Do you support the war on pornography? (violent crime, Jesus, government)

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by macmeal

I think we should stay involved in the war on pornography until we win the war--or until we can introduce democracy, at least....

About 8 years ago in Tulsa, Oklahoma the district attorney tried to ban Penthouse and other magzines like it as obscene, but a judge wouldn't let him do it. How do you propose some other strategy to ban porn?

[JessD]

There's always a "war" on something in this country isn't there?

[carlieisodd]

Originally Posted by tkx7

Do you think pornography should be reduced and eliminated from the internet or is it protected by free speech? Should the US government have any involvemnt at all in the restriction of this industry? Is porn degrading to certain groups, does it objectify and contribute to rapes or sexual assults?

I don't watch or look at porn..i just don't find it appealing. I don't think pornography should be eliminated though. It doesn't contribute to rape or sexual assault because the purpose of porn is to put a certain image in your head..an image that a rapist would have gotten somewhere else even if pornography didn't exist.

[Rggr]

Not all porn is created equal. I absolutely think they should try to combat child porn. I have seen no attempt to rid the internet of porn between consenting adults. The efforts I have seen have been to try to restrict access to people that are of age. I think that's appropriate in theory, but I'm not sure how realistic it is.

[charolastra00]

Porn is a healthy outlet for adults (and even teenagers, IMO) as long as it is between consenting adults. It completely baffles me why people would be against pornography as long as these basic guidelines are met. I absolutely think we need to put every force possible at eradicating child pornography, but between two consenting adults? Please..

[boiseguy]

Originally Posted by JessD

There's always a "war" on something in this country isn't there?

funny how that seems huh?
people with fundamentally religious beliefs tend to assert themselves as right all the time.. therefore anything that counters their beliefs.. they declare a war on it.. "onward christian soldiers" right? that mindset has been in the fabric of our society for so long.. and the only thing that has disturbed it has been science.. and that is why many.not all.. but many.. religious groups have a deep hatred towards science...

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye48

There's no war on porn. The amount of money spent on porn in the US alone is staggering. Most estimates are something like ten billion dollars a year. As in any industry, as far as any criminal fringe element evolved, that's what laws are for and they should be enforced.

I have friends "in the biz," so to speak. The Bush Administration has tried twice to rewrite old "records keeping" laws in ways that would have shut down a lot of domestic pornography websites and kept the huge international porn apparatus going strong (18 USC...2257?). It was recently struck down as unconstitutional, however.

The mainstream American porn industry, from what I have learned, is actually remarkably self-policing in ways that you WON'T find for in the stuff created in other countries, so I had no idea, exactly, what the government planned to accomplish by the law that would impact US based companies at the expense of unregulated stuff abroad.

I guess one can't expect the government to act rationally. There's a lot of emotionalism and sensationalism over "child porn," however, and emotions make bad laws.

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

But most recent studies have indicated that it's the females in society that are now purchasing most of the porn on-line. They have an interest in it, and they enjoy being able to buy it on-line and not have to get it from some pimply faced retail clerk snickering at them. Plus women are the ones making the real money in porn. I don't think we should infringe on the rights of women by declaring a war on pornography.

Haha! Well, I don't know if WOMEN are keeping the online porn industry in business.... but an interesting fact is that most porn created and distributed online are "mom and pop" businesses... sometimes husband and wife couples, and increasingly just normal amateur people "home producing." That doesn't smack of exploitation. Self-exploitation and self esteem issues, etc., maybe..... but.... to each his own.

Besides, porn has been moved from seedy bookstores to online, and that is good for neighborhoods.

[boiseguy]

porn is porn.. if more people watched it.. maybe it would better their sex lives and they wouldn't be so anal about everything.. no pun intended...:P

[burdell]

Originally Posted by boiseguy

porn is porn.. if more people watched it.. maybe it would better their sex lives and they wouldn't be so anal about everything.. no pun intended...:P

I think they'd make much better progress by actually attempting to communicate with their partners than by watching strangers on a screen.

[LancasterNative]

Originally Posted by tkx7

Do you think pornography should be reduced and eliminated from the internet or is it protected by free speech? Should the US government have any involvemnt at all in the restriction of this industry? Is porn degrading to certain groups, does it objectify and contribute to rapes or sexual assults?

Yes, yes, and yes! Free speech is one thing; pornography is something entirely different.

Pornography has a genuine, tangible, destructive influence on individuals—and therefore on society in general. Its harmful effects are psychological, emotional, spiritual and in some cases even (ultimately) physical.

It is addictive to the viewer/consumer, just like any opiate. It is degrading to the performers, desensitizing to everyone, and has no redeeming value whatsoever.

For all the hysterical crusading about the eeee-vils of tobacco, I'm appalled that there isn't at least as much effort placed on eliminating porn entirely from American society.