Walker - Pornography, black and white

Alice Walker's presentation of pornography as an industry that us not only sexist but incredibly racist  shed a light on the topic that I had never considered. I always thought of pornography as de-humanizing and objectifying women, but I never realized that there was a difference in the way that white women and black women are portrayed. I think this goes to show that the sex industry appeals to the most base part of men (I say men on purpose; whether women watch porn or not, it is the men of society who are the targeted consumers). Walker illustrates that this debasing industry dehumanizes not only porn stars but also the consumers; the husband in her story was detached from himself and unable to honestly make love with his wife, because he realized that he would have to face himself if he did.  It is incredibly important to realize that pornography affects people differently; be you male, female, black, white, lesbian, gay, or anything in between those falsely dichotomized categories, be addicted to pornography or having a partner who is not only damages relationships but also a persons sense of self. It changes the landscape of our society, and reinforces the worst of the sexist, racist, and gendered stereotypes. Sadly, I don't know what the answer is to this predicament because pornography (as a form of prostitution) is jokingly referred to as the oldest industry in the world; it will only go away once demand goes away. And one way to get rid of the demand is by acting like the strong female in this story, who rather than ignoring it or sweeping it under the rug, confronts the disgusting racism and sexism of pornography and forces those around her to confront it as well.