Fractelle, "At no point have I suggested banning porn - on this or any other thread." sorry if I've misunderstood or misrepresented your position. Maybe we are just at different places on the spectrum regarding control.

I attempted to answer the question about having a child take up a role in porn. There are a lot of jobs that I'd not aspire for my son to do and which the schools don't encourage kids to take up. Porn is on a spectrum along with a lot of other roles which people do but which parents would hope their kids don't take up.

As I said earlier there are a lot of things which society tolerates but which we don't encourage (and some we seem to encourage which I'd rather we did not such as christian propaganda in the schools).
Porn carries a social stigma which places it in the shadows.

How much of the harm done to those working in porn is a result of the job itself and how much is a result of the need to be somewhat secretive to avoid the wrath of the anti-porn crowd?

I'm not convinced that further controls are likely to produce any real benefits and I am convinced that further restrictions on access are likely to produce real harm. The evidence that increased access to porn has reduced the numbers of sexual assaults is fairly convincing.

R0bert

Quite frankly, on this issue I don't see any difference between the Gibos and Boazys with the imams and mullahs of a certain religion they like to bag at every opportunity.

What really gets my goat is how they like to say "the women must be protected", from themselves if necessary. All the Muslim clerics like to say just the same thing.
It's a slippery slope from here.

We must protect the women from the lust that lurks in mens hearts.
We must cover up the women to protect them from the lustful gazes of wicked men.
We must prevent women from inflaming the urges of men by wearing cosmetics.
We must prevent women from being adulterous by not allowing them to be alone with men that are not their husbands.......

What we must do is to teach our kids to look after themselves. Banning porn is not going to do it. In fact, banning porn is not going to make anything better. Censorship is one of the first steps in developing a police state (it happened somewhat to a mild degree in QLD with Bjelke-Petersen remember?). It won't stop at porn. I for one will resist any theocratic dictates or lobbies that try to legislate behaviour on a scriptural or faith-based fantasy.

Look at all the countries that have banned porn in any form. Look at the ones that are considered 'permissive'. Now, ask yourself: on an average, which ones would you rather live in?

DAMN IT ALL!!.....................ARE YOU SAYING THAT PORNOGRAPHY HAS NO INFLUENCE ON THE ABUSE/RAPE OF WOMEN?

Are YOU saying the exact opposite R0bert?:-

".....The evidence that increased access to porn has reduced the numbers of sexual assaults is fairly convincing."

Posted by R0bert, Monday, 7 April 2008 12:14:21 PM

SOMEBODY? ANYBODY?..................HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOO??

Ginx, Col and I have both posted links to research which shows that with increased internet takeup sexual assaults have reduced.
Col's material was for Denmark/norther europe I think and the material I referenced was for the USA. http://www.toddkendall.net/internetcrime.pdf

My understanding of the US material is as follows

For every 10% increase in internet usage there was a corresponding 7.3% drop in sexual assaults (my wording may not be accurate).
There was no corresponding drop in other crimes stats and the stats were based on state by state figures - eg states with higher internet takeup had larger drops in the rates of sexual assaults than states slower to adopt the internet.

The effect was most pronounced in sexual assault committed by teenage boys - the group who otherwise have the most difficult in getting access to porn (or actual sex).

Simply put they are meeting some of their needs with porn which reduces the pressure to find another outlet.

I suspect that some real hard cases will use porn to get ideas rather than release but overall it appears that rates of sexual assault go down as access to porn improves.

I also suspect that a contributing factor to sexual violence is the guilt and hang ups that some try to attach to sex outside marriage and that exposure to a larger range of scenarios may help reduce that but thats just my specualtion and is not based on any research that I know of.

R0bert

Thanks R0bert.

I've said all along I remain ambivalent. About censorship.

I have to say that no matter what stats or studies are put up here,- (go into these stats/studies in finite detail and one finds that the criteria they are based on can be flawed...,depending on the way one views them. The lies, damned lies and statistics syndrome!)-, I will never be persuaded that pornography has NO influence on the subsequent treatment of women (I have talked to more than one wife who was distressed at being asked to emulate what her husband had watched in a porn video...; don't ask for sources; I won't discuss that further),- and I simply don't believe that it REDUCES 'disrespectful' behaviour toward women.

I wanted a reply though, and you gave me one; thanks!

Ginx, " have talked to more than one wife who was distressed at being asked to emulate what her husband had watched in a porn video"

I believe you on that regard but then we don't get to bothered by other things which might distress a partner to be asked to emulate.

Lifestyle programs and womens mags featuring expensive houses, furniture and holidays is one that springs to mind. How many marriages have been wrecked by one party always wanting more and creating pressure (emotional and or financial) in persuit of it.

The stats I and Col have referenced are relevant in relation to the oft repeated claim that porn increases sexual violence.

To all readers
Really the issue is about an individuals right to control their own body and choose for themselves. The argument that causes me to accept a womans right to terminate a pregnancy she does not want also says that adults who choose to create or use porn have that right.

The argument that says women can control their own bodies in marriage says that the interests of a partner should not override an individuals choices legally (although I believe people in relationships should by choice place the others needs at a level with their own or higher).

If we surrender one group of adults rights to control of their own bodies we surrender it for all adults. If it's OK for someone else's ethical concerns or moral objections to a choice to overrule an individuals autonomy for an act that does not directly harm another then it's OK for other choices and acts to also be overriden.

R0bert