When Associate Professor of History and American Studies Claire Potter spoke on Monday about how categories of likely sex offenders were expanding to include more and more sectors of society, she cited an unexpected example—some of her own friends, who are parents.
In one of several light-hearted moments in her lecture, “The Sexual Counterrevolution: Women, Children and the Crime of Pornography,” Potter said that most parents did not see small children as sexual objects, but as endearing beings. These parents send her photographs of their children each year, in various states of undress, unaware that they could be committing a possible federal felony by distributing questionable photographic material. For Potter, it wasn’t so much about the law as her own preference.
“I just prefer that anyone, regardless of age, should remain dressed,” she said to an audience of more than 50 students and faculty members.
The bulk of Potter’s lecture was devoted to tracing the history of attitudes towards pornography and the attempts of various U.S. administrations to either criminalize pornography or to lighten criminal restraints on it.
“The greatest threat to American women and children was pornography, not poverty, according to the Bush and Reagan administrations,” Potter said.
She said that this was not a new premise, and had actually been expressed in policymaking as early as the 1800s, when laws were passed to limit the mail transportation of so-called lewd materials and “rubber goods.” Additionally, successful campaigns were enacted to ban polygamy and to protect immigrant women from the often-lecherous advances of ship captains.
The increasing proliferation of violent sex acts led to repeated calls for the criminalization of pornography. Potter spoke in particular about the Reagan administration’s tussle with conservatives’ demands for stricter controls.
“The struggle with conservatives and the failure to attend to Christian issues was seen as being big in Reagan’s first term as President,” she said.
Potter also talked about the heated debate between the administration and conservatives following Reagan’s nomination of the first woman to the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor. In addition, she discussed the conservatives’ effort to counter the growing popularity of radical feminist literature in the 1980s by releasing the “Marriage and Motherhood” pamphlet, which suggested how proper women of the ’80s were supposed to act.
“I want a man who is manly and I promise to be womanly,” read one example from the pamphlet, as well as other mantras about the importance of sexual discipline within the family.
Potter said that if rape is understood to be a process of intimidation that men use to keep women in a state of fear, and if pornography represents a phallic focus on sex, the link between rape and pornography emerges clearly.
“Pornography is the theory and rape, the practice,” she said.
Following her presentation, Potter fielded questions from the audience, ranging from questions on the portrayal of women in television programs to the tricky area of the distinction between ‘dangerous’ and ‘non-dangerous’ pornography.
“I enjoyed [her] discussion of the power of the conservative movement in pressuring Reagan to implement legislation,” said Namrata Kotwani ’06. “It showed just how scary conservatives are.”
Even for students not immediately familiar with the subject material, there was something to be learned from the larger themes discussed.
“[The lecture] was an interesting way to give government majors yet another look at the way to define left and right,” said Justin Schmidt ’06.
Potter specializes in issues of gender, politics, history and queer studies. She is currently working on a book entitled “The Living Present,” which is scheduled for release in Spring 2007 by the University of Virginia Press. Several of the topics presented in her speech will be featured in the book.
“She is the favorite teacher for many, many Wesleyan students,” said Humanities Center Director and Professor of English Henry Abelove.
Potter’s lecture was part of the Center for the Humanities Fall 2005 Culture and Policy series. The next lecture will be held on Monday, October 10th. All lectures are held in Russell House and begin at 8 p.m.
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