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From: draves@harvard.ARPA (Richard Draves)
Newsgroups: net.books,net.women
Subject: Re: Pornography doesn't degrade women ...(re: E. Leeper)
Message-ID: <287@harvard.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 13-Jan-85 16:17:15 EST
Article-I.D.: harvard.287
Posted: Sun Jan 13 16:17:15 1985
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Organization: Aiken Computation Laboratory, Harvard
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> }> Defenses for porn are often couched in the rhetoric of free speech
> }> and press.  But I think porn makes a mockery of these freedoms.
> }> All too often it is my suspicion that such rhetoric is used as a
> }> justification by men for their own use of the stuff.
> }
> }Freedom of speech is freedom of speech.  I find Nazi propaganda more offensive
> }(by several orders of magnitude) and demonstrably more harmful in the long run
> }than pornography, but I would not ban Nazi propaganda.
> 
> I used the example of kiddie porn.  May I replace "Nazi propaganda" in your
> statement with that and you would still agree?  I did recognize that freedom
> for expressing political ideas is essential in my article.  But you're
> obviously not reading it very carfully anyway.
> 
> }>                                                               What
> }> real contribution to our basic liberties is made by porn?  We have
> }> an essentially free press without it.
> }
> }The same could be said for Nazi propaganda.  My support of its right to be
> }heard still stands.
> 
> Kiddie porn too?  If not, why the difference?  Please read my comments
> on that again.

I think there is a very real difference between kiddie porn and
"normal" pornography.  I don't think any kind of sex between
consenting adults should be banned; similarly, I don't care what
happens between a porn actress, her producer, and his customers.
The key phrase there is "consenting adults," obviously this is
lacking in the case of kiddie porn.

Rich