Break the silence around porn: To watch or not to watch?

By Ila Garg

While most people avoid talking about it, almost every adult has watched porn. Even when they discuss it, it's only done in whispers. The mention of the word 'porn' can cause a catastrophe in the Indian society which is full of hypocrites. If you ask someone about their interest in porn, they will simply deny it though they might be addicted to it in reality. No wonder, Sunny Leone topped the Times of India list of most desirable female stars.

Recently, Supreme Court raised an important question: whether watching porn in a private space should be considered an offense or not. Chief Justice HL Dattu, while hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Kamlesh Vashwani to block porn websites, asked, "Could he not argue about his right to freedom to do something within the four walls of his house without violating any law?"

Pratyush Prakash, a newbie Bollywood lyricist told NewsGram, "Porn, at times, becomes a need. There is nothing wrong in watching porn unless it drives you to do something ill or heinous. Watching porn in private within four walls of house is not an offense, making one is." Prakash here is clearly implying how making porn without the concerned individual's consent is a serious offense. Meghna, a Delhi University student says, "as long as it is being watched within four walls, it is fine until its repercussions aren't visible in public."

Well, the truth is that watching porn is a debatable issue and should be an individual choice. Porn is no evil and therefore should not be treated as a taboo. Excess of everything is usually believed to be bad then why is an exclusive hype being generated in the case of porn? People have different views on porn. While some watch it on a daily basis, some find it over the top. For some, it is vulgar and a desperate act.

Watching porn has its own implications. It can be addictive. However, it should be noted that all people who watch porn can't be termed as addicts. Some might even find it repulsive. But banning it is no solution.

Blocking pornographic sites is futile as people in authority themselves watch it. In this respect, Media has brought several incidents to light. Politicians in Parliament were caught watching porn while the session was on. According to most of the people, pornography dehumanizes women into becoming sexual objects, things, commodities. But viewers feel that women find pleasure in pain and that is why they want to try it for real.

Many activities shown in pornographic films can have a bad impact on the young minds. For instance, some people believe that it fosters "violence against women". Why do you think there was so much controversy around the release of 'Fifty Shades of Grey'? The spanking, beating, tying women with ropes, blindfolding them is all good on-screen but when people try implementing it in real, it can get messy. Perhaps, that is what porn-addiction means and in that case it is certainly bad.

According to a study, the young women are watching porn more than ever. This implies they don't find porn as encouraging violence. While 76 percent of the millennial porn viewers are men, 24 percent of millennial porn viewers are women, said the study done by popular porn web platform Pornhub for Mic.com – a New York-based website focused on news for millennials.

"Perhaps if this trend continues, we will get to a place where porn is produced with both male and female fantasies in mind," the Mic study said. According to Pornhub's data, Sunny Leone is the most searched for porn-star by Indian viewers.

According to the data, 60 percent of porn-viewers watch it on their smartphones while only 33 percent watch porn on computers. "Lesbian" is the most popular search term. The data, however, suggests that the people searching in this category are not actual lesbians.

There is nothing wrong in porn. In fact, putting a ban on porn will only increase the desire to watch it among youngsters. It is the sexual fantasy that often tempts the young adults to visit such sites.

Adwitiya Borah, a fiction writer says, "Of course it's okay to watch porn. It's absolutely okay as long as the viewer is above eighteen years of age, understands the concept of 'consent', and remember that sex in real life is a lot different from porn."

Some married people have a mixed view on this too. While some believe watching porn is alright, others go to the extent of considering it as cheating. At times, husbands tend to draw a comparison between their wives and the porn-stars who look flawless. Also, wives can sometimes feel discontent too. With many forums voicing out in support of women masturbating and watching porn, it's time to broader the horizon a little. Porn should not be treated as a demon and at the same time, it should not be excessive.

To watch it or not is a question that remains after all…