The Pornography Wars: The Past, Present, and Future of America’s Obscene Obsession

Can pornography be ethically created? Is porn addiction a real thing? What effect does watching it have on the brain? Sociologist Burke’s (Christians Under Covers: Evangelicals and Sexual Pleasure on the Internet) new book doesn’t aim to definitively answer these questions; instead it explores their role in American society. Beginning with a summary of the United States’ historical attempts to regulate so-called “obscene” material, Burke continues into explorations of anti-porn and porn-positive viewpoints, drawing on interviews with advocates on both sides, scientific studies, and her own visits to conferences, public events, and support groups. Burke is critical of anti-porn adherents who employ scaremongering to bolster their movement, but her book is a balanced presentation of pornography sympathizers and opponents and the valid aspects of their arguments; she even highlights common ground between them. Key to Burke’s discussion are her stances that a person’s view of pornography is inseparable from their individual experiences, and that pornography can’t ever be fully decoupled from wider societal issues of gender, race, morality, and bodily autonomy.