# Protection From Pornography Week, 2003 **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 28, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135 "2003-10-28T23:45:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/41 "2003-10-29T10:51:31Z")
I’m picturing Dubya and Ashcroft running in slow motion from either ends of a room, in order to fling their bodies protectively in front of a centerfold that’s about to be seen by a poor helpless child (said child probably being 16 or so). In slow motion, while screaming in basso rumble, “NOOOOOO!!!” as they leap, of course. Whereupon their heads will collide, making a comical hollow-coconut-bonking sound, bringing a smile to the lips and hearts of children everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/42 "2003-10-29T10:57:28Z")
Just my own impression but I think the reference was to children _seeing_ porn, not acting in it. I second your request for some of Arden Ranger’s porn! _S_ Regards Testy. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/43 "2003-10-29T11:15:20Z")
President Bush does this all the time. He makes vague allusions to awful things without directly saying anything. It is smear by association. The invasion of Iraq is “part of the war on terror which we are fighting since 9/11”. Did he say Iraq was inviolved in 9/11? No, but the implication is there and the implication is that if you oppose the invasion of Iraq you were in favor of the terrorists. As I pointed out in a recent thread, he did the same with the Cuban government who he accused in very vague terms of “promoting the modern slavery of prostitution”. This allows the usual idiots to accuse anyone who disagrees of being in favor of being in favor of child prostitution. Now we get this. Vague references associating pornography with all sorts of illegal things. The right-wing extremists will (again) accuse anyone who disagrees of being in favor of raping babies. It is all not-so-subtle association. Like the banner when he landed on the airplane carrier. The lies and dishonesty of this president are obvious. This is just one more attempt to draw attention away from the problems he is having in Iraq and other places. Let us talk about the evils of pornography and not about the fact that Iraq has become a mess. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/44 "2003-10-29T12:10:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vanilla \* > \*\*Who was that preacher that he had that final interview with? \*\* James Dobson, of Focus on the Family, I believe. Yet another reason to not believe the veracity of the interview. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/45 "2003-10-29T12:33:12Z")
What we need is a Protection from Unemployment proclamation, with a specific plan as to how to address the problem. I’m a damn sight more threatened by unemployment than I am by pornography. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/46 "2003-10-29T12:52:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jayjay \* > \*\*James Dobson, of Focus on the Family, I believe. > > Yet another reason to not believe the veracity of the interview. \*\* I can’t Believe he would associate with such a vile man. Ted, that is… ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/47 "2003-10-29T12:57:44Z")
I’d download more porn to protest, but I’m not sure how that’s humanly possible. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/48 "2003-10-29T12:59:33Z")
There was a suggestion, if I recall, by several feminist groups some time back that porn objectified and dehumanized women. If my recollection is correct, is that view now discredited? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/49 "2003-10-29T13:14:17Z")
It does. Not much question about that. I think it is simply a matter of feminists being sane enough to realize that on a list of the worlds great evils, it doesn’t make the top ten. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/50 "2003-10-29T13:47:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\*Am I the only one who thinks this has John Ashcroft’s fingerprints all over it? \*\* Eew. -Joe, yuck. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/51 "2003-10-29T14:04:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Erroneous \* > \*\* And on the first page of search results, there’s [this](http://www.nice-tits.org/). (link contains many pictures of naked tits). \*\* I’ll see your tits and raise you some [boobies](http://www.galapagosonline.com/Galapagos_Natural_History/Birds_and_Animals/Birds/Boobies.html) :eek: :eek: ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/52 "2003-10-29T14:19:29Z")
There are some feminists who still think pornography is the greatest evil of mankind, sure. But modern thinking (At least of my women’s studies seminar 4 years ago… Feminists see pornography–And we’re only talking rape/abuse-oriented pornography here, not the regular vanilla (sorry) pornography or naked people in general–as a _symptom_ of the damage the patriarchy inflicts on _men_. Its all about power, and training men to be dominant over women, while submissive to more powerful men. Pornography, then, would be a smokescreen to make men complacant in the hierarchy. In general, the feminist movement has drifted away from “Men are evil, let’s have a revolution” to “Men are just as powerless as we are in all this crap.” This, coupled with the increased acceptance of sexuality in non-traditional women (I’m thinking androgyny, drag kings, legalizing prostitution) is leading to an examination of what people do to influence pornography, rather than of what pornography is doing to influence people. Its similiar to people blaming violent video games for Columbine, rather than looking at the humiliation and peer abuse that caused the shooters to seek those video games as an outlet for releasing frustration by reasserting dominance. As for the links between pornography and violence/corruption, I thought they had all been debunked. Here’s the first Google [Cite](http://www.ffeusa.org/pornography.html) I found. While its a preachy feminist special interest page, I think the summaries of research are credible. While not interested in visual pornography, I am quite enthralled with erotic literature, and will do my best to celebrate Pornography Week appropriately. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/53 "2003-10-29T14:39:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vanilla \* > \*\* > i have a question: a lot has been said about porn causing Ted Bundy’s violence. > Does anyone here agree that his purportedly large porn collection and his own admittance that it warped him was true? \*\* From what I’ve read, Ted Bundy made certain accusations about porn shortly after his sudden and unexpected conversion to devout christianity. No great stash of porn was found in his house. However, if I recall correctly, he _did_ have a goodly number of cheerleading magazines and fliers. You know, for cheerleading camps and special interest stuff. Clearly, cheerleading causes serial killers. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/54 "2003-10-29T15:30:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Meanwhile, in Canada, marijuana has been decriminalized, gay marriage has been legalized, and noone, other than possibly the far-right Canadian Alliance party, would have the gall to declare this week “Protection From Pornography Week.” > > I love my country. I. Love. My. Country. I’m sure the good people at [Little Sisters](http://www.littlesistersbookstore.com/court.asp#documentary) (click on “Update: June 2002”) would agree with you whole-heartedly, if only Canadian Customs would stop seizing its merchandise at the border. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/55 "2003-10-29T15:59:59Z")
Oh, **Otto** , that’s terrible! When they won their Supreme Court case, on NPR, I cheered so estatically in the car I nearly wrecked it. Between that case and Jane Rule’s _Contract with the World_ describing police raids on gay artists, and Canada’s lack of free speech rights, I’ve always felt a bit of sadness for Canadians. At least we have pornography. ::sniffles, glances at Ashcroft:: For now. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/56 "2003-10-29T16:56:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Testy \* > \*\*Just my own impression but I think the reference was to children _seeing_ porn, not acting in it. > > \*\* Well, the rest of the paragraph involved child pornography, crimes against children, and sex offender (who of course become sex offenders **because** of porn :rolleyes: ) ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/57 "2003-10-29T17:43:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Canada’s lack of free speech rights Um… > [@](#): > > Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: > … > b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; > … [Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms](http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/charter/#libertes) As in the United States, of course, the trick is enforcing it. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/58 "2003-10-29T17:45:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bricker \* > \*\*There was a suggestion, if I recall, by several feminist groups some time back that porn objectified and dehumanized women. > > If my recollection is correct, is that view now discredited? \*\* I never understood that. It certainly is true that most of the adult entertainment _industry_ objectifies and dehumanizes and even degrades women. But there is no reason it _has_ to. Sex can be as much a celebration of love and the human spirit of giving as it can be the meaningless friction of mucus membranes. There is such a thing as positive, non-degrading pornography. For something you can pick up, I suggest, if you are 21+, or whichever is your legal age, Phil Foglio’s XXXenophile. In the end, humans are pretty silly looking going at it, ain’t they? ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/59 "2003-10-29T17:47:42Z")
Random, thirty-seconds-after-submitting post thought. Does gay porn degrade women? ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135/60 "2003-10-29T18:00:36Z")
[Cite](http://www.omnivore.org/jon/orwell/Canadian%20Hate%20Speech%20Law.htm) This is what I was referring to, **matt\_mcl**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protection-from-pornography-week-2003/210135.md?page=4)