Pornography: Business and Culture

At the dawn of the 90s, the pornography industry was churning out just over a thousand films a year. By decade’s end, that number was more than ten thousand. Much of this increase can reasonably be credited to the Justice Department’s lack of obscenity law enforcement and the rapid growth of the Internet. The 90s, however, also witnessed explosive growth of sexual content in mainstream media, notably television and popular music. Further, mainstream companies such as AT&T and General Motors began distributing hardcore pornography on cable and satellite systems throughout America. To reverse the cultural decay brought on by pornography, Americans must first examine their own role in spreading the philosophy that makes the porn industry viable: namely, that human beings are commodities to be bought and sold, and then discarded.