Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watdcsu.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watdcsu!dmcanzi
From: dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Porn and Rape: a social disease
Message-ID: <1695@watdcsu.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 25-Sep-85 01:08:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: watdcsu.1695
Posted: Wed Sep 25 01:08:39 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Sep-85 03:25:47 EDT
References: <10000008@orstcs.UUCP> <547@lasspvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi)
Organization: University of Woolamaloo
Lines: 49
Summary: 

In article <547@lasspvax.UUCP> cheryl@lasspvax.UUCP (Cheryl Stewart) writes:
>Oh, and the Tobacco industry has maintained for years that no causal
>relation between cigarrette smoking and lung cancer has ever been medically
>demonstrated.  Sure, the sociological studies have only shown a high 
>statistical correlation between pornography and rape in neighborhood-
>by-neighborhood studies.  But, just as doctors have not PROVEN HOW 
>cigarrette smoking causes lung cancer, sociologists have not PROVEN HOW
>pornography causes rape.  So the porn-mongers have a cute, technical
>excuse to cover up the ill effect they have on society.

There are important differences between the (smoking):(lung cancer)
evidence and the (porn):(rape) evidence.  When something (A) is
strongly correlated with something else (B), there are three possible
explanations: A causes B, or B causes A, or some third thing (C)
causes both A and B.

In the case of smoking and cancer, it's ridiculous to suggest that
cancer causes smoking (causes are supposed to *precede* effects,
right?), and nobody's ever come up with anything that might predispose
a person to both smoking and lung cancer.

In the case of pornography and rape, it is at least plausible that the
feelings that can lead a man to commit rape can also lead him to enjoy
pornography, especially rape fantasies.  Only if this possibility is
shown inadequate to account for whatever correlation exists can you
conclude that pornography causes rape.

>The problem is that our whole society is based on prevarication,
>deep beaurocratic hypocrisy, advertizing hype, the profit motive,
>and oh, I forgot to mention outright lies.  The answer is not 
>censorship, but education -- real education. ...
>
>So I believe that our educational system is at fault, for 
>teaching people to listen, see and believe -- rather than to
>read, analyze and question.  It's not the sellers of porn
>that are indirectly causing rape, it's the buyers who 
>allow their values to be influenced by pornography.
>
>Anyone care to disagree?

I'll certainly agree with you about education.  Spend twelve years or
so being told what to believe, and the lesson you learn most thoroughly
is to believe what you're told.  This definitely doesn't equip you for
recognizing bullshit when it's thrown at you.
-- 
David Canzi

"It's Reagan's fault.  Everything's Reagan's fault.  Floods... volcanoes...
herpes... Reagan's fault." -- Editor Overbeek, Bloom Beacon


Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com