First, I would like to thank Nicole Morris for sharing her views on pornography in Monday's "My Opinion" -- I strongly believe in much that she had to say. However, I would like to add a few thoughts to those who still don't see the value of her words.

As a man, I would be the first to contend that not all men at this campus fit the "typical male" stereotype. The men I live with are the best group of guys you'd ever want to know, and the last thing I'd want to do is sound like I'm condemning them or anyone else on this campus. But unfortunately that's the idea that some took from Nicole's column.

The fact is, people can hurt others without knowing it, and even nice guys like us can screw up. We often accept as givens the ideas that society pushes at us, never really questioning the subtle attitudes that lie beneath them. It can come as quite a shock to find out that something you believed your whole life to be harmless actually hurts the people you love. Like, say, pornography.

And pornography does hurt women, believe it or not. At the very least, it's a stumbling block to women who want to be taken seriously in society. At its worst, it degrades women to the level of mere objects -- and I'll bet it's much easier for a rapist to assault what he's been taught is an unfeeling object rather than attack a human being.

Not that pornography leads directly to the act of rape, but it does support a cultural environment where sexual violence and domination is accepted as normal. Of course, most men who buy pornography will never even think of rape. But some will.

And as "harmless" pornography moves further and further into the mainstream, we're moving closer and closer to convincing a generation of youth that women aren't useful for anything but a good lay.

And the fact that pornography aimed at women exists is not justification for pornography of any sort. Even if women's pornography was produced in volumes anywhere close to the staggering amount sold to men, it still wouldn't make the situation "balance out" -- the "eye for an eye" approach only furthers resentment and distances groups from their goal of real equality. Fact is, any literature that degrades and objectizes should be unacceptable.

No, pornography isn't the only problem. But it is one of many problems that minority groups such as women must work against, often without the support of even the awareness of the majority.

One thing I've learned at this University is that so many things we accept as a part of society can hurt so many people, and yet we as the majority never see them. Until we get involved, we never will. My suggestion to the Unviersity community is this: learn about the problems and attitudes that hurt, instead of ridiculing those that try to teach us. And maybe as a whole, we'll feel less pain.