Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site ihuxl.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!ihuxl!seifert
From: seifert@ihuxl.UUCP (D.A. Seifert)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Pornography, good or bad?
Message-ID: <909@ihuxl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 15-Feb-84 09:36:14 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxl.909
Posted: Wed Feb 15 09:36:14 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 17-Feb-84 04:40:03 EST
References: <212@hou2d.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 41

Pornography degrades people. Of both sexes. ( *Maybe* it degrades
females more than males, but let's not argue the point, ok?)

Maybe porno gives certain people an outlet for their sexual
feelings/frustrations/whatever, which allows them to *not*
commit sex-related crimes.  On the other hand, it could work some 
people up to the point of commiting a sex-related crime when they
wouldn't have otherwise.

So do we ban porno because it degrades people and might encourage
sex-crimes, or do we allow it because it might reduce sex-crimes?

If we are going to consider banning it, we have major problems
with "freedom of speech", and "who gets to decide what is obscene?"
Larry Flint, whatever we may think of him, does raise some
valid questions. What is obscene? Where do we draw the line?
Who do we allow to draw the line? How can we call sex obscene
but allow violence?

Is there some way to ban "Hustler" without banning "Playboy"?
Can we ban "Playboy" without banning some medical journal
which may contain 'explicit' photos?

The Bible contains stories involving sex. Do we ban the Bible?

Is allowing censorship worse than allowing porno?

I suspect that porno may reduce sex-crimes more than it increases
them. {Do we have any good solid evidence for/against this theory?}
If we can suffer a little degrading, but reduce the number of
rapes, this is a good trade-off. (choosing the lesser evil)
While I think we might be better off without some of the more
hard core stuff, I don't see any way of banning it without
opening the pandora's box of censorship.

-- 
		_____
	       /_____\	    "Happiness is a warm puppy"
	      /_______\			Snoopy
		|___|	
	    ____|___|_____	    ihnp4!ihuxl!seifert