Pornography: The opium of the masses

Résumé du document

According to Marx, understanding religion is dependent upon the social purpose that religion serves and not upon the content of its beliefs. To understand pornography as the opium of the masses, I won't focus on its content, which would be difficult anyway, since the word ‘pornography' does not describe sexuality itself but the discourse about it. Therefore it is a relative notion, and its contents depend a lot on the historical and cultural context. Pornography, in our societies, is an underground market. In general it's more or less illegal, and the more it's controlled, the more its value increases. The consequences are impossible to fight against. It also represents an important, wealth-creating market. According to Marx, religion is an expression of material realities and economic injustice. Thus, problems in religion are ultimately problems in society. Religion is not the disease, but merely a symptom. According to Marx, religion is one of those social institutions which are dependent upon the material and economic realities in a given society.

Extraits

[...] Drugs allow suppr of discomfort, but enslavement of the individual. Freedom means the possibility of disease, starvation, and misery. For John : a worthwhile human life requires suffering and danger, from which will spring nobility and heroism. The discomfort and the pain are an essential part of freedom, beauty, and religion. sex as a social duty BNW : Individualism. Sex must not have a meaning of creation (the ‘viviparous life' = the ordinary family, no longer exists, banished by the World State in favor of Conditioning Centres) sex is absolutely useless, is just a hormonal need. [...]

[...] But not until their love was strong did the Party intervene. Sex must only be a social duty : to create more citizens. - In our society : Pornography, the opium of the consumming masses mainstreaming of pornography : pornography and ands Jean Baudrillard in La société de consommation : society has to created, to produce needs, because the economy needs them. importance of ads Aim of advertisment : make you believe that buying an object can satisfy all your needs and hopes associates a product to a desire. [...]

[...] Finally : statisfied masses make more efficient workers. pornography makes people forget they lack other things : - meaningless sex : either physiological need, or self-actutalization need in both cases, people forget that they lack other things - instantaneity no reflexion, stability Cf the feelies, the popular entertainment that combines the senses of smell and touch in a movie format : Mustapha Mond describes them as “practically nothing but pure sensation.” feelies : exist simply to soothe and titillate the senses, while leaving the mind rather, one's conditioning) untouched. [...]

[...] "Pornography used to be taboo - something people were interested in but weren't allowed to talk about, buy or see. "It was banned by law, by social convention and religious morality. Now, through porno-chic, it's coming into the mainstream. Pornography maintains a stereotypical social order - Used to make people accept their condition Example : creation of the pin-up : in war Propaganda in war times : women were used to cheer up the soldiers (cf USO : United Service Organizations : to provide morale and entertainment to women and men in uniform. [...]

[...] Pornography : the opium of the masses ? According to Marx, understanding religion is dependent upon what social purpose religion serves, not upon the content of its beliefs to understand pornography as the opium of the masses, I won't focus on its contents which would be difficult anyway, since the word ‘pornography' does not describe sexuality itself but the discourse about it. Therefore it is a relative notion, and its contents depends a lot on the historical and cultural context. [...]