News Sign This Petition - Ban Rape Pornography

[Pencil]

I don't believe that legislating against consenting adults doing something they want to do is the road to keeping people safe.

I think the point here is NOT play-acting getting raped. That people can do to their hearts' content - and I fully agree with you.

The issue is (recording and) distribution of these in whatever form for public enjoyment.

 

[rightkindofme]

I don't feel terribly comfortable arguing on this topic. I understand why people want it banned--I truly do. I was raped quite a bit as a child. Yes I've had pictures taken of me that were incredibly upsetting. Not many people have pictures of their own hanging but I do.

I understand all of the feelings and emotions that revolve around this topic. I do understand how upsetting this material is. I do not believe that making it illegal will actually effect the prevalence of rape and that is what I am concerned with.

 

[rightkindofme]

I live in the US. Here our rules on freedom of speech and freedom of expression are very liberal. If you don't like something you are free to not watch. That doesn't mean that you get to decide that someone else shouldn't watch it. I think I am heavily biased by my culture of origin. Given that this is a UK petition maybe the basic culture is different enough that my opinion is irrelevant. That has happened before.

 

[Pencil]

I do not believe that making it illegal will actually effect the prevalence of rape

But this is NOT the point.

Perhaps we should establish what the point is, and all get on the same page.

 

[Pencil]

I always find it interesting that the same liberal people who condemn something like racist jokes would condemn censure in other forms. I have a major issue with how liberalism is being forced to form itself. But then again, this is also not the point of this thread :D.

 

[Lost Pup]

I think Rape Crisis South London's findings show that it isn't happening without the law.

That may be true. My point is that I do not believe the law is an effective way to legislate human behavior and society. In the end it creates new forms of harm, I feel. Hard as it may be, I believe things like this can only be effectively addressed by deeply addressing human psychology and well being. IOW, what is going on in the larger world, culture and society that there is even an audience for this kind of material? That is an infinitely more difficult task but, I think, entirely possible.

My own reasons for being wary of granting more authority to the law, state and police are just as much informed by my own sexual abuse as another person's reasons for wanting laws like this one - I don't trust authority, fundamentally. I've experienced its corruption too personally.

I can hear the passion and concern of others here who are in favor of this petition and the argument it represents and I respect that. At the same time, it seems like an extremely good example of a complicated question with lots of intelligence and compassion manifest in different opinions.

I think there is a lot of room for respectful disagreement.

 

[anthony]

Maybe people should be posting some of these off-topic aspects as debates... so they can be discussed?