RE: Ofcom Discussion
Personally I have a couple of minor issues with the epetition.
Firstly, I'm not entirely convinced that the 'it's sexist' line is really the correct route to be going down, it just seems like such a flimsy argument to me.
Secondly, the whole argument that it disadvantages UK porn producers. That may well be the case, but I really don't think the powers that be will be terribly concerned by that, if anything, they are likely to be thinking 'good, less porn being produced in our wonderful, wholesome, and family friendly UK'.
The real issue I have with this whole thing is the restriction on personal freedom. None of the acts being banned are dangerous or violent or oppressive or any such thing. None are illegal in real life. As has been stated, other more extreme and perhaps 'disturbing' acts are still permitted. So it seems like just an arbitrary list, designed perhaps for a purpose - we can't just ban ALL porn, so we'll pick on a few niche areas that will slip through more readily, then once the ball is rolling, we can add more to the list.
Thing is, whilst I am all in favour of protecting the innocent, I personally am an adult, and would like the freedom to pick and choose what I watch, or read, or listen to. I have my own standards of what I find acceptable or not, tasteful or not, and what I don't like I can choose to avoid, I don't feel I need to be dictated to by others who choose for me.
Today pornography, tomorrow, literature and art and music. What next, books being burned in the streets?
The internet is supposed to be open. Of course there is certain stuff like child porn and violent porn that really shouldn't have a place in any society, but the fact that it is such harmless stuff being banned here is really worrying, and set alongside the widespread barring of websites being exercised in this country, I really fear for our future freedoms.
As far as protecting our kids from viewing such stuff, as with the babeshows, it is surely down to the parents to exercise some control and authority, not for the isp's or the computer manufacturers.
Banning porn, and page3, covering up the Lads Mags on the shelves etc etc, all this does is create a more repressive attitude towards sex, make it seem like something mysterious, dirty, make people more confused and ashamed about their own sexuality. Every other week we seem to be hit by yet another scandal of some celeb accused of sexual misdeeds many years ago, Saville, DLT, Rolf, now Cosby, not to forget the catholic priests, and rumours of a 'sex ring' involving politicians and others. Most of these offenses occurred many years ago in a time before the internet, a more 'innocent' time, and yet these things were apparently rife. It makes you wonder if the reason these things were so widespread was precisely because of the repressive attitude towards sex, that attitude screwed these peoples views up, and either allowed them to think this behaviour was acceptable, or gave them an extra thrill because they knew it wasn't acceptable, and the victims were too repressed to stand up for themselves when being abused by somebody 'famous' or powerful, and too ashamed to come forward about it at the time. Perhaps a more open attitude towards sex and sexuality will actually help prevent these situations in the future.
So for me, this whole attack on our freedom to choose, and on the very freedom of the internet, and the potentially dangerous repression of sex and sexuality, is the real issue here, not some woolly semi-feminist, liberal-capitalist nonsense.
"I'm a featherless bird ... in a sky so absurd"
Sophia - Becky - Mica - Camilla - Ella
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