A Debate worth ‘Porn’dering! To Ban… or… Not To Ban???

The weekly meet on the 20th of October was one that will stay back with the Rotarians for a long time – not simply because it was a debate instead of the usual Speakers’ address, but because it was a debate in which the Rotarians participated with much enthusiasm and got the audience really thinking about a an issue that affects our lives way more than we are willing to admit. For those of us who missed this truly enthralling event, here is a snapshot.. Debate Topic : ‘In the Opinion of the House, Adult Consensual Porn Should Be Banned.’ Moderator : Rtn. Harish Jagtiani Defending the title were the Men’s team of Rtn. Ashish Contractor, Rtn. Anuj Aranjan and Rtn. Satyan Israni. Opposing the title were the Women’s team of Rtn. Natasha Treasurywala, Rtn. Tara Deshpande & Pournima Advani. Rtn Harish Jagtiani proved to be a brilliant moderator and lay down the rules insisting that each team take an absolute stand as caveats wouldn’t be entertained. He touched upon the workable definition of pornography stating that it couldn’t be confined to just nudity or sex because today all this was part of mainstream cinema. It would be ‘sex for sex sake’, catering to one’s prurient or lascivious tendencies or tastes! On that note, he invited Aashish Contractor to open the debate for the men.

Admitting to being initially skeptical since most of the educated have a liberal outlook and are against bans per se, Rtn. Ashish revealed that a deeper study into India’s present situation helped him realize otherwise. Taking it from the start, the very etymology of Pornography emanated, in its Greek genesis, from ‘prostitution’. He explained that though a ban is seen as a violation of speech and expression, if that very speech and expression turns harmful, it couldn’t be accepted. And porn had harmful effects based on three levels – for people involved in the trade; for children; and for society and relationships. It lead to the commodification of not just women but men too, giving rise to demeaning terms and depraved sexual acts. Its negative impact on children cannot be contained as all one needs today is a smart phone with an internet connection, which most kids above 12 possess. With an increasing number of teens and preteens visiting porn sites, young minds being malleable, get corrupt. His brilliant closure – “this is one ban on meat which is justified!” – brought in much applause. Rtn. Natasha Treasurywala opened the opposing account with the thought-provoking question, what is porn and who defines it? She quashed Rtn. Aashish Contractor’s definition as framed by a US Court, “I know it when I see it”, saying that perceptions are subjective to different people. All that banning pornography achieves, is driving its consumption underground. She provided statistics establishing that since 1960, there were lowest levels of rape cases in the US, Japan, Denmark and China, where porn is legal. In fact, the highest number of rape cases in India occur in places that have little or no access to the internet, and how experts believed that consumption of porn reduces the desire to rape by providing an outlet for deviant desires. She said alcohol was proven to be more responsible for sexual violence compared to porn. She stressed that the issue of Fundamental Rights should not be taken lightly and no government had to right to stop people from watching porn in the privacy of their homes. She emphasized that banning porn was not the answer and we should try and change the mindsets of people through education. Next, the moderator called upon Rtn. Anuj to present his case. Rtn. Anuj Aranjan highlighted the interconnectedness of porn and sex trafficking by quoting Dr. Sunita Krishnan, one of last year’s speakers, a crusader against sex trafficking and exploitation. He explained how porn hides the ugly underbelly of its not being consensual, and how it drives the demands for sex trafficking, saying, “if prostitution is the main act, then porn is the dress rehearsal”. He said most women in the industry are there because of a lack of choice and consent is only in a very degraded and demented sense of the word. He shared heart-wrenching quotes from female porn artists who shared the sadder side to this mentally and physically torturous reality. The audience was shocked when he mentioned that there are over three The Rotarians’ Debate (Cont. From Page 1) Rtn. Natasha Treasurywala emphasises the subjective nature of the question, ‘What is porn and who defines it?’ Making a strong case, Rtn. Anuj passionately debates on the co-dependency between porn and sex trafficking October 27 to November 2, 2015 The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 5 million minors brought into sex trafficking every year, largely for porn production. He ended reiterating that pornography and sexual exploitation are interconnected and cause deep harm. Next to oppose the ban was Rtn. Tara saying they were defending democracy. She brought in the much needed splash of humour with her puns and quips, stating that by the end of the debate she and her team-mates would ensure everyone would leave the room a “porn-again Rotarian!” She spoke of how in the US a large number of couples who watch porn together lead happier married lives, with greater levels of loyalty and peace. So porn should not be considered a ‘vice’ but a ‘social service’, calling Sunny Leone a social activist, not a pornstar! On a more serious note she made a strong impact with her statement, “you cannot make porn illegal until you make the internet illegal!” Further validating it saying if you banned porn movies, you’d need to take down Khajuraho as well! Again, bringing in the question, who and what really defines porn? She quelled the connection made by the opposing team between exploitation of women and porn, saying it has never been proven. And how we needed to pay more attention to gun control than porn control! Rtn. Satyan Israni came in next with two fervent submissions supporting the ban: First – that porn was addictive, unhealthy – leading to reclusiveness and anti-social attitudes. He proffered a scientific explanation as to how porn addicts suffered loss of libido, and how it broke relationships, as addicts end up with a distorted sense of reality, nurturing unreal expectations of partners. His second submission explained how porn lead to increase in sexual crimes and as per studies, rape was the fasting growing crime amongst juveniles in India. In an applauded closure, he shared a poem he penned himself: “Freedom of sex is a must, But in your own ability you must trust. For porn is craved Only by those depraved And whose morality has bitten the dust!!” The last speaker, Rtn Pournima started out emphasizing how defining porn has been a virtual impossibility through centuries as it is extremely subjective. If you could strengthen the mind to not entertain anything that is prurient, then no ban would be required! The answer lay in empowering and strengthening education on life and living. She shared her experience in observing how letting authorities issue bans meant simply issuing licenses to corrupt, and how “the more you prohibit, the more excitement it creates.” Her solution-centric closure comprised how the best corrective societal approach would be women empowerment and sensitization of men. After the last round, the moderator gave Rtn.Ashish a minute for rebuttals and he spruced up the mood with his humor, though succinctly making his point. It was now time for the audience to decide the winner by a show of hands, which went in the favor of the Ladies winning the debate! The debate ended with the President Sonya Mehta thanking Rtn. Harish Jagtiani for his buoyant moderating skills and congratulating the Ladies and all the participants for a scintillating show!