Antipornography Campaigns: Saving the Family in America and England

In: International journal of politics, culture and society, Band 5, Heft 4, S. 601-616

Abstract

A comparison of the antipornography campaigns of the 1980s in England & the US. The theological statements of conservative Protestant spokespersons regarding the alleged dangers of pornography are examined. These claims center on possible threats to marriage & children & thus represent a part of the larger conservative agenda of returning to traditional family values. Inherent in the fundamentalist argument is a belief that media images -- particularly those that contain sexual content -- are quite powerful & can negatively affect both attitudes & behavior. The theoretical perspective developed here represents an elaboration of moral panic theory. However, rather than dismiss the importance of religious beliefs for understanding fundamentalist attitudes about pornography -- a problem with the status politics model -- such claims are treated seriously. 43 References. AA