Outlining the 'Porn Agenda'
Kevin Arnold claims in his op-ed "EndPorn Has An Agenda" (The Dartmouth, April 30) that "the consumption of pornography may in fact be beneficial to sexual health, both for couples and for individuals." His entirely accurate and appropriate use of the word "consumption" exemplifies the problems of pornography. To consume something is to take what you want from it, use it entirely for yourself and abandon the rest. In pornography, the viewer uses the body depicted to satisfy his sexual impulses, and ignores the fact that inside the body is a human being with innate dignity, identity and value. It effectively reduces people to objects. Their value becomes confined to their immediate usefulness.