Following publication of my ABC piece ‘Consent education does not stand a chance against pornography’, I have been interviewed for a number of ABC programs and podcasts.
MTR talking sexual assault, harassment, coercion and the role of pornography as a contributing driver of violence against women with host Andrew West on ABC Religion and Ethics Report March 17.
MTR was interviewed on the role of pornography in undermining consent and respectful relationships for ABC Victoria Statewide Drive with presenter Nicole Chvastek March 18. (interview starts at 6.35)
ABC Queensland host Steve Austin interviewed MTR on why she described the porn industry as the world’s largest department of education in her ABC Religion & Ethics piece.
MTR on Dr Justin Coulson’s Happy Families podcast where we discuss how a sexist culture is grooming sexist boys, the porn industry and how we can help young people aspire to respectful relationships. (Justin tells me this podcast had the record number of downloads in a 24 hr period!)
“Given it is the biggest sex educator in the world, given its predatory nature and ease of access to children and young people and given the global research, there is no doubt [porn] is fuelling abuse by eroticising that abuse. It normalises sexual violence.
When boys are repeatedly fed images of de-humanising of women, of extreme torture and degradation (bearing in mind that the most violent genres are the most popular), and are trained to become aroused by such images, they incorporate these behaviours into their sexual repertoires.
..boys [are indoctrinated] into a sense of entitlement, narcissism and patterns of sexual cruelty, teaching them that women and girls exist for their sexual gratification and pleasure.
They become more tolerant to sexual harassment and violence, develop hostile attitudes and are desensitized to sexual cruelty. Porn is embedding new codes of conduct in boys and men, inhibiting them from integrating empathy into their sexuality.
