Loading ...- Category:
- Soap Box
- Author:
- Phil Scott
- Posted:
- Wednesday, 29 October 2008
The internet is for porn! sings the Trekkie Monster, a character in the musical Avenue Q. And probably a great number of men, gay and straight, would agree with him.
Accessing porn sites and downloading images has replaced the old activity of browsing in adult shops. This could be seen as a good thing. Sometimes those shops were located in sleazy, risky neighbourhoods. Even if they were not, you still had to go public to some extent with your special tastes: Um, I’m looking for baby bear self-rimming Latinos -¦ It required some nerve.
Personally, I have never been hugely comfortable with pornographic magazines. My discomfort began back in primary school. My friend Robbie’s father kept a porn stash in his bedroom: ancient Playboys from 1963 containing topless pics of Jayne Mansfield. (She ended up literally topless. Oops, sorry. Too soon?)
The difficulty was, Robbie’s dad was bedridden. He had suffered a stroke and lost the ability to walk or speak. Robbie and I brazenly marched into the bedroom, found the Playboys and checked them out. The whole time, his dad lay there eye-balling us, unable to say a word. It’s OK, Robbie whispered, he doesn’t know what’s going on. I was embarrassed then, and I’m mortified now.
The over-endowed Ms Mansfield is no longer my idea of a hot babe. In fact, she never was. I was far more interested in seeing Robbie get excited.
Playboy 1963 could well be the porn cut-off date if the Federal Government goes ahead with their plans to block dodgy sites on the net.
According to a protest group, Rudd has proposed blanket filters on all Australian ISPs which Australian citizens will apparently be allowed to -˜opt out’ from. Telecommunications minister Stephen Conroy says more needs to be done to protect children.
OK. I can see where this is coming from. Most voters have kids who they wish to protect from graphic imagery: disgusting stuff like sensitive photos of moody adolescents. On the other hand, graphic violence is rammed down kids’ throats and that’s just fine.
People are also worried about terrorists using the net to hatch their demonic plans. Censorship of the net is a sure-fire vote-catcher.
But aren’t we forgetting something? Ours is a society where free speech is a basic right. Adults are legally permitted to view X-rated material in the privacy of their own laptops. Harsh penalties for kiddie porn are already in place. And, most importantly, parents are held to be responsible for their offspring.
It’s not the state’s job. If you can’t control the inquisitive little buggers, don’t keep pumping them out.
Piloting the scheme, government sources say a percentage of harmless sites were accidentally blocked. Surprise, surprise. There are dozens of sites with important information about drugs, or sexual health, and others with the words gay, lesbian and same-sex marriage in them. All these could become inaccessible.
Mr Rudd, fix the economy and leave the internet for those of us who need it most.
Tags: internet censorship, Phil Scott, porn, star spangled banter
October 29th, 2008 @ 4:03 pm
The most effective way to stop children viewing inappropriate material on the internet is also the cheapest one. Don’t put a computer in their bedroom- put it in one of the common rooms of your house. Problem solved.