> Well, it's gotten easier -- much easier -- since that
> time to make my argument and this war on the
> simulation-stimulation product of tens of millions, a
> 10 billion dollar biz, may be, as you say Chuck, the
> final nail.
The argument that I've successfully used to cut down conservative library activists who argue that porn is not a "community value" is that porn is a community value, evidenced by the sheer amount of money that people spend on it. Porn is easily available and there are few prosecutions of non-child porn material. Trying to outlaw porn goes beyond metaphors about putting genies back in bottles.
> Every conservative, pro-Bush guy I know is a pr0n
> consumer (most light, some disturbingly heavy). No
> one considers it to be a perversion. Not suitable for
> children? Yes, of course. A reasonable diversion for
> adults? Yup, that's the quiet consensus.
One of my theories is that the rise of Internet porn in the late 90s took the wind out of the sails of the religious right after more and more right-wingers discovered that they liked porn. Of course, as has been pointed out here on the list, there has always been this element of banning that which you guiltily enjoy in private. Still, I think that Internet porn brought about a more liberal climate for sexuality in American culture.
> Attacking the baby oil and tissue industries' best
> friend in the entertainment field (it's a sort of
> unofficial joint venture) will not make the Bush admin
> any new friends and will probably lose it more than a
> few.
Don't forget that a crackdown on porn will also cause a decline in technological innovation. It's not commonly known that pornography is a driving force in tech innovation.
Chuck0