively affects individuals and society as a whole because of the increase in sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.