General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I "get" that you don't "get" the idea underlying the First Amendment [View all]DirkGently
(12,151 posts)I see broader protections for expression than a lot of liberals, but in other contested areas -- hate speech for example -- we still seem to be able to discuss it without devolving into people accusing others of being mindless prudes bent on censorship or what have you.
But this particular discussion appears to be handicapped by exactly what you are saying -- a subterranean battle between perceived feminists and a small core that is really just hostile to any talk about female objectification or entrenched gender-based power structure (patriarchy, et al).
And then we have otherwise well-meaning defenders of civil liberties who I think are just skimming and assuming it's all about people wanting to impose traditional moral or aesthetic objections on others -- not seeing, or not willing to see there's a lot more meat on the theoretical bone than whether people don't like "naked pictures."
I'm going to slip away here at some point -- others have a deeper grasp of what's at stake -- but I wish we could all take a step back, and that those with an entrenched opposition to the whole concept would take a breath and allow for the possibility of some debate with more detail and sensitivity than the overworn issue of whether we're going to "ban" broad ranges of imagery or "entertainment."
Let's talk about harm. Let's talk about toxic culture and the feedback loop between disturbed mindsets and industries built to feed the worst of human impulses. Let's talk about exploitation. We can acknowledge we ALL value civil liberty and still realize that's not the end of discussion.