Pornography is, and always has been, a touchy subject. Opinions surrounding the material are as numerous as the genre’s endless variants. Loud-mouthed proponents and opponents have hailed and condemned porn for centuries. However, author David Loftus said he wrote the book “Watching Sex: How Men Really Respond to Pornography” because he felt one thing was missing from all this debate: the voices of average pornography users — men, in particular. Amidst the feminist anti-porn theories and free speech arguments, “nobody talked to men,” Loftus said.
Loftus set out to remedy this, interviewing almost 150 men about their experiences with pornography. The questions run the gamut, from the men’s first exposure to graphic material to how they feel about porn violence. The subjects spread over a wide demographic — ages 19 to 67, gay, straight and bisexual, and their answers are equally diverse. The author found his interviewees primarily through the Internet but also through friends and acquaintances.
Beneath this discussion, Loftus subtly attempts to debunk the feminist theories traditionally contending pornography is nothing more than an expression of men’s desire to control women. However, the argument doesn’t come across as the book’s strongest aspect. In fact, the point almost gets lost in the swirl of loosely organized interviews, which constitute the bulk of the work. But the writing is nowhere near a failure; the content is compelling, especially for female readers who want to gain more insight into men’s preferences. The subjects’ responses seem extremely honest, intimate and detailed, and turning the pages evokes a feeling of near-voyeurism. Sometimes shocking and sometimes endearing, the work accomplishes the task of persuading men to talk about a taboo subject they have often been admonished to keep under wraps.
“I saw that a huge section just wasn’t getting discussed,” Loftus said, adding that his main objective was to illuminate the subject and widen the public debate.
He said pornography is often associated with unnecessary pain, suffering and shame.
“People know better,” he said.
Loftus, a Harvard alumnus, was born in Eugene and once worked as a full-time reporter for The News-Review in Roseburg; the remainder of his biography is too vast to recount in this space. Loftus was a runner in high school, breaking Steve Prefontaine’s freshman two-mile record. In college, he appeared on stage with Estelle Parsons; later, he wrote freelance stories and even traveled the globe. Recently, Loftus was a contestant on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Now, he has embarked upon what he calls a “do-it-yourself book tour.” He has introduced “Watching Sex” in Roseburg, Portland, Coos Bay and Seattle. He will speak at Southern Oregon University on April 14 and will make two appearances at Stanford on April 16.
“Watching Sex” is enlightening, and curious women and men alike will benefit from its content. The work, available at bookstores now, offers insight into others’ views surrounding pornography and a tool for solidifying the reader’s own opinion. Find out more about the author and read snippets of “Watching Sex” at www.david-loftus.com.
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