Some would say there is no such thing, they would say that any pornography is bad, somehow likely to not only cause offence but to cause harm. Some, like the Prime Minister of my own Country apparently think that online pornography is harmful to children and therefore must be blocked. In future in the UK we will have to tell our ISP that we wish to opt into pornography, in order to be able to access it online.
There are images, still and films, on the internet that are abusive, where consent hasn't been possible, perhaps with children or vulnerable adults. No right mined people want to see these online. They exist, but I believe you need to look to find them. Work needs to be done to protect the most vulnerable in society before those images are taken and posted online.
Really? All pornography? Adult pornography of all kinds? What exactly is pornography anyway?
Is it a topless picture of a woman, these are currently shown in a popular tabloid newspaper each day? Is is a picture of a consenting adult posing for her or his partner and then shared?
What about BDSM? I am sure it means BDSM!
According to Wikipedia pornography is: "the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purpose of sexual gratification" it goes on to identify that pornography is different from erotica because, rather than concentrating on the portrayal of sexuality though an artistic context, it focuses on the physical sexual act.
I wonder how the government will decide what constitutes materiel so harmful that it cannot be readily accessed. Will it mean some of the images shown on many of our blogs, or will it mean the blogs in general? Will it mean images, or will it be also about writing fiction we consider erotic but others may view as extreme? What evidence is there that we are causing harm to anyone or that we need to be censored in this way? Those of us with young children (not me these days), are I am sure very careful to protect them from information and images that we consider harmful. This will not only include sex, but violence, war etc. The internet is an amazing medium that many of us could only have dreamed of when we were children. Granted there are things we do not want our children to see, to have access to. But do those wishing to view, share and discuss adult pornographic images in the comfort of our own homes need to be protected from ourselves in the name of child protection?
Its difficult i think to find a balance here, of course its important to protect children but i also think its important to respect that the majority of adults want that as well.
ReplyDeleteIts personal opinion what is defined as pornography which makes for a very fine line in some cases.
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It is always scary when society dictates what we should find appropriate. I have been watching this story unfold with interest and yes, I thought to myself about my own blog as being in the sphere of "smut" to many.
ReplyDeleteI expect this over here in America at this point, but I am surprised about it happening over there. However, the stories of those two girls were heartbreaking and really, kind of soul shattering.