I went to the Sexpo website earlier to buy tickets for Gam and I, and I came across an ad that led to this site. It's a campaign for the sale of non-violent adult films to be made legal in adult stores in the Australian states in which it's currently illegal (Queensland being one of them). I added the following to their form letter before sending it off:
I'm an adult, and I enjoy adult entertainment. Most Australians believe that the sale of this material should be legal. There is no good reason why the Queensland government has not overturned its ridiculously out-of-date laws pertaining to X18+ non-violent erotica, and I would like to see Queensland get with the 21st century. For crying out loud, it's legal for smokers to puff carcinogenic smoke on me every time I step out in public, but it's not legal for me to purchase a porn film in an adult store to watch with my husband in the privacy of our home, when doing so causes nobody any harm whatsoever. Bloody ridiculous.
Yours sincerely,
Sarah
After sending it off, a 'thankyou' page came up where the 'i love sex' campaign suggest sending off a pro-porn email from the website of right wing nutbags the Australian Christian Lobby. A nicely subversive idea, I thought, and clicked the link to the site.
Oh my god. It is disgusting. The website has pictures of little kids all over it, interspersed with anti-porn statements. They are trying to link adult erotic films, made available only to people over 18 years of age, with little children. There is something about people that think of little children whenever porn is mentioned that I find so incredibly creepy. Their 'pollie mail' campaign has also closed, funnily enough.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, they have an entire section blaming the existence of child abuse in aboriginal communities entirely on porn. They also have a link to Adele Horin's anti-porn polemical from May last year, saying it 'clearly shows how porn is wrecking relationships'.
Utter nutters.
14 comments:
That is a disturbing site...fucking nutjobs. I guess when you run a campaign against something, fear is the best way to do it.
In my opinion, the problem of sexual abuse in remote communities is not the porn. Far more damaging is the overcrowding in housing that means that consenting adults can't have sexual contact without 15 kids watching. And we all know that kids mimic adults.
Then you've got the lack of sexual education (both school based and from elders in the community); the appalling levels of alcohol consumption; a lack of education and counselling for sexual abuse perpetrators and victims; and the lack of things for kids to do. Boredom breeds mischief whether it be through drugs, alcohol, inhalants or sexual activity.
Unfortunately Howard wasn't interested in that stuff...it wasn't sexy enough when they were clutching at electoral straws.
But Nyree, you seem to be suggesting there are complex reasons for the situation as it exists in some remote Aboriginal communities. How can that possibly be the case?
there's also the problem that, lacking any empirical evidence, the problem of child abuse in idigenous communities might be over stated. since howard's intervention there haven't been any prosecutions for child sexual abuse as a result of the intervention.
I'm by no means a prude, but I have many issues about my sexuality and myself in general that I can definately attribute to my experience with porn. I'm NOT saying it should be banned, between adults who understand the concept I say go nuts, whatever works for you. But please be aware that it can cause harm. It certainly isn't the cause of all evil, but it doesn't help.
Sarah - I know - maybe if the Aborigines just accepted the fact that they are bad for being born Aboriginal then this whole mess could just be avoided.
Gam - in terms of prosecutions, it's true there haven't been any since the Intervention. It was the same before the Intervention and it's not through a lack of trying. Prosecutions for sexual abuse are notoriously difficult to get in remote communities.
Many of the people don't report the abuse or they report the abuse but don't name the perpetrator for fear of reprisals. Many don't feel comfortable reporting to a white police officer (especially if they're new and there isn't a trust established) and some communities don't even have a police officer. Many victims are threatened with payback or further physical violence if they speak out. Some are bought with petrol, alcohol, cigarettes etc. Culturally, girls won't talk to a male police officer and vice versa. Many of the victims have seen it happen to others and just accept that it's "normal."
It's tricky but if anything, abuse is understated, not overstated and it needs to be fixed.
I highly recommend the Wild Anderson report...it's spin free!
anonymous, i don't suppose you could give us some idea of how you've been harmed by porn? i'd like to understand where you're coming from.
nyree, i was trying to make the point that we know more about the elevated levels of child sexual assault, alcohol abuse and chronic dependence on welfare in sydney's western suburbs than we do about remote indigenous communities. yet as a nation we're willing to send in the army without any actual incidence studies or population surveys and quarantine peoples' welfare payments. my point is, why does this fly when it's indigenous communities but not when it's howard's battlers?
we've already found out about the endemic, oganisational child sexual abuse in several mainstream, organised religions yet we didn't send the army into churches or send doctors with rape kits to every parish.
the intervention is flawed and doomed to fail because we haven't bothered to actually figure out the incidence of the problem and contributing factors first. we haven't consulted with the communities in question to get their input. this hasn't been done because we're still stuck in a mentality of having to reach down and help them up. it's a patriarchal, patronising mission of mercy with no clue about the scale of the problem armed with nothing more than good intentions. the most dangerous thing in the world for an indigenous person anywhere on earth, good intentions.
i hope you can see what i'm driving at. i'm not suggesting that everyone should just go home and forget it. i'm just saying that at this stage it's more a solution looking for a problem.
Gam, I will fill you in, now is not a good time, but I'll have a think and get back to you. It's not something I've ever really talked about, but being anonymous helps. I've never talked about it at all, now that I think about it. I worry that whoever I tell won't think it's a big deal. Thanks for at least asking, I hope your motives are pure.
Anon- if you'd prefer, you can use the email address in my profile, or if you'd like us to put your response up as a guest post just let us know. I can guarantee Gam didn't ask with the motive of ridiculing you- we're not against people having their own opinions, just people who try and impose their way of living on others.
Good call. Porn is like anything. Taken to excess it can cause issues. It's not the cause of issues.
In some relationships the sexual dynamic is a poor one - porn provides a release for the more sexed partner. That's life, that's how it goes.
Porn is like abortion. If you don't like it, don't use it. QED.
1. purchase a porn film in an adult store to watch with my husband (Im)moral high ground, I love it!
2. The indigenous thing is crazy, hey. I recall someone (Lefty?) this time last year writing about how when you're living in abject poverty, mail order porn including DVD players = pretty hard to believe.
3. Have you noticed how the Family Association is getting more airtime lately? I thought they'd happily died, ugh. Meanwhile, its lazy journalism and a sign that the opposing views and proponents on this and ghey rights are pretty lacklustre and comparatively rare really.
I certainly don't force my experience on people. If they are comfortable with it, go to. AS LONG AS EVERYONE IS CONSENTING. I've been reading your blog for quite some time now and am fairly sure you are both kind and considerate souls. It's just so hard to take the first step. So much in my head,so little time!
AS LONG AS EVERYONE IS CONSENTING
Of course, as with everything to do with sex.
And you're not compelled to share something painful in order to justify your opinion- I don't see your stance as being in any way similar to the christian nutjob lobby. But if you ever want to, you're welcome :)
Buddha bless you guys, there should be more like you. I might leave it alone for awhile. I didn't mean to be a tragic story tease or anything. I just don't think I'm strong enough yet. It's comforting to know there are people(even total strangers) out there who are willing to listen if I can find the courage to talk.
No worries anon- it's your story to tell, or not to tell. Whatever's right for you in this case is what's best.
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