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From: gazit@cs.duke.EDU (Hillel Gazit)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: Dworkin questions ( for those who know her work well
Message-ID: <658917185@lear.cs.duke.edu>
Date: 19 Nov 90 15:40:56 GMT
References: ie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> <1990Nov18.064633.2057@lavaca.uh.edu>
Organization: Nefolet shel nemushot (Fallout of Wimps)
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>[I'm thinking of the text of the law that Dworkin drafted -- the last
>sentence or so says, basically, that the pornography as just defined
>(in terms of women) is still degrading when men, children, or
>transexxuals are substituted.  I'm interpreting that as egalitarian --
>is there a different interpretation of this?  --CLT]

If it was egalitarian then the word "people" would be used instead of
"women" in the definition of porno, and the claim that "pornography is
a form of discrimination on the basis of sex would remain with no
support.  But claiming that in gay porno men are used instead of women
she defended her claim.

The Ordinance claimed only that porno "harms women", and never
mentioned that it may harm men.  By doing so it blocked men from suing
for damages.  That was important because:

1) Many of the feminist women-oriented erotic literature presents men
   in an unkind way.  That literature will go down the drain.

2) Dworkin's books could be banned because she presents men in a
   dehumanized way.  (And "as whores by nature"...)

I don't think that Dworkin cared too much about 1), but she had
no intention to let 2) to happen.

Hillel                                         gazit@cs.duke.edu

"I've always argued that there's an inverse correlation between a
country's degree of civilization and the restraints it put on its press."
   A New England voice from the back of the room cut in: "On *that*
argument, Paris is a more civilized place than Boston."
   "Precisely," answered Purvis.  For once, he waited for a reply.
   "O.K." said the New England voice mildly.  "I'm not arguing.
I just wanted to check."
                            -- ("Patent Pending", Arthur C. Clarke)