Issue date: 3/13/08 Section: News

Professor Robert Jensen presents the findings of his research on pornography Tuesday evening in the Davies Center Theatre.

Robert Jensen, associate professor in the school of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, spoke at Davies Theatre Tuesday night in a presentation called, "The Paradox of Pornography: Sex, Intimacy and Communication."

Lisa Cooper-Murphy, coordinator of the Women's and Gender Equity center, said they wanted to bring Jensen to the university because of the significance of pornography today.

"These issues are such a relevant topic in young peoples' lives today, especially at the university," she said. "I don't hear his perspective, the feminist critique on pornography, very often."

Cooper-Murphy also said Jensen's presentation was even more relevant because of Girls Gone Wild recently being on campus.

Beginning the presentation with light-hearted jokes, Jensen continued into an in-depth discussion about the pornography industry and its effect on society with, as he called it, a "feminist critique on porn."

"If we can look honestly at the contemporary pornography industry we will see a vision of a culture that is extremely disturbing … because of what it tells us about that culture," Jensen said.

He also talked about the how the industry that has taken shape as a mass-marketed industrial product specifically directed towards heterosexual men and how normal it is becoming.

"It is really quite striking the way pornography has been accepted," he said.

Jensen also focused on the overt cruelty and degradation of women and racism present in pornography. He explained that there are different ways of addressing pornography and focused on looking at the text or content.

"Pornography is not just sex on film or on a page," Jensen said. "It's sex presented in a certain way … it is sex portrayed in a dominant and subordinate way."

Jensen explained the two types of pornography, features and Gonzo, and the implications of the Gonzo genre.

He said the category is pushing the limits with sexual practices and changing the level of acceptance in today's market.

"You will go to that which works," Jensen said, referring to the increasingly explicit content in pornography films.

Jensen also spoke about the obvious racism in pornography today with the majority of films containing white actors and the few that have other races are labeled as "interracial" pornography.

Senior Meghan Jansen said she thought Jensen spoke eloquently and had valid points.

"It makes me hopeful that people can view porn and other aspects of life in a feminist manner," she said. "It makes me scared that future females will be pressured to do these more extreme, dangerous and frankly disgusting acts."

Jensen concluded his presentation with a final look at the effects of a pornography industry constantly pushing the limits.

"How did we get to a place where the practices I described tonight are routine in an industry that is becoming more normalized," he said. "What it is telling me is that we are in trouble."

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