What is "porn" anyway?
 

The latest Utne Reader has a piece on our nation's growing porn culture; it's mostly a rehash of some recent books on the subject. But it got me thinking. A divorce lawyer said internet porn is bustin up a lot of marriages; typically, the man is surfing porn and gets "caught" by the wife. She then assumes that he does not find her attractive, or that there is something "wrong" with their sex life, etc.

Two-dimentional, moving or still images of people or persons in various states of undress or complete nakedness...blah blah blah...with the intent to arouse...blah blah blah...genitalia...blah blah...:neutral:

I'm really divided here. Part of me says "mind your own business, what are you looking over people's shoulders for, anyway? If it's legal to view, it's legal to view in a library."

But we've almost gotten to the point where the concept of decency has completely left the building. We're more worried about the theoretical rights of phantom third parties than we are about the people in the library RIGHT NOW. Your 7-year-old might have the image of goatse burned into her retinas for the rest of her life, but at least some random guy didn't feel suppressed by the evil claw of fascism. fapfapfap.

:lol: This thread has me all excited!

Get thee to a library!

:p

Left the building...
 

I felt confused too. But it's important to note that I was not shoulder surfing, I just looked over to my right and saw all these "girls gone wild" pictures. It seemed they were being e-mailed to him because in between each viewing he started typing.

I had not seen those tubgirl and goatse pics, but I found descriptions of them on Wickipedia. Oh, and that fetus/abortion blog. Hard to tell if that isn't just a fake blog to make some points.:neutral:

Despite it being a charming little movie "blast form the past" had a nice definition of "manners": good manners are just a way of showing other people we have respect for them.

If nothing else, watching internet porn is a library is tacky and bad manners.

&, again, against the rules (at least in every library I have read about when reading about this issue and at my local library in every state and town I have lived in, & that is no small number). Self-exposure is still against the law.
Until that changes, these rules need to be enforced.
If you won't follow the rules, you don't get to use the facilities.
End of story.

One of the reasons I like Wolf so much is that she doesn't mince words. She does, however, dress them nicely, daub on a little makeup, and force them to dance for their supper.

That works in most public place cases.
If you don't like the rules, get 'em changed. But in the meantime, if you break 'em, you pay the price.

Disclaimer ~ ONLY public places...in my own home, take your rules and .......;)

Whoa! Hold on...
 

I don't think most people would argue with that, and fresh ejaculate on the floor or keyboard would be a form of littering, albeit one worthy of Onan.

The issue here is:

Does one have the "right" to look at pornography at a public library that provides access to the internets? It's a yes or no question.

The ALA has pretty much concurred that they are against censorship, so the porno watchers remain ubiquitous, at least in the many libraries I go to. I know one library in MA that put the monitors below a transparent desk surface to promote privacy, but I think there is something to be said for communal observation as a sort of control; some porno watchers will cease when they see other people grimace and whince at their chosen internet fare.:neutral:

I went and bought a computer so I could surf porn sites. Mrs. fargon and I surf porn together.:love: :lovers:

I have never understood the attraction of porn, but I grew up in a religious family and was taught to honor myself and my body by not being promiscuous or exposing myself. I try to refrain from judgement though, its a person's private choice. Sex in public and indecent exposure are illegal for a reason, they infringe on other peoples rights. Looking at porn in a library isn't indecently exposing yourself but is showing people who are indecent, others have the right not to look but sometimes a person can't help glancing over. Also children should not be exposed to that, and there is a big chance that they would be in that setting.

Decent
 

Can I assume that, while you may not be able to define "indecent," you know what it is when YOU see it?:neutral:

Censorship and this issue have nothing to do with each other.
You are welcome to look at porn in the privacy of your home any time you wish.