Paul Braunbehrens writes:
actually, I find it fucking obscene!
On Sat, 26 Mar 1994, Brad Huntting wrote:
"Because children read forums, I agree that obscene language should be banned....
There's excellent essay on obscenity in Kurt Vonegut's _Psalm Sunday_ which I recommend to anyone who doesn't find this statement horrendously offensive.
Brad Huntting is absolutely right: children are known to be reading this forum, so your use of the term "fucking obscene" is therefore illegal, not permitted, unethical, tasteless, and fucking disgusting! So, shithead, I demand a retraction this fucking minute! Or else! Under the rules under which the Information Snooperhighway is run, the Tipper Chip will automatically censor your messages for instances of the 73 Forbidden Words (George Carlin, weep!) and the 192 Banned Thoughtforms. Impure and seditious traffic will not be tolerated. --Infosturmbahnfuhrer T.C. May P.S. I can't _believe_ a Cypherpunk is actually advocating censorship. If "obscenity" is banned, the logical corollary is that some folks will be put in prison for continuing to say "fuck" and "freedom" and other words deemed to be obscene by some Legion of CyberDecency. Can this be what Brad Huntting really wants? (Tell us it was just a joke of color, or something.) As for kids reading this list or the Net in general, and seeing "obscenity" on it, how is this any different or any worse than kids sneaking a look at their Dad's "Busty Babes" (times have changed since I was a kid) or tuning in to a shot of naked butts on "NYPD Blue"? What about young and impressionable children being exposed to atheism on the Net? Or to cultural values that offend their families? Or to any of a hundred other horrors? The only solution to this "problem" in a free society is for _parents_ to control their own children, not to apply censorship and obscenity laws. And practically speaking, it's impossible anyway. The Internet is worldwide, with no centralized point of censorship. Tipper Gore can no more hope to censor the publication of "dirty" music lyrics on the Net than the Ayotollah can hope to stop publication of recipes for pork. It's a whole new world out there. Kurt Vonnegut: welcome to the monkey house. If Kurt really called for censorship, I'll have to reevaluate my respect for him. Too bad Frank Zappa isn't available to have a chat with him about the nature of censorship. -- .......................................................................... Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@netcom.com | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero 408-688-5409 | knowledge, reputations, information markets, W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA | black markets, collapse of governments. Higher Power: 2^859433 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available. "National borders are just speed bumps on the information superhighway."