In Robert Jensen’s book, Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity, he wrote, “Mirrors can be dangerous, and pornography is a mirror. Pornography as a mirror shows us how men see women.”
While feminists have been fighting the pornography industry since the 70s, it feels as though we face even more difficult challenges than before. We face a backlash not only from dominant discourse, popular culture, and of course, the users and makers of pornography, but also from some of those who might identify as third wave feminists. Pornography has been incorporated into mainstream culture in such a way that many see it as an essential part of our culture — so where do we go from here?
In this episode, I explore these issues and more with Robert Jensen, professor of journalism at the University of Texas. Robert has done extensive research, writing, and speaking on pornography and its impact on manhood, masculinity and violence against women. This interview was conducted in August 2011.
