The true scope of society's sexualization hit Carmine Sarracino when — with his two small children on his lap — he Googled the word "toys."
You can only imagine what popped up on his computer screen.
That experience fueled Sarracino's conviction that sexual imagery, from fishnet-wearing Bratz dolls to "Porn Star" T-shirts in size extra-small, has invaded — and shaped — mainstream American culture.
"Music, movies, ads — really almost everywhere you look, you see the influence of porn," he says.
Sarracino and fellow English professor Kevin M. Scott argue that point in their new book, "The Porning of America: The Rise of Porn Culture, What It Means, and Where We Go From Here."
Sarracino, 64, has taught at Elizabethtown College for 30 years. Scott, 41, recently left E-town for a post at Georgia's Albany State University.
The authors loosely define porn as "sex as entertainment." Subtle or explicit, porn exists on a spectrum, encompassing everything from faux stilettos for babies to sexual humiliation of Abu Ghraib prisoners.
In chapters like "Popping Rosie's Rivets: Porn in the Good Old Days," the authors trace porn's evolution, from Nantucket Quakers using code words for masturbation to frank televised discussions of Oval Office escapades.
Sarracino and Scott, both married with two young children, are troubled by the violent turn some porn is taking — and how a highly sexualized culture especially harms young girls.
But the authors don't argue for censorship or against all porn. In some cases, Sarracino and Scott say, porn can even be healthy.
"The book is not judgmental," Scott says. "We are absolutely not prudes."
Porn has become so prevalent and accessible that to many people, it's like background noise that's easy to ignore.
Even Madonna, who the authors call "the most provocative figure in the porning of America," now fails to shock.
Sarracino and Scott leave it up to readers to form their own opinions on the proliferation of porn. They hope their engaging, thought-provoking book jump-starts a national discussion — because porn isn't going anywhere.
"Porn grew despite almost lunatic, fanatic efforts to squash it," Sarracino says.
"There's no way porn is going to be driven out of the culture."
Pairing upThe idea for the book arose in Sarracino's "Growing Up in America" class.
"It really was not possible to talk about growing up in America without being aware of the incredible influence of porn on the whole culture," he says.
Sarracino, of Hershey, kicked around the book idea for a while before he met Scott, who joined E-town in 2002.
"The Porning of America" is Scott's first book. Sarracino's previous writings include poetry collections and scholarly articles on Walt Whitman.
The book's titillating title expressed exactly what Sarracino wanted to say.
"The mainstream has become so shaped by porn ... the mainstream itself has been porned," he says.
"That's the best way I could describe it to myself."
The authors' research — which spanned four years — was a bit different than studying the standard scholarly texts. But it was still work.
"It does not take much watching of pornography before you cease to be moved by what's going on," Scott says. "It just becomes another text."
In literature, movies, music, ads, fashion and even comic books, the authors found limitless examples of sexualization, from padded bras for 8-year-olds to thong bikinis for dogs.
"You really couldn't make this stuff up," Sarracino says.
Joining the mainstream
Porn is nothing new.
But sexually charged images have flooded mainstream culture as never before, and they're aimed at the youngest among us.
Porn, the authors argue, virtually hunts children, in toy stores, TV shows, commercials and clothing that highlights young girls' physical attributes.
"All the jeans are low-slung," Sarracino says. "All the shirts are belly tops or halter tops."
Porn's potentially damaging impact on their own children was the authors' major inspiration for the book.
Sexualization has especially terrible effects on young girls, Scott says, impacting everything from self-esteem to cognitive development.
So far the authors have fielded some interesting reactions to the book — particularly its title.
They aren't surprised.
"Obviously when you're writing about pornography, that's a little bit edgy," Sarracino says.
But once people understand what "The Porning of America" is about, he says, they wonder why no one tackled the topic before.
Beacon Press expressed immediate interest in the book, which executive editor Gayatri Patnaik says will help readers grapple with the porn culture in an interesting, accessible way.
"Kevin and Carmine's argument that much of our day-to-day life has been, on some level, influenced by porn ... seems incontrovertible," Patnaik says.
"...We believe there's a wide readership for this book."
What's next
Parents, Scott says, can protect their children from sexualization by paying attention, setting boundaries and saying no.
"Any parent who does not educate him or herself is definitely going to be disabled in this fight," he says.
The authors, who are considering a follow-up book aimed at parents, counteract society's messages by telling their own daughters that they don't think scantily clad Bratz dolls are cool.
Parents and educators can provide meaningful guidance without resorting to finger-waving or lectures.
"Hypocrisy never works," Sarracino says. "Kids always pick up on it and won't listen to you again."
The authors don't oppose all porn. In fact, they say adult films depicting women with realistic bodies can actually be affirming.
Sarracino and Scott are disturbed by sexually tinged violence, from beatings of teen girls on YouTube to movies that show torture, like "Hostel II."
But as writers and teachers, they don't suggest censorship.
"Once you begin to censor something that is really hateful and awful, you crack that door open for censorship of all kinds," Sarracino says.
He and Scott hope their book gives readers enough information on sexualization's true scope to spark a meaningful discussion on where the porning of America is leading.
"Culturally speaking, we can't put our heads in the sand," Sarracino says.
"You have to know about this."
'The Porning of America'"The Porning of America: The Rise of Porn Culture, What it Means, and Where We Go From Here," by Carmine Sarracino and Kevin M. Scott (Beacon Press, 2008, $24.95), is available online and through local bookstores.
CONTACT THE NEW ERA: mschweigert@LNPnews.com or 291-8757 
