118 of 139 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent analysis and moving autobiographical journey., December 22, 2007
This review is from: Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity (Paperback)
I wish I had this book when I was teaching undergraduate Women's Studies courses! Jensen uses the topic of pornography to cover the most pressing issues facing feminism, and society at large, today. He has built upon the work of radical feminist scholars in regards to applying feminist theory to pornography. He looks at how the industry, its violent content, and access to pornography through new technology, has changed since writers like Andrea Dworkin first tackled the problem of how porn turns violence against women into a vehicle for sexual pleasure. Jensen is successful at attacking the problem from every angle. You can tell he is an experienced lecturer by the way he addresses the typical, and also atypical, arguments that are thrown at feminists in regards to pornography, sexuality and gender. He also approaches the topic autobiographically, (a very feminist approach) and his arguments are stronger and more poignant because of it. Because of this autobiographical angle, his tone is not just analytical, but also one of remorse and sadness about the state of sexuality and masculinity in today's world. But he offers up a new vision, one which I believe male readers will be receptive to.
I wrote my thesis for my Masters in Women's Studies on sex work, so I can wholeheartedly say I've read most literature on pornography. Getting Off is one of the best books on the subject, and he brings the feminist argument against pornography into the 21st century. I admire and appreciate that he does not merely copy the work of female scholars, but rather builds upon them all the while showing how they paved the way for his analyses. I highly recommend it for course reading material for college instructors. This is an excellent text for anyone interested in understanding power, gender and sexuality.
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166 of 221 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Highly problematic from a feminist perspective..., December 14, 2008
This review is from: Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity (Paperback)
I found this book problematic also, but I am female, advocate feminism, and study feminist theory. I don't think the positions that critics of this book lay out as mutually exclusive (feminist v. pornography) need to be so divisive. However, it is the rhetoric of this book, and books like it (Dworkin, for example), that encourage polarized views of sex, sexuality, and pornographic media.
In my opinion, both masculinity and femininity are constructed, and in ways that are damaging for both sexes; women, however, have been oppressed more considerably over history. Nevertheless, I found Jensen's rhetoric infuriating, and as someone who writes about pornography using feminist theory (and I am neither "pro" nor "anti" pornography - I find some pornography progressive, interesting, smart, and highly enjoyable; some pornography I find racist, sexist, unpleasant etc. I think pornography, just like everything else, is constructed in ways that replicate sexism, racism, classism et al, but that does not mean it is lacking in cultural value, or even feminist value) - but I do not condone censorship in any form, and I don't find Jensen's approach useful.
His "analysis" of the women in pornography I found to be particularly offensive. In fact, what was ostensibly a book about male consumers, and I chose to read it for that reason, turned into the usual rant about the degradation of women in pornography, without considering what the female performers might experience in their chosen line of work - or, rather, presenting it as though there is no choice, and that women pursuing pornographic careers are a result of false consciousness. His only "evidence" in this regard consisted of a curious "reading between the lines" of behind the scenes footage, where he drew conclusions from a brief look in a performer's eye. I found this to be absurd. What about male performers? What about women in other lines of work? Are they exploited?
Furthermore, as I have come to expect from extremist writing of any kind, there is no attention to genre, no content analysis, and even though he claims to randomly select the most popular movies, the more interesting and subversive popular movies were conspicuously absent. His analysis of a Wicked movie, for example, shocked me - it bore no resemblance to the overwhelming majority of Wicked movies I have seen, in terms of violence/degradation.
I'm not saying that all of Jensen's positions are incorrect, or that I think all pornography is great; I am saying that the obsession with women in pornography is grounded in sexism, and the belief that the ultimate exploitation of women is rooted in sexuality is a cultural belief repeated again and again, with a lack of attention to why we believe this to be the case. It's an extremely complex issue, and one that should not be reduced to these black and white treatments.
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43 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Should be required reading for every human, December 22, 2007
This review is from: Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity (Paperback)
Every person should read this book. It will make men better human beings, and enable them to imagine a masculinity that isn't rooted in domination over women as a source of sexual gratification. Jensen analyzes pornography from what seems to be every possible angle. His conclusion - masculinity is toxic, and must be reconfigured. He writes, "The call to go beyond masculinity to a new humanity asks people to imagine something for which there is no model. It is frightening but like most things that spark fear it also opens up the possibility of finding something deeper, richer, and more satisfying." Men will not be put off by the book, but rather will be comforted by Jensen's honesty about his own journey as a man in a culture that dominates women. Jensen's tone will put readers at ease, because he is so honest and brings his own story into an otherwise analytical text about culture, gender and sex. This personal touch makes the book easier to read, since a lot of the violence described is hard to witness. Jensen seems to cover it all, and peppers the book with interesting facts about the impact of porn on society. For example, who knew that in the 80's Betamax probably went to the grave because the porn industry chose the VHS format? Getting Off will enlighten all readers, and it isn't just about pornography. It is a book that gets to the root of how dominant cultures function and thrive through the normalization of sexual violence.
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