Censorship is a concept that people do not want to discuss since it only reminds them that governments have power and f

Andrea Dworkin and Catherine MacKinnon are two radical feminists who take a strong stand against pornography. They define porn with an eight-part criteria, but the basis is that porn is “sexually explicit subordination of women” (Itzin 1992:435). Dworkin and MacKinnon believe porn should be banned based on their assumption that porn is the practice of sexual discrimination which sexualizes the subordination of women and which eroticises violence against women. The “MacDworkinite” approach goes as far as calling magazines like Cosmopolitan and Maxim porn, even though there is not full exposure of male or female sex organs. They base their analysis on the idea that if something causes sexual arousal then it can be considered porn. Their assumptions are absurd, if you take the example of a shoe fetish, for someone with this fetish a shoe can give them sexual arousal, but is that shoe actually considered porn…it should not be. Pro-censors feel like there is no place in our society for such crude and dehumanizing material. MacKinnon has been quoted saying, “If pornography is part of your sexuality, then you have no rights to your sexuality” (Strossen 1995a:160). Pro-censors believe that porn instils the values of male dominance and female subordination, causing male power to be sexualized (Itzin 1992).

Strossen, along with other anti-censors, like to focus on the positive aspects of porn that they believe to exist. Strossen views sex instruction books, like The Joy of Sex, can be very helpful in creating a more successful sex life for some people. Porn may also be the only sex information for people who do not have sexual contact with others. Most of all Strossen believes that porn can be a safe alternative to risky sexual relations and that porn can help explore and affirm people’s sexualities. Psychologist, Dr. Patricia Gillan, believes that there are therapeutic uses for obscenity. Erotica can be used for two types of psychological therapy, the treatment of sexual deviants and for sexual dysfunctions. First, porn is used for reconditioning sexual deviants. Patients who are involved in sexually deviant behaviours that may result in breaking the law, such as pedophilia, are put through aversion therapy. The therapy focuses on changing the behaviour and unacceptable responses which are causing the patient to suffer, and also to redirect his behaviour along other channels. Porn can also be used as an assessment tool. By showing a few pictures in a minute can tell the doctor just as much, if not more, about their patient than half an hour of questioning. Secondly, porn can be used to treat sexual dysfunctions. Therapy can help patients who are sexually inadequate or impotent. Pornography is used for many purposes that are positive and helpful to those who use them (Gillan 1978).

In reality, pro-censors rely on only one asserted benefit of such a scheme as the anti-porn laws, that it would reduce violence and discrimination against women. Anti-censorship feminist, Nadine Strossen, believes that the MacDworkinite approach is itself based on subordinating and demeaning stereotypes about women. Strossen does not agree that by showing the female body it weakens a women’s power, making her seem a lesser human by the men that see her. The MacDworkinite approach thinks this is what leads to violence towards women, that men view females as lesser people than themselves and do not feel guilty

Some topics in this essay:
Fuller Blackley, , Patricia Gillan, MacKinnon Dworkin, Cosmopolitan Maxim, Nadine Strossen, According Califia, Justice Sopinka, Butler Butler, Conclusions Canada, obscene materials, freedom expression, strossen 1995b, section 2b, charter reasonable limit, supreme court, 163 criminal, fuller blackley, criminal code, reasonable limit prescribed, sexual deviants, section 1 charter, sexual dysfunctions, 1 charter reasonable, defending sexuality protecting,