In the October edition of Time Magazine, Jennifer Garner said in an interview, “I’m sure pornography is fine for consenting adults. Maybe it’s dehumanizing, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a place among adults who are aware of what they are doing.”
I’d like to ask her: What place, if anywhere, does dehumanization have in our society?
Porn does dehumanize people through sexual objectification, exploitation and use. It convinces users that people are a collection of body parts for their sexual enjoyment rather than individuals with a natural human dignity that needs to be defended. It also convinces them that real, meaningful relationships are unnecessary, that true intimacy of the mind and heart don’t exist.
To her credit, Ms. Garner does understand that she does not want her children to use porn as their sex education. In this video, she says she doesn’t want them to run across it accidentally for fear that it will construct their sexual template.
The research is clear: the damaging influences of porn have seeped into our culture. It destroys lives and relationships.
We’d like to invite Ms. Garner to come to understand the real consequences of porn use, both on the users and those exploited in the making of it. A woman of her status could be influential in the fight to defend the performers from dehumanization.
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