The Porning of America

In between election news over the past few months, you might have noticed a story about actor David Duchovny’s stint in rehab for sexual addiction. It was hard to avoid news of Christie Brinkley’s divorce, or her errant husband’s $3,000 a month Internet porn habit. Those stories are on view at every supermarket tabloid rack and entertainment TV show.

Non-celebs can walk into any American mall and see half-clad Abercrombie & Fitch models on full-color wall panels, find thong underwear for pre-teens, and maybe see packs of teenage girls walking around with team names or "Juicy" emblazoned across their backsides. Even your granny might talk about pimping her ride. Porn has become mainstream, according to a new book. And the mainstream has become porn. It’s out of the dark, seedy theaters and onto your laptop and your kids’ video games, and in the photos of humiliation from Abu Ghraib.

Fathers first and professors second, Kevin M. Scott and Carmine Sarracino want parents to know what they are dealing with. They spent four years researching their book, The Porning of America: The Rise of Porn Culture, What it Means, and Where We Go From Here. Kevin M. Scott, who directs English education at Elizabethtown College, joins Word of Mouth with more.