Pornography and the First Amendment: A Reply to Professor MacKinnon

Professor Catharine MacKinnon, in a recent article in this journal,powerfully and perceptively developed her thesis that pornographyis [c]entral to the institutionalization of male dominance. Pornography,she urges, is a political practice that causes attitudesand behaviors of violence and discrimination which define the treatmentand status of half of the population. I am not sure that Iwould draw the line between Eros and dehumanization at the samepoint as Professor MacKinnon appears to. Moreover, all the evidenceis not yet in as to the actual impact of pornography, and ProfessorMacKinnon may overstate its role in the subordination ofwomen. Nevertheless, generally speaking, I accept ProfessorMacKinnon\u27s basic position and proceed upon the premise that pornographyplays a major part in establishing and maintaining malesupremacy in our society