“Guyland” and “Pornland”: Different Works, Same Issues.
Reflection Tag: Porn has slowly become a multibillion dollar industry that has highly affected the culture today. “Pornland” addresses the idea of the problem of violence and abuse in porn while “Guyland” address the struggle of males to conform in society. These two video go hand in hand because culture is a result of media. The fact that porn is becoming such a large part of our media raises questions as to how its easy availability is affecting our kids, in particular, our young boys.
In todays culture, we live in a world that has been overrun by sex. Movies, books, television, music, wherever you look sexual images are being flooded to its viewers, in particular young children, As a result, there has been a social change in what it means to be a man or a woman, a change in which many people place some of the blame on porn.
The topic of porn is interesting because its one of those things that everyone knows about but few talk about. Humans are very sexual creatures despite centuries of attempting to suppress it and, in many ways, porn is an outcome of suppressed human sexual desires. However, the short film “Pornland” challenges porn and argues why it is in fact harmful. Porn has quickly evolved from dads playboy to a lot of different themes and fetishes, some entertainment, some obvious abuse. One of the more important arguments from the film was the evolution of violence in porn. A lot of people are sensitive about this proclamation because porn, at the end of the day, is 10% sex and 90% fantasy. We want to believe in the characters. We want to believe that the moans of pleasure are real, that she wants to have rough sex with 25 men. That obviously is not typically the case but the problem is that the industry doesn’t care. It makes violent videos that show women “acting” and these videos get streamed to people, including young children, who gradually both accept and expect it. I will never argue that all porn is bad and outright evil, however it is hard to argue that at some point porn did not cross a line as everything does; the line when we are willing to sacrifice humanity for money.
“Pornland” goes directly hand in hand with the film “Guyland”. We witness constantly in the media the idea that women are victims of the social need to conform, to be hot, to be skinny. “Guyland” presents documented information concerning the fact that, surprising to many, male culture has also followed the same trend. Men are expected to be tall, fit, able to drink, play sports, have sex with hot girls, make a lot of money, ect. To not be any of those things is to fail as a man which is why men often go to great lengths to reach success and acceptance. This can often be seen in porn. Most porn involves a large fit guy, with a larger than average penis, with a fantasy story riddled with success. This is the guy who the hot, fit, slutty girl desires. Young boys witness things like this and as a result it trickles into their perception of reality. They end up having sex younger, work out harder, their sexuality’s are formed before they even get the chance to really ponder them. A lot of people pity females and for good reason, a lot is expected of the 15 year old girl. However, “Guyland” introduces its viewers to the revelation that being male also isn’t as easy as people think.
Ultimately, regardless of gender, trying to satisfy to expectations of one’s culture is difficult for everyone. Though porn isn’t outright evil, there is a line that has been crossed that is obviously showing itself to the generation who were able to easily acquire porn. It would be nice to live in a world where kids were allowed to be kids for a while and then use porn to help research their sexuality, not define it. For future generations, I support trying to get rid of porn that hurts and embarrasses people. Regardless of what type of porn you watch, it should at least be enjoyable to all parties involved.
