Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dciem.UUCP Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Newsgroups: net.women,net.politics Subject: Re: Child molestation and pornography Message-ID: <704@dciem.UUCP> Date: Sat, 11-Feb-84 19:26:06 EST Article-I.D.: dciem.704 Posted: Sat Feb 11 19:26:06 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 11-Feb-84 20:50:38 EST References: <301@tty3b.UUCP> Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada Lines: 31 Let me add, though, that I think Martin Taylor's attribution of a decrease in child molestation to legalization of pornography in Denmark is a perfect example of a logical fallacy. That a reduction in child molestation followed legalization of pornography says nothing about a cause-effect relationship between the two. Pornography, particularly in its more erotic varieties can serve a purpose. But the violence- and dominance- oriented pornography commonly available is simply anti-social and should be eliminated by any means consistent with civil liberties restraints. ================ Logically, you are right. But child molestation was not the only sex-related crime to be dramatically reduced when pornography was legalized. It is logically possible that the simultaneous reductions were all due to some other cause, but rationally unlikely. The only crime sometimes called sex-related that did not decrease much was rape, and many people have argued that rape is not really a sex crime anyway. The second point is about violence in pornography. Why is it apparently increasing in N. American pornography (but not in countries where pornography is legal in Europe)? I have two suspicions about this. One is that the illegality of pornography leaves it in the hands of criminals to whom violence is a natural way of life. They like what they publish, and it sells. Second guess is that it relates to the general US love of violence, as expressed on TV. It sells there, too. I'd be very happy with a campaign to reduce the level of violence in TV, but I suspect that there would remain a generation who think the solution to most problems is to beat someone (some nation) up. -- Martin Taylor {allegra,linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt