Sexual Objectification is Degrading Society

Regrettably, my esteemed opponent has forfeited his final round leaving me no choice but to sum up the arguments I've already made and demonstrate how and why the resolution is affirmed. My opponent's burden was to prove that sexual objectification (valuing people solely for their sexual attractiveness and prowess) does not degrade society whereas I must prove that it does degrade society. Where my opponent went wrong in this debate was citing several examples in which sexual objectification has been used as a tool in the past, which is not only irrelevant to this debate (seeing as how the wording of the resolution implies current society) but also only establishes the reality that sexual objectification does indeed play a prominent role in society - a fact that I have never disputed. While it's quite obvious that sexual objectification is prevalent in the media and all over our culture, the reality is that it DOES currently degrade our society. Some examples I've given to prove my point include the neglect of relevant or positive values in an individual in favor of seeing them only as sexual objects as a desire. As a result, it appears as if we value frivolous attributes over more important ones. While sex and sexual attraction may be important within a personal relationship, how sexually attractive we find someone else should not play a role in whether or not we elect them into office or hire them for a job, for instance. Further, sexual objectification leads to the perpetuation of gender schemas which dictate social norms and create both prescriptive and descriptive stereotypes that categorize people and punish those who do not fit the mold. Yes, we are biologically inclined to observe people in a particular way - ie. note whether or not we are attracted to them. However, to objectify people is to willingly choose to implement that biological process into our decision making about others; a choice that we do not HAVE to make but instead choose to make based on cultural conditioning. Social psychologist Steven Neuberg agrees as noted by my source and citation. Additionally, I'd even go so far as to say that the only real uses society has for sexual objectification is (a) masturbating and (b) advertising. Obviously sexual objectification should NOT be used to establish a relationship - an idea which my opponent has agreed. However, I realize that while masturbating, one is not looking for a relationship but rather just help to achieve orgasm. In that instance, objectification is useful and sometimes even necessary. But again, just because objectification has a purpose does not mean that it can also not degrade society and currently does not degrade society in some or many instances, which is all I've had to do to prove the resolution (and I believe I have). Regarding advertising, subliminal messages about sex help to sell products. However, that constant reinforcement of a sex-only mentality in the media is precisely what conditions us to over-value sex in other areas (ie. giving someone a job based on their attractiveness). So even that "benefit" to objectification can be considered to have detrimental results. Overall, I think it's pretty obvious that sexual objectification in society does far more harm than good. To clarify, some more instances of sexual objectification degrading society include sexual harassment (especially in the workplace), physical domination and other violent or sexual abuse - like rape - especially towards women, in addition to playing too big a factor in important decisions (such as employment or political) and creating near impossible standards of beauty which undoubtedly negatively effects one's self-esteem and subsequent mental health. Also, sexual objectification requires that one view another individual solely as a sex object - not a person with thoughts, emotions or feelings of their own. In that way, it allows the individual to take advantage of the victim (the one being objectified) and use and abuse them without consequence, sympathy or regret. I believe the negative impacts from employing this ideology/behavior is self-evident, and the degradation it enacts on society is profoundly evident as detailed within Pro's rounds throughout this debate. Con's proposed defense of objectification is that it is not S.O. itself but rather the ideology behind it that causes people to utilize it in a bad way. But -- is there a GOOD way? Again, the only benefit I see from the act is help masturbating. Even then, it reinforces our tendency to use sexuality as a prominent factor in decision-making when it should probably not be an issue in typical, every day circumstances. Once again, nobody's denying that sex and attractiveness isn't important and that it shouldn't be a factor regarding many choices that we make. However, seeing someone as ONLY a tool for sex and in no other light only degrades the individual and ourselves and our standards. Resolution affirmed. Many thanks to my opponent -- I'd love to debate again!!!