European Parliament Decides Not To Ban Internet Porn

An anonymous reader writes "The European Parliament passed a proposal Tuesday which included a blanket ban on pornography, including Internet porn, in European Union member states. However, Members of European Parliament (MEPs) removed explanatory wording from the porn ban section, essentially limiting the ban to advertising and print media. The proposal, titled 'Eliminating gender stereotypes in the EU,' was put to a vote in Strasbourg. MEPs passed it 368-159."

Comments

well...

[iamnobody2]

the internet is for porn

Re:Well...

[fyngyrz]

Many European governments are deep into repressive practices already. From suppression of Nazi paraphernalia to various modes of speech, they emulate the worst leaders of past repressive regimes in a misguided effort not to become like them. Pretty sad, really. Of course, I'd be more concerned about it if we weren't showing all the signs of repeatedly trying to go down the same path here in the US.

The worst US citizens are coming to believe -- and being quite up front about it -- that they have a right not to see and hear things they don't like in the public space. There could hardly be a more dangerous mode of thought for a country that supposedly honors freedom of speech.

Re:Well...

[Anonymous Coward]

The worst US citizens are coming to believe -- and being quite up front about it -- that they have a right not to see and hear things they don't like in the public space. There could hardly be a more dangerous mode of thought for a country that supposedly honors freedom of speech.

I believe I've seen a comment posted on this very site to sum this up: "The antithesis of free speech is the perceived right to never be offended".

Re:well...

[CaptQuark]

Speech, in this context, is anything that conveys an idea. A drawing or cartoon can be speech. Your right to fly the flag is covered under free speech. A picture can be speech. Art can be speech.

Imagine banning great works of art like Venus emerging from the sea or David by Michelangelo, just because genitalia is visible. Books have been banned from some libraries because these images were included and classified as "porn". [Citation]

Re:well...

[Evtim]

The only time I saw porn on the tubes is when I went looking for it! And as every modern citizen I use the net daily...porn is not "in your face"!

Now, regarding the fact that every product in this world seems to be promoted by half-naked women - on this I agree with the legislation - it is in my face and I won't miss it if it's gone. The same for the models advertizing clothes that have less meat on them than prisoners in concentration camp...ugh, that is ugly and in my face daily!

Conclusion - the porn business is the least "in your face" compared to almost every other business when it comes to throwing naked flesh on billboards, newspapers, magazines and the internet.

Re:well...

[SuricouRaven]

A problem though: If you decide porn isn't real speech, then it becomes possible for opponents of 'real' speech to argue that their opponents arguments are pornographic and should be banned. For example, the old Comstock laws in the US forbade using the US post to send any information relating to the use of contraceptives, on the grounds that the devices themselves were obscene in nature, as was any information relating to their use, for it undermined the social order by allowing sex outside of marriage. Similarily, in some countries not only is homosexuality illegal, but arguing that it should be legal is also illegal - on the grounds that such arguments are so offensive as to be obscene.

Re:well...

[JockTroll]

Wrong. Porn is a metaphor. When you see stuff like "Massive gangbang triple penetration XXX 24" you basically see what's being done to taxpayers.

Re:Well...

[YeeHaW_Jelte]

Hyperbole much?

We know lots of you guys and gals in America are all into radical free speech and everything, which is nice and we love you for it.

And yes, most European governments AND their citizens believe it's perfectly fine in imposing some limits on free speech.

So does your own government I might add. And I'm pretty sure most Americans, conscious or not, are also in favor of limiting Free Speech.

Like, for example, limiting free speech for that guy which is making indecent proposols to your 6 year old daughter or son. Or not allowing someone to publicly threaten you with death. Not allowing random slandering. Heck, you should try to shout 'I'm going to kill the president' in front of the white house once and tell me how you like it.

Please educate yourself on your own country, thank you. Following link might be a nice starting point.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech_in_the_United_States

Members of Parliament said

[Anonymous Coward]

"Wait, if I support this then I can't watch porn on the internet!"

thought police

[fche]

"The proposal, titled 'Eliminating gender stereotypes in the EU'..."

What an Orwellian purpose.

Re:thought police

[fche]

"They are concerned about the uneven usage of sexuality to sell products, and the message that sends."

They do much more than that.

"... In order to tackle the problem of the lack of women at the higher levels of economic and political decision-making, the persistence of gender stereotypes in all levels of society need to be addressed. ..."

IOW, affirmative action at the "decision-making" level, accomplished by thorough social engineering, by e.g. deliberate suppression of traditional ideas. That's pretty drastic stuff, not just about commercial speech - i.e., advertising with attractive models.

Re:Well, thank goodness!

[pitchpipe]

Surely, with the law on their side, Europe would've never seen porn again!

Right?! This would have been an even bigger failure than the war on drugs. How in the fuck did they think they could stop it?

Better yet, how do morons of this caliber get to be so high up in government?

You Know The Internet Has Arrived When...

[Anonymous Coward]

the EU bans books ("print media") and nobody cares because they read everything on the Internet now.

Just remember folks, when you're reading an actual book, nobody is recording how long you spend on each page for later analysis.

Re:It isn't ubiquitous.

[houghi]

Have you looked at advertising? Have you looked at TV? Have you looked at ANY movie? The people in media are not usually very average looking and tend to act unrealistically too. (You see what I did there?)
Media is fine for adults but making it a bit harder for teenagers to find might not be a bad thing. (See? I did it again.)

If watching porn is bad, then so it watching people get killed. Especially when it is shown unrealistic. e.g. without the blood and gore. Yet this is almost completely against how movies are rated.

An interesting movie about the whole rating process is This Film Is Not Yet Rated.

And making it harder to get? Seriously? Security through obscurity. That will work well. Especially to kids. They will say "Hey, it is hard to get, lets go do something else, because this was not meant for us. Let us buy another version of a Disney movie. They show how the real world should be and how we must behave. They will show us that it does not matter if you are an ugly man, as long as you are a prince and rich. And if you are a good looking girl, you will be rewarded."