Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 alpha 4/15/85; site fear.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!prls!amdimage!amdcad!cae780!weitek!fear!robert From: robert@fear.UUCP (Robert Plamondon) Newsgroups: net.women Subject: Re: At Last: Sojourner on Dworkin-MacKinnon Message-ID: <289@fear.UUCP> Date: Wed, 30-Oct-85 12:29:29 EST Article-I.D.: fear.289 Posted: Wed Oct 30 12:29:29 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 3-Nov-85 09:01:58 EST References: <3766@dartvax.UUCP> Organization: Weitek Corp. Sunnyvale Ca. Lines: 43 Summary: Newspeak and paternalism In article <3766@dartvax.UUCP>, dnc@dartvax.UUCP (David Crespo) writes: > Dear posters: > As promised here is [excerpts from] a Sojourner article > (Sept. '85) on the Dworkin-MacKinnon Referendum in Cambridge. > I have taken liberties with capitals and italics. > The article consisted of a For and an Against Open Letter, > and a box on the referendum (ordinance) itself. > > --For the Ordinance-- > > [...]. Dworkin and MacKinnon's legal initiative carefully > defines pornography as the graphic sexually explicit subordina- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^ > tion of women through pictures or words that also includes women ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > presented dehumanized as sexual objects who enjoy pain, humilia- > tion, or rape;...women bound, mutilated, dismembered, or tor- > tured; women in postures of servility or submission or display; ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > [...] Good use of Newspeak! To confuse the public, take a word in common use and redefine it. By the definition presented there, most "hard core" pornography (showing couples in sex acts) isn't pornography at all, but most "soft core" pornography (showing indivuduals) is. "Postures of servility"???? A picture of a women in a maid's uniform taking the hat and coat from her employer is pornography??? "Postures of display"???? Health spa ads are pornography then, I guess, since they usually include people showing off their attractive health-spa bodies. There's always a paternalist Dudley Do-Right screaming "I'll save you, Nell!" Don't you feel good knowing that some of your legislators think that women are so weak and defenseless and vulnerable that censorship is necessary to protect them? -- Robert Plamondon {turtlevax, resonex, cae780}!weitek!robert