A summary for those that haven’t been keeping up with this series:
I found a bunch of 5.25″ disks at a thrift store a number of years ago. I finally got around to acquiring a 5.25″ disk drive and extracting the contents a while back. Since then I have been posting the contents here.
Based on the contents, at least some of these disks were apparently once owned by someone named Connie A. Buys who used to run the “Close Encounters” Special Interest Group (SIG) on Delphi in the mid 1980s.
A specific definition of this SIG was found in a previous document on one of the disks: “This SIG, known as “Close Encounters”, is a forum for the discussion of relationships that develop via computer services like the Source, CompuServe, and Delphi. Our primary emphasis is on the sexual aspects of those relationships.”
Everything was text based from whatever terminal program you used to dial in to Delphi’s servers. Many of these disks have forum messages, e-mails and chat session logs. All of this is pre-internet stuff and I don’t know if there are any archives in existence today of what was on Delphi in the 1980s. In any case, much of this stuff would have been private at the time and some of it is quite personal.
I’ve been splitting up the contents of this disk (descriptively labeled “File Disk”) since it contains a number of documents, some of which are pretty long. A 5.25″ floppy disk can still hold an impressive amount of info when it is just text. (see the previous parts here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13).
The contents of this post includes the contents from two related documents. The first (PRONPOLL.DOC) is an announcement about a pornography poll in Women’s Day Magazine and the second (WDPOLLS.DOC) is the results of the same poll (I think) taken on the Close Encounters Sig on Delphi along with some comments.
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PRONPOLL.DOC
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The 8/13/85 issue of Woman's Day magazine is taking a Pornography
Survey.
We have posted the questions from the survey in our Poll area here in
the sig and ask that each of you answer them at our convenience.
However if you are interested in letting Woman's Day know your
opinions on pornography, then send your answers in writing to the
following address:
.lt
Pornography Survey
Woman's Day
1515 Broadway
New York, New York, 10036
.el
Ellen Levine, editor of Woman's Day, is a member of the commission
appointed by General Edwin Meese to investigate the "nature, extent,
and impact on society of pornography." The commission will hold
public hearings in Washington, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami
and New York and later issue a report. Ms. Levine is the only
journalist in the group.
===
WDPOLLS.DOC
===
bro
1. WD PORNO SURVEY #1, created by CABUYS.
Creation date: OCT 5,1985
In your community, pornography has become....
CHOICE VOTES PERCENT
------ ----- -------
more available 3 15%
less available 7 35%
no change 10 50%
2 0 0%
2 0 0%
-----
TOTAL VOTE: 20
Type "VOTE" to vote, "READ" to read comments, for next poll: read
Comments:
VIDEO RENTALS
Type "VOTE" to vote, "READ" to read comments, for next poll:
2. WD PORNO SURVEY #2, created by CABUYS.
Creation date: OCT 5,1985
Do you think pronography encourages violence against women?
CHOICE VOTES PERCENT
------ ----- -------
Yes 2 11%
No 14 77%
Undecided 2 11%
-----
TOTAL VOTE: 18
Type "VOTE" to vote, "READ" to read comments, for next poll: read
Comments:
I'm basing my vote on the type of good fun pornography I enjoy...not the S&M.
WHO EVER CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF A CONNECTION BETWEEN SEX AND VIOLENCE? THE
LAST THING ON MY MIND BEFORE, DURING, OR AFTER SEX IS KICKING ASS.
Violent porno does encourage violence against women. I don't think erotic porno
not if the person envolved is not already strange.
There has never been shown a correlation between the two, despite what beliefs p
DEPENDS ON THE QUALITY OF THE PORNOGRAPHY
Type "VOTE" to vote, "READ" to read comments, for next poll:
3. WD PORNO SURVEY #3, created by CABUYS.
Creation date: OCT 5,1985
Do you have reason to believe your children have been harmed by any exposure to
pornography?
CHOICE VOTES PERCENT
------ ----- -------
Yes 2 15%
No 10 76%
Don't Know 0 0%
I do not have childr 1 7%
-----
TOTAL VOTE: 13
Type "VOTE" to vote, "READ" to read comments, for next poll: read
Comments:
IT'S NOT PORNO THAT HARMS CHILDERN, IT'S SICK PEOPLE
Type "VOTE" to vote, "READ" to read comments, for next poll:
4. WD PORNO SURVEY #4, created by CABUYS.
Creation date: OCT 5,1985
Have you ever been sexually abused by someone you know as a direct result of his
access to pornographic materials?
CHOICE VOTES PERCENT
------ ----- -------
Yes 0 0%
No 12 100%
Don't Know 0 0%
-----
TOTAL VOTE: 12
Type "VOTE" to vote, "READ" to read comments, for next poll: read
Comments:
I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABUSED AT ALL, BUT BE SERIOUS, IF A PERSON HAS JUST BEEN
SEXUALLY ABUSED, OR RAPED WHO IS GOING TO ASK "BY THE WAY, DID YOU JUST READ
HUSTLER
not applicable
Type "VOTE" to vote, "READ" to read comments, for next poll:
5. WD PORNO SURVEY #5, created by CABUYS.
Creation date: OCT 5,1985
All pornography should be illegal.
CHOICE VOTES PERCENT
------ ----- -------
STRONGLY AGREE 0 0%
AGREE 0 0%
UNCERTAIN 0 0%
DISAGREE 3 18%
STRONGLY DISAGREE 13 81%
-----
TOTAL VOTE: 16
Type "VOTE" to vote, "READ" to read comments, for next poll: read
Comments:
I do not like the violent and child types of pornography!
NO ONE CAN DEFINE PRONOGRAPHY. THE MYTHS OIF THE WICKIN IMPIOUS GALLILEANS HAVE
ALL SORTS OF RAUNCH, BUT THEY ALL LIKE TO PRETEND THAT IT IS FULL OF MORAL
LESSONS. tHE TRUTH IN SUCH DOCUMENTS AS THE METAMORPHOSES IS USUALLY
REGARDED AS UNFIT BY THESE PEOPLE.
*SOME* pornography should be banned, such as child porn and real S & M junk.
freedom of expression rules here
NO ONE WILL TELL ME WHAT I CAN OR CANNOT READ!!
Type "VOTE" to vote, "READ" to read comments, for next poll:
6. WD PORNO SURVEY #6, created by CABUYS.
Creation date: OCT 5,1985
Access to and sale of pornography to minors should be illegal.
CHOICE VOTES PERCENT
------ ----- -------
STRONGLY AGREE 6 31%
AGREE 7 36%
UNCERTAIN 1 5%
DISAGREE 2 10%
STRONGLY DISAGREE 3 15%
-----
TOTAL VOTE: 19
Type "VOTE" to vote, "READ" to read comments, for next poll: read
Comments:
WHO DECIDES WHAT AGE?
Type "VOTE" to vote, "READ" to read comments, for next poll:
7. WD PORNO SURVEY #7, created by CABUYS.
Creation date: OCT 5,1985
Censorship is dangerous; pornography should not be controlled at all.
CHOICE VOTES PERCENT
------ ----- -------
STRONGLY AGREE 7 41%
AGREE 1 5%
UNCERTAIN 4 23%
DISAGREE 3 17%
STRONGLY DISAGREE 2 11%
-----
TOTAL VOTE: 17
Type "VOTE" to vote, "READ" to read comments, for next poll: read
Comments:
I t should be controlled to a degree there is sexual pornography and
pornographic violence... the former may be allowable - the latter is not.
Type "VOTE" to vote, "READ" to read comments, for next poll:
8. SEXUAL POSITIONS, created by RODM.
Creation date: OCT 6,1985
How many sexual positions have you experienced ?
CHOICE VOTES PERCENT
------ ----- -------
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I guess the results of the last question will have to forever remain a mystery because that’s where the document ends…