Brisbane has a sexual problem caused by the government allowing sex shops to be open as these business's as they are not just business's it is the way to catch HIV AIDS and train people into sexual predator's by repeatative viewing and training people to rape.Men women and children are raped by the pornographic trade thus throwing what is left after the pornograghic trade into the sextrade becoming sex workers.Your have to get into the mind of these sex store owners and all they care about is money and people become human garbage which is wrong.Australian inteligence security organisations are like child rapists because they only care for themselves and the people with the big dollars like the pornographic industry they protect.I am against rape and murder .Remember the family comes first and food on the table as the big marino is slowly dieing.David.

Col you're a sad case if you equate masculinity with consumption of porn. You need to research mens programs and reflect on the content. There is a good book about it all that you might find a useful background. It's called Mens Ways of Being.

Lev do you honestly think that I am unaware of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? You may consider that other forms of media are subject to certain restrictions - classification; times and places of distribution and so on. Freedom of Speech has never been absolute. What's more; Australia doesn't have a local constitution that ensures it.

In any case, I value freedom of speech. Indeed, using your own words a few posts ago, I request that you treat my opinions with a modicum of respect. Col also would abide better by the Article he purports to protect by reading my posts properly and attempting to comprehend them, or by not responding, if reading them is too much of a strain.

None of my suggestions included denying you fellows your immense pleasure in porn. However, there is no reason why it can't fund social welfare and education programs that might help alleviate some of its worst effects. Now, you can call for reductionist evidence all that you like, the more salient question is, "Has porn ever caused anyone any harm?" In which case, there is an endless stream of anecdotal (qualitative) evidence that it does.

As to the UDHR, you might also browse Articles 1, 5, 6, 26, 29 and 30. You might also read CEDAW, which Australia has ratified. It cites porn as one of the aspects of expressed hatred towards women.

Those of us not in the industry nor in masturbation fantasy land, and therefore with no agenda to fulfil by porn's existence, concur.

Pynchme,

1) The fact that free speech is not enshrined in the Australian constitution should be irrelevant to the argument. To argue law qua law is to assume that existing law is always correct (in which case, why bother with discussing law reform?). To argue that free speech is not an absolute is correct; and indeed you have raised the classic restrictions. However the burden of proof lies on those who want to restrict particular speech and for particular reasons.

2) I have read the UDHR, in three languages, and there is nothing in the articles you cite that can be construed as an explicit or implicit restriction on sexually explicit media. Article 19 however is an explicit statement in its favour of its production, distribution and exchange.

3) Likewise WRT to CEDAW (which I can only read in two languages), there is no article which that can be construed as a restriction on the production, distribution and exchange of sexually explicit media. Please show where it cites pornography as an example of expressed hatred towards women. I do not think you will find pornography mentioned in any of articles. It will be interesting to see if you can acknowledge your error on the matter.

4) Your rejection of the opinions of those in the industry is risible. Do you reject the opinions of climatologists on matters concerning the climate? Of plumbers on matters of plumbing? If not, on what basis do you reject the opinions of sex workers on matters of sexual work? As for the second assertion, to associate an overriding purient interest with pre-supposed consumers, is both childish and contemptous. The discussion here is matters of moral rights and social effects.

"Those of us not in the industry nor in masturbation fantasy land, and therefore with no agenda to fulfil by porn's existence, concur."

Is that like saying a homophobe has no agenda to fulfil by homosexualities existance so their judgement on those matters can be trusted?

Those strongly opposed to something have an agenda just as manufaturers and users do. It's just agenda is a different one.

mattermotor, "Brisbane has a sexual problem caused by the government allowing sex shops to be open as these business's as they are not just business's it is the way to catch HIV AIDS and train people into sexual predator's by repeatative viewing and training people to rape." - do you have evidence of that? Independant studies, crime stats matched to distribution mappings of sex shops etc or is that just made up specualtion.

R0bert

Same woman as last time. "Internet a dark age....." Absolutely disgusting display of feminist pandering and thinly disguised misandrism.

Here are the CEDAW recommendations that apply to each article:

Articles 2 (f), 5 and 10 (c)

11. Traditional attitudes by which women are regarded as subordinate to men or as having stereotyped roles perpetuate widespread practices involving violence or coercion, such as family violence and abuse, forced marriage, dowry deaths, acid attacks and female circumcision. Such prejudices and practices may justify gender-based violence as a form of protection or control of women. The effect of such violence on the physical and mental integrity of women is to deprive them of the equal enjoyment, exercise and knowledge of human rights and fundamental freedoms. While this comment addresses mainly actual or threatened violence the underlying consequences of these forms of gender-based violence help to maintain women in subordinate roles and contribute to their low level of political participation and to their lower level of education, skills and work opportunities.

12. These attitudes also contribute to the propagation of pornography and the depiction and other commercial exploitation of women as sexual objects, rather than as individuals. This in turn contributes to gender-based violence.

Article 6

http://www.legislationline.org/legislation.php?tid=99&lid=4712&less=false

Congratulations on your linguistic skills.