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Let us start this discussion by defining what we mean by pornography. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary it is "the depiction of erotic behavior intended to cause sexual excitement." It comes in many forms and through numerous mediums; the internet, top-shelf magazines, late night television channels and public telephone boxes to name but a few.

The vast majority of us have had some exposure to pornography and ordinarily this poses very little, if any, harm to society. However, certain individuals who indulge in watching harder or taboo types of pornographic imagery or perhaps all too frequently gratify themselves with constant observation may put society at risk, whether this be consciously or not.

To exemplify, pornography has a tendency to cheapen the act of love making. Sex very often appears to be a loveless union, fuelled purely by animalistic lust. This can, in turn, slip into the viewer's subconscious causing them to believe that sex is for pure self-gratification. Pornography omits the self-less love that, in reality, exists between two partners very much in love.

Further to this, sexual obscenity objectifies both men and women as mere sexual tools, for the benefit of sexual favors. Therefore consistent exposure to this material may make the consumer view members of the opposite sex as simply sex toys. This can have disastrous effects on society. Men or women may seek a mate just for lewd sexual experiences and harbor no respect for them as a person. Casual sex and all its damaging consequences is something that has plagued society for the last few decades. Pornography only serves to instigate this sort of careless attitude towards an act which should be born out of deep love and mutual respect.

There is an even more sinister side to the potential power of pornography. Some become obsessed with watching such graphic images and this ignites their thirst for sexual encounters in real life. They may find themselves helplessly addicted to sex. This very often leads to sexual abuse crimes and cases of rape. We don't need to go into why indeed this is so detrimental to a healthy community. Child pornography, particularly, is a huge problem in society today; the advent of such disgraceful material is a constant threat to us as a populace.

As briefly aforementioned, the accessibility of pornography is easy and most prevalent in comparison to the past. The dawn of the internet (found in virtually all homes now), numerous television stations devoted

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