Confronting Pornography

"Reid and Gray point the way toward disclosure as a means of reestablishing trust for the success of a long-term marriage. They help spouses and addicts avoid destructive behaviors by helping couples assess the problem together, gauge realistic expectations, and begin the process of recovery"--Back cover.

What does it mean to conceptualize pornography as a material practice rather than as speech? Mason-Grant argues that this idea, fundamental to the work of Andrea Dworkin and Catharine MacKinnon, has been obscured in legal wrangling and political polarization over their civil ordinance. Within the arena of legal argument, where the principle of free speech holds sway for progressive thinkers, their analysis of pornography is rendered, at worse, an apology for censorship and, at best, an argument about the social force of speech, rather than recognized as a fundamental challenge to the very idea of pornography as speech. In this book, Mason-Grant first shows how the persistent 'speech paradigm' inevitably obscures the innovative core of the Dworkin-MacKinnon critique of mainstream pornography. She then develops an alternative 'practice paradigm' that critically engages their analysis, capturing and extending its core insights about the role of pornography in sexual practice. Drawing on phenomenology of the lived body, this alternative paradigm provides a way of re-thinking how the pervasive use of mass-market heterosexual pornography contributes to the cultivation of an embodied and tacit sexual know-how that is subordinating, and raises important questions about alternative materials produced and used by sexual minorities. In her conclusion, Mason-Grant considers the implications of her analysis not for law, but for a critical pedagogy in youth sexuality education.

Written by an award-winning author and veteran sex therapist, this practical, innovative, and often passionate book addresses the explosion of pornography use, advises couples on defusing conflict about it, guides parents in helping their kids deal with it, advises people concerned about their use of it, and shows how honest talk about sex can resolve America's "porn panic." When you first logged onto the Internet in the 1990s, did you ever wonder, "What do you suppose would happen if the United States were flooded with free, high-quality pornography?" We now know the answer, says Dr. Marty Klein, as this is exactly what took place 15 years ago. Written by an award-winning author and veteran sex therapist, this practical, innovative, and often passionate book addresses the explosion of pornography use, advises couples on defusing conflict about it, guides parents in helping their kids deal with it, advises people concerned about their use of it, and shows how honest talk about sex can resolve America's "porn panic." So what did happen when Internet porn flooded America? The rates of sexual assault, divorce, and child molestation declined. And yet various religious groups, politicians, some feminists, anti-trafficking activists, and many marriage counselors talk unceasingly about the damage porn viewing is doing to our society. They have created a "PornPanic" that has demonized the recreation of some 60 million Americans. Americans are always ready for new reasons to feel guilty and ashamed of their sexuality, and Internet porn is the newest reason. Wives and girlfriends worry that they can't compete with it; teens use it as a misguided substitute for sex education, often disturbed by intense adults-only imagery; and psychologically vulnerable people get caught up in hours of compulsive porn surfing every night, feeling isolated and inadequate as a result. Fortunately for his many readers, however, using clear reasoning, clinical expertise, and political savvy, Klein shows that for most people, porn is not the real problem. With the experience gained from 34 years of doing therapy—that's 35,000 sessions—Klein asks a simple but profound question: when we talk about porn, what are we really talking about? This book eases readers' minds as Klein addresses common concerns and debunks common myths while identifying what we should be concerned about. Most importantly, the author explains how we can heal America's obsession with porn by engaging in honest talk about sex—something he knows is neither simple nor easy. The text includes sample conversations to help adults talk to each other about pornography, and suggestions for parents on how to talk to their kids about porn—healthy discussions to help their kids develop "Porn Literacy." This book offers honest, thorough, expert information desperately needed by a nation of people driven to panic about pornography.

"At last! A critical look at feminist schisms that doesn't trash either side. Chancer's analysis of the sexuality vs. sexism splits is excellent and also makes for wonderful reading. I particularly liked her ideas for a 'third wave' in feminism."—Judith Lorber, CUNY Graduate Center "Reconcilable Differences brings crucial new perspectives to long-standing problems. Chancer's insights enrich our understandings of gender inequality and the policies necessary to address them."—Deborah Rhode, Stanford Law School "In this postmodern world of fractured subjectivity and incommensurabilities, Lynn Chancer boldly argues for the possibility of feminist unity amidst and through our oft-noted differences. A book of rare intelligence and broad applicability, Chancer confronts the thorny debates that have kept feminists fighting each other and unable to reconcile around even the narrowest of agendas. She argues for the vitality of these debates (around sex, around the culture of beauty and, most tempestuously, around pornography) at the same time she pushes them to new places and draws out both new dilemmas and new resolutions for the late-twentieth century feminist. Clearly the work of a creative and complex mind, Chancer's book is destined to become a *must read* for feminists of all persuasions."—Suzanna Danuta Walters, author of Material Girls: making sense of feminist cultural theory

Paula is a psychotherapist and author. She has been a therapist for over 20 years and has been specialising in sex and pornography addiction for nearly 15 years. Paula is widely recognised as the UK's leading expert in the field of sex and porn addiction and frequently speaks in the media as well as training other professionals. She is founder of The Institute for Sex Addiction Training, is one of the founder trustees of ATSAC (Association for the Treatment of Sex Addiction & Compulsivity), is a current board member of SASH (Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health) and in 2014 became Head of Recovery for Naked Truth Project.

Pornography is menacing people, relationships, and society, and this book has the research and stories to prove it. John D. Foubert, Ph.D., an interdisciplinary scholar who has studied sexual violence since 1993, shares the life stories of more than twenty people directly affected by pornography. He also interviews scholars and explains how pornography affects our brains. In examining the many ways pornography is devouring the God-given sexual health of the Internet generation, he highlights its connection to sexual violence and how it ruins lives. He also focuses on who makes pornography and their motives, recent trends in pornography, and how pornography is changing the way people have sex. Perhaps most importantly, he explains what we can do to confront pornography in our own lives, the lives of our loved ones, and in society. Whether you are a teen, young adult, a parent, pastor, scholar, or you are just curious about what pornography does to people, your conscience will be shocked and your points of view deeply challenged by what Foubert has uncovered about the reality of todays pornography.

Here, one of the world's pioneers in the field of masculinity studies explores the construction of male sexuality, pornography, and sexual violence. Michael S. Kimmel analyzes what male sexuality is, where it comes from, how it works, what affects it, pornography's impact on it, what fantasies men have about sex, what people think about sex, and how male ideas about sex affect what men actually do. Provocative and wide-ranging, these essays make important contributions to sociology, queer theory, American studies, history, and studies of gender, sexuality, and gay and lesbian issues.