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Pornography, Temporary Gratification, and the American Dream

Calvin Xiao

The Problem

The premise of the American Dream has been the central motivational driving

force behind many Americans and immigrants that have come to the United States in anattempt to fulfill the idea of a white picket fence house (possession of a home being

widely regarded as a central defining boundary between the poor and the middle class.

This idea stems from the belief that the inalienable right to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit

of Happiness” creates a working environment in the United States (the land of

opportunity) for upward social mobility through tireless hard work. With this in mind,

any person regardless of race, economic status, or country of origin, with enough drive

and ambition could, in a perfect world, achieve a stable financial job and have both a

family and ownership of a permanent home. However, the reality of the situation is that

the social structure developed a rigidity that prevents the aspiring worker from ascending

much if at all in the social ladder. This rigidity combined with the dwindling economic

base of the United States in many core industries that have been outsourced to outside

countries for cheaper labor has made it infinitely more difficult for the average American

to move upwards into a stable and happy life that remains the common goal amongst the

lower to middle class. This has created an effect where the average worker has to work

much harder and longer to achieve the same condition than the previous generations had.

Additionally, less motivated workers must also work much harder as a result of societal

and corporate pressure to maintain their current status quo.



The Commutation of the Proletariat’s Burden

These two effects have created a situation of elevated stress and physical exertion

requirements placed upon the American worker, which stimulates a need for the

employment of temporary alleviations of the strain by sources of immediate gratification.

The general public has turned to popular culture (mainly through the media of television

and the internet) as an outlet for gratification. Through basic economic principles of

supply and demand, the public working class (“buyer”) has shaped the superstructure of

popular culture through its role as a spender, only going to the types of entertainment that

has enough utility to warrant their time. The more popular forms of entertainment

indicate successes in the targeting of the general public’s attention by choosing a

combination of subject matters that are interesting (Game of Thrones, Mythbusters), are

relatable to (The Office, The Biggest Loser) as a commentary of everyday life, or appeal

to basic human instinct and desires (Wipeout, reality television, Man vs. Food), the latter

of which is seen as uncivilized and lower-class forms of entertainment. In the relatively

uncensored realms of the internet, the inarguable most widespread form of entertainmentis Pornography. A Comscore Media Metrix study has stated that 70% of the male

population that uses the internet visits pornographic sites. With millions of sites dedicated

to the genre, it is estimated that pornographic materials composes close to 60% of the

content of the Internet. This is in direct response to the demand for such materials, with a

multibillion dollar industry consumer pool fueling the continual generation of such

content.

Pornography as a Source of Temporary Gratification

Human nature, by evolutionary design, has made it a biological imperative for the

active passing down of the unique genetic code of each individual. In many ways,

humans can be seen asthe engineered tools in

which their respective

genes utilize in order to

be replicated and passed

down. In this regard, the

same biological

imperative has made the

act of reproduction a

second-tier basic human

necessity after food,

shelter, air, and water.

The brain releases a

mixture of chemicals and

signals during

reproductive activity,



including endorphins, dopamine, and phenylethylamines that elicit feelings of pleasure

and euphoria within the brain. Therefore, Pornography may be seen as the form of

entertainment specifically geared towards basic human instinct and desires by appealing

to the parts of the brain that are specifically designed to induce the urge for sex.

Pornography acts as an inferior good for the purpose of satisfying the human

instinct. Upper class elite are more likely to use the more expensive form of prostitution

(“escorts”) than the “lower -class” version. The industry itself has been often seen as

almost recession-proof, as consumer spending may increase during economic downturns.

The consumers use the form of entertainment as a way to live vicariously in ways that

escape the present realities that they are faced in. The inevitable recessions that occur in a

cyclical pattern in traditional economic systems increases the overall stress levels of the

working class as companies are predictably forced to downsize and lay off workers in

response to atrophied profits. The remaining workers, under threat of further layoffs and

burdened with the workload of their former coworkers, are compelled to work much

harder and with more efficiency at the same or reduced pay scale. The increased stress incombination with decreased income shifts both the demand curve along with the quantity

demanded, increasing the profits of Pornography, at the cost of more expensive forms of

entertainment such as the film industry.

Through its use as a temporary alleviation of the delayed gratification of the

working class, Pornography can be seen as one of several factors that help prevents the

collapse of the labor resource in the factors of production. Objectively speaking, the

majority of Americans does not conduct enough marginal analysis or have enough

foresight to see anything other than the ephemeral present situation when faced with

financial disasters. Therefore, without the superstructure derived from the substructure to

act as a support, the substructure itself faces implosions as disgruntled workers discontentwith their situations may revolt against the cohesive forces that are designed to prevent

such a collapse. As an entertainment form, Pornography is a voluntary suppressant of the

urges to effect substantial economic substructure reform that the working class uses when

it feels necessary to relieve the increased stress. The lack of such outlets of internalized

aggression against perceived unfair forces subduing the working class and creating

greater distances between them and their ultimate goals would cause turmoil if the same

affected individuals directed their anger at their employers who ultimately caused most of

the economic problems.

The Average American saves less than 5% of their yearly income. With such a

low average propensity to save, the chances of their ownership of a home dwindle to

numbers near zero as they use a large portion of the money left over after necessities on

forms of entertainment to relieve the stress that being a part of labor factor of production

brings. As a result, many become stuck in a cycle of working to pay off their bills and

feed their entertainment costs, and requiring the entertainment to relieve the stress of

working. Therefore, it is possible that the working class (especially the lower-class blue



collar workers) may be enticed to abandon any long term financial goals due to the

perceived futility of planning in favor of transitory short-term pleasure. If this were to

happen, the superstructure shifts from a supporting role in the functioning of the

substructure as a temporary alleviation of the delayed gratification, to one where

nurturing the human necessity for approaches to enduring daily life under the oppressive

terms of occupational subjugation through the use of popular culture transfers its position

into the vacuum created by the lack of motivational driving force. In other words, if

workers no longer have long-term goals such as retirement or a home as their main

reason for staying in the workforce, with entertainment being temporary distractions to

allow them to not lose sight of their ultimate goal, the same entertainment factors may

become the new goals of the workers, who then focus on deriving pleasure solely from

entertainment with no future goals in mind; this shift may integrate entertainment forms

such as Pornography into both the superstructure, and substructure as it acts as part of the

labor factor of production in the system. As an extremely cheap alternative to a house or

respect in deriving pleasure, Pornography and the brain activity and chemicals that areassociated with its usage may become the new raison d’etre for many.

Taken as a whole, popular culture and the various forms of entertainment

available for the general public usually serves as “pep-talks” for workers to continue their

paths towards the American Dream. Pornography acts as one of the main elements in this

role, with a large portion of the available internet storage dedicated to it. As a biological

function, it elicits chemical activity within the brain that creates similar feelings to those

given by drugs. Through this role, Pornography serves to stabilize the daily production

and operations of the economic system, as it creates temporary pleasure for the lower and

middle working class, with its spurts in usage growth increasing rapidly during times of

economic depression in response to the increased requirement of the working class tofind sources of contentment. Its virtually infinite supply can elastically support the

substructure labor force indefinitely. However, due to the changing environment and

increasingly inflexible social ladder, the American Dream is slowly dwindling in favor of

the fulfillment of immediate gratification. This event has created an environment in

which Pornography along with other forms of pop culture has become integrated into the

factors of production of the economic system, intertwining and thinning the boundaries

between the superstructure and substructure.

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