Open Hatch

I learned about a legislative proposal (whose origin is a very good, innovative information technological idea) which would effectively restrict minors from access to innapropriate stuff on the internet (all current measures are quite innefective), and it raises no problems of free speech (but a nasty popup at an otherwise innocent web site available to minors, in my opinion, goes beyond free speech and is, bluntly, child abuse. Free speech is not a license to destroy the innocence of children. Free speech isn’t the issue there. Child abuse is).

I think the measure would work beautifully. I’m trying to think how to introduce it, but the site does a better job. I found out about this initiative from this documentary, which is a very effective, smart, and moving documentary (my only criticism ..

show

is that the narration is in the form of side shots of the documentarian hunched over and recording his voice in some dark, romantically lit studio, which is weird. With the other shots of subjects, it says, “Here am I also as a subject making this documentary. It’s important that I document that I am documenting things. Behold, I am a documentarian.” It makes it feel half like a “The Making of” promotional or fan film, which throws the sense of it out of context and is distracting, and could allude to a sense that the documentarian is a fan of himself, which is off-putting. The narrater shouldn’t draw attention to the fact that he is narrating. Blah blah blah, but I had to find a way to put into words exactly why it doesn’t work.. I’m a film maker )

Never minding my sole criticism of the film, among the interviewees are porn industry mavens and spokespersons who make spectacular advertisements for pure idiocy and obvious, stark (should I say naked?) lies.

Two examples of the astonishing fallacies put forward by interviewed porn mavens in this film:

• 1. kids interviewed on the street who estimate that 95 percent of their peers are into and/or creating pornography, vs. an industry maven who estimates that 5 percent of kids are into porn (can you be so naive, sir, or are you blatantly lying about what you know? It’s one or the other). Hello. Those figures are exactly inverse, and I think the kids whose peers are into it would know better.
• 2. Industry claims that they have no interest in marketing to or drawing kids vs. the fact of many porn stars hosting myspace web pages which display comments from visiting minors and adolescents – and, hello, these guys aren’t going to weep if they “accidentally” get some kids hooked to porn any more than tobbaco companies “care” about the health interests of consumers – young males (scads of them – and young women – crawl myspace) are an obvious, and the most vulnerable demographic for the porn industry’s shameless exploitations.

Also interviewed are ex-porn stars who describe the emotional horror they suffered in the porn industry and their miraculous escapes from the.. I’d have to say chains of hell. One of them was pulled out by a man I can only call a Saint. Whoever you are, sir, you are awesome.

The documentary convinced me. I can wholly support the Community Port 80 Initiative – it would be wonderfully liberating and fair to all parties – and I am writing to my Senators and Congresspersons to draw their attention to it. .. I’m writing the presidential candidate(s) who interest me too. I would persuade you to do the same if the concept sways you.

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