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From: guest@ccivax.UUCP (What's in a name ?)
Newsgroups: net.women,net.politics
Subject: Re: A suggestion for a ground rule in any pornography debate
Message-ID: <323@ccivax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 23-Oct-85 23:35:10 EST
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Posted: Wed Oct 23 23:35:10 1985
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> In article <10429@ucbvax.ARPA> mcgeer@ucbvax.UUCP (Rick McGeer) writes:
> >In article <2061@mnetor.UUCP> sophie@mnetor.UUCP (Sophie Quigley) writes:
> 
> Ok, good one.  Equal pay for equal work is another good one.  I can't
> think of too many more.
> >
> >>Pornography
> >>does pause a real threat to women, and the solution to this threat
> >>might just include some amount of censorship.
> >

I'm not sure how normal people reading pornography poses a threat to
women.  Rapists tend to be abnormal and with or without pornography,
they will vent sexual frustrations in abnormal ways.  The only threat
I see at the moment is the male who attempts to coerce his partner
into fulfilling pornographic fantasies.  Normally, this would be
a problem for married or cohabitating couples.

Perhaps the real issue, rather than the availibilty and content of
pornography, is the rights of a woman.  In Colorado the successful
conviction of a husband for raping his wife was big news.  Should
a husband be able to force his wife to fulfill fantisies picked up
from pornography?  Should a wife have the right to fulfilment of
her fantisies?  Shouldn't both be aware of each others preferrences
BEFORE they get married?

Sexual preferrences (for men, I don't know about women) seem to be formed
at a very early age, usually around 2 or 3 when the child is out of
diapers and can stimulate themselves.  At that point, anything may be
considered pornography.  By age 5, the sexual preferrences are fairly
well refined.  Even a sears catalog (ladies or mens wear) can be
erotica to a person deprived of all other sources.  Fetishists,
transvestites, and dominants/submissives frequently start this way.
They are also less likely to discuss their preferrences because of
the repression which caused these peculiar tastes in the first place.

> 
> Feminists are divided on this issue: even though Andrea Dworkin and
> Catharine MacKinnon are pro-censorship, Robin Morgan, Erica Jong, and
> Carol Vance (the ones I can remember for sure) are against it.

There are feminists who actually maintain the superiority of women and
promote female domination of men in porn publications run by women.
In fact, the arguments of such authors is quite convincing.  Of course,
the objective of most feminists is equal opportunity isn't it?  Can
you outlaw female submissives without outlawing female dominants?

opinions are not those of CCI and are subject to change.
rb@ccitv2