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Sideways 1 Jessica E.

Sideways Gregory Grobmeier PHI 112: Ethics 2 November 2011 Bustice As Pornography on the G4 Network Per Longino, pornography is an image that degrades a woman sexually, is not respectful and is hurtful, where her humanity is not affirmed. I would assert that the G4 network uses their actress Sarah Underwood as a pornographic image, especially when they have her play the role of Bustice, advertised as a sort of superhero. In their advertisement for a month of programming they have dubbed Epictober, they have used a picture of a naked woman riding a bike and advertised The Return of Bustice and her Super-Endowed Sidekick, along with a cut to a male host saying God, that makes me happy. The G4 networks use of Sarah Underwood in this manner is degrading to women in that physical attributes are valued more than intellectual or emotional attributes. This, in turn, leads to her objectification and creates an expression that degrades Ms. Underwood. Furthermore, it is not done in a way that can be considered respectful towards her and is seen as very hurtful. Her humanity is definitely not affirmed by this portrayal and it seems as though she is simply being used as a means of fan service, a term generally used with Japanese anime to discuss the portrayal of overly sexual scenes done explicitly for the viewers (or fans), for the male viewers of this television network. It also does not meet the definitions of what isnt pornography, either as erotica or as a moral realism. It is not erotica in that it is not a representation of a sexual encounter that is based on mutual respect and a lack of objectification. It is not a moral realism in that the use of Bustice

Sideways 2 or Sarah Underwood does not intend to represent a complex moral situation and she was used for sexual gratification. It seems that Ms. Underwoods portrayal on the G4 network is only for sexual gratification of men in a manner that is degrading towards women. It does not seem to teach its viewers the proper way to treat women but rather, that it is okay to degrade them. This is why the portrayal of Sarah Underwood as Bustice on the G4 network meets Longinos definition of pornography.

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