Provide a critical overview of the feminist opinions on pornography and censorship
Between the various divisions of the feminist movement there has been much deliberation over the issue of pornography and censorship. ... Feminist perspectives on pornography differ greatly, however there are two clear positions – the radical perspective and the liberal perspective. ... Put simply, radical feminists find pornography oppressive, whilst liberal feminists view it as liberating. ... A major factor that pushed women to confront the issue of pornography in particular, was the 1975 American screening of the film Snuff (Pringle, 1981). ... Also around this time, came one of the most influential texts proclaiming the radical feminist view – Andrea Dworkin’s Pornography: Men Possessing Women (1981) (Gibson & Gibson, 1993). In it, she clearly asserts that pornography is not only the underlying cause of female oppression, but also of exploitation, murder and violence (Dworkin, 1981). Another influential feminist and Women’s Electoral Lobby member, Diana Wyndham, wrote a series of papers illustrating the key principles inspiring attempts to use state resources to support campaigns and surveys to affect the depiction of women in the media. ... Consequently – and since it was believed that pornography even further objectified women – the late 1970s and early 1980s saw growing concern about pornography among feminists worldwide (Caine, 1998). ... As a result, radical feminists base their arguments around “…pornography as an expression of male culture through which women are commodified and exploited…” (McElroy, 1997, p. ... Although radical feminists believe in the importance of sexual liberty, they believe that censorship of pornography is both justifiable and necessary, as it causes direct and indirect harm to women (Lacombe, 1994). ... It is important to take note that these feminists recognise a difference between pornography and erotica. Erotica celebrates sexual pleasure between equals and is therefore positive, while on the other hand, “…pornography celebrates a sexual power imbalance…” (Lacombe, 1994, p. ... Radical feminists see three main ways in which pornography brings about harm to women and society in general. ... An advocate of this idea is Susan Brownmiller (1975) who argues that pornography is a direct cause of rape and other violent attacks on women, because it endorses an atmosphere in which acts of sexual aggression against women are not only accepted but ideologically encouraged. ... His substantial work with sex offenders not only helped to develop his model and but also to come to the conclusion that pornography can and does function at every stage in that cycle of abuse.