🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <ADNAN.92Aug5081635@redstart.icd.ab.com> adnan@redstart.icd.ab.com (Adnan C. Yaqub) writes:
>1) Studies show that a diet of pornography desensitizes people to rape
>and other sex crimes.  (The effect was more pronounced in men than in
>women.)

Perhaps.  But the frequent news shows, news specials, movies-of-the-week,
talk shows, etc. which focus on rape may also desensitize people to rape.

The basic question at the heart of this discussion (and in the subject
line) is "Is Pornography Harmful?".  I will attempt to show that it
doesn't matter.

Modern media (radio, tv, tapes, magazines) have a HUGE potential to
influence people, often (usually?) in ways not understood or expected.
Seeing three "shocking" specials per week about rape may have the
effect of desensitizing people to the crime, even though that is the
opposite of the intent of these specials.  Does this make them
"pornography", or something that should be censored and/or controlled?

So imagine we do decide to control everything that may have a negative
influence on people.  That then must include everything.
Example: The news coverage of the Vietnam war was very upsetting, and
had a profound negative effect (short term at least) on the country.
Obviously, this coverage should have been suppressed.

This is the point where you should be feeling nervous.  Control of the
media at this level equals control of society through the media.  If
you think that's okay, then we can't ever agree.  But if you think this
mind control is wrong, then ALL things in media are allowed REGARDLESS
OF THEIR POTENTIAL EFFECT.

To me this is what the First Amendment is all about.  Implicitly it means
that I choose (to the best of my fatalistic ability) the environment
that shapes my mind; not the government, or Meese, or J, or anyone else.

Also:
Is pornography acceptable to children?  That's the decision of the
parents, who are in fact allowed and even expected to control and shape
the minds of their children.  But if I decide that erotic art is not
what is ideal for my children, I can't expect society to burn every
X-rated movie.  After all, if I decided that organized sports were a
negative model for my kids, I would have a hard time convincing society
that Sports Illustrated was porn (barring the swimsuit issue :-).

        tom