Britain bans violent porn

[Rob Beschizza]

I'm beginning to think that of all western societies, Britain is the one where it is easiest to pull the "We will nanny away your rights and responsibilities because of how evil and insane people abuse them" trick. I'm not saying it doesn't happen here in America, only that when it happens in Britain, it just seems to navigate the public mood easier, as if opposition to it simply cannot articulate itself. It's as if many Brits have a foggy idea of freedom: they like it, and they know they've got it, but can't quite think of why they should object, because of it, to laws intended to prevent evil people doing evil things.

I'm waiting for the kitchen knife ban, and the imposition of substantial fines on chefs who neglect to pay for their "edged culinary implement license."

[Moore]

So did they shut off the internet or do they think people buy porn?

[Tim Partlett]

When it comes to anything remotely saucy, Britain is the Iran of the Western world, so I'm surprised that this kind of pornography wasn't already illegal. It feels liberating being over here in Germany, where nudity and sex are considered perfectly normal.

[olaf]

What exactly is violent porn? I dont think I like violent porn so I am ok with this. Dont ban my porn though.

[Met_K]

It's always amusing what two people who are grieving can do to effect negative change. Can we ban all people who have lost someone because of a negligent human error from trying to implement law?

Someone dies "because" of violent/sexual video games - let's censor them! Raise the age limit! Regulate them more! Implement stiffer fines!
Someone dies "because" of violent/sexual movies/tv - let's censor them! Raise the age limit! Regulate them more! Implement stiffer fines!
Someone dies "because" of violent/sexual music (wtf?) - let's censor them! Raise the age limit! Regulate them more! Implement stiffer fines!
Someone dies "because" of drunk driving - Destroy states rights by forcing them to raise the age limit of drinking or you'll withhold federal highway funds! Be the single largest cause of underage drinking (MADD)! Be the single largest cause of binge drinking (MADD)! Woohoo YEAH! Implement incredibly overzealous punishments for even being slightly over the limit! FUCK YEAH WHO CARES ABOUT REAL CRIME DRUNK DRIVING IS WORSE THAN PRE-MEDITATED MURDER ROCK ME AMADEUS!

Reactionary legislation never solves anything. Especially when it's being pushed by insane people who are grieving for a loss and want to blame other people for it. Sometimes shit happens. Let's move on with it. These are the kinds of people who could watch A Clockwork Orange and completely miss who the real monster is.

Well? Fucking d'uh. It's Anthony Burgess. Who listens to Beethoven?

[Enidigm]

I... uh...don't really have a problem with that. I'd ban almost all violence from TV and movies if i could :).

[Moore]

I... uh...don't really have a problem with that. I'd ban almost all violence from TV and movies if i could :).

That is selfish, Gene.

[Met_K]

I... uh...don't really have a problem with that. I'd ban almost all violence from TV and movies if i could :).

I'd ban you from life if I could. Smiley so that nobody takes it seriously even though I mean it to be! :)

[SlyFrog]

Reactionary legislation never solves anything. Especially when it's being pushed by insane people who are grieving for a loss and want to blame other people for it. Sometimes shit happens. Let's move on with it. These are the kinds of people who could watch A Clockwork Orange and completely miss who the real monster is.

What if we watch in and understand who the real monster is supposed to be due to the incredibly unsubtle message being crammed down our throat, but still think it's the guy who actually rapes and murders people for fun?

[Met_K]

Shouldn't you be prefacing your statements with "I'm a lawyer, what I say isn't important"? ;) This doesn't apply to all lawyers - as I rather like Rywill and Dan - just you.

[SlyFrog]

Shouldn't you be prefacing your statements with "I'm a lawyer, what I say isn't important"? ;) This doesn't apply to all lawyers - as I rather like Rywill and Dan - just you.

What in the hell are you talking about? If anything, the disclaimer should be, "I'm a lawyer, you're a worthless shitbox."

[Rob Beschizza]

When it comes to anything remotely saucy, Britain is the Iran of the Western world, so I'm surprised that this kind of pornography wasn't already illegal. It feels liberating being over here in Germany, where nudity and sex are considered perfectly normal.

Actually, you're not quite right: Australia is far more sexually repressed and repressive than Britain. I'm pretty sure they're the only western country that's really getting serious about setting up a general-purpose national firewall, a la Saudi Arabia.

[Damien Falgoust]

When it comes to anything remotely saucy, Britain is the Iran of the Western world, so I'm surprised that this kind of pornography wasn't already illegal. It feels liberating being over here in Germany, where nudity and sex are considered perfectly normal.

But....Page Three, man.

[Met_K]

What in the hell are you talking about? If anything, the disclaimer should be, "I'm a lawyer, you're a worthless shitbox."

Poor guy. Bill Dungsroman makes you the laughing stock of the forums a few times and you develop anger issues. I feel bad for your clients.

Edit: Say, with outbursts like that I'd guess you're Theodore Rex DX.

[SlyFrog]

Poor guy. Bill Dungsroman makes you the laughing stock of the forums a few times and you develop anger issues. I feel bad for your clients.

Edit: Say, with outbursts like that I'd guess you're Theodore Rex DX.

I can almost visibly see you working.

[shift6]

But....Page Three, man.

Yeah I was going to ask about that. It seems to me that sex and nudity are much more open in the UK with boobies appearing in regular newspapers and whatnot.

[foogla]

Actually, you're not quite right: Australia is far more sexually repressed and repressive than Britain. I'm pretty sure they're the only western country that's really getting serious about setting up a general-purpose national firewall, a la Saudi Arabia.

But Australia is in the east maaaaaan.

[Lunch of Kong]

Yeah I was going to ask about that. It seems to me that sex and nudity are much more open in the UK with boobies appearing in regular newspapers and whatnot.

It's... weird.

Depictions of violence in film are permissible up to certain limits, after which they are banned by the government. (at one point, Death Race 2000 starring david carradine and sylvester stallone was on the ban list)

Speech is permissible up to certain limits, after which they are banned by the government. (many books are banned in the UK, the press cannot print certain things)

[Peter Frazier]

Actually, you're not quite right: Australia is far more sexually repressed and repressive than Britain. I'm pretty sure they're the only western country that's really getting serious about setting up a general-purpose national firewall, a la Saudi Arabia.

Tell me about it. Parental responsibilty is something that never gets talked about- instead it's all about protecting the children. Even I think it's moronic.

[bago]

The "Off Button" is technology that is beyond most voters it would seem.

[playingwithknives]

Bloke likes choking

Woman likes being choked.

Bloke strangles woman during sex, woman dies.

All violent porn is banned.

[Chris Nahr]

That sounds about as smart as that global ban of shuriken in video games after some hooligans used them in real life.

[Gordon Cameron]

Who listens to Beethoven?

I do.

[Nellie]

Well looks like I'll see you in 3 years, the definition of "violent porn" is so unbelievably vague and I'm sure there's a least one pic/vid lurking on my hard drive that has a women getting slapped. The pro groups funnily enough are happy, but listening to one of their lobby groups last night they do seem to believe that the Internet is playground of sexual snuff movies, peado sites and little else. Last time I checked snopes there still wasn't any evidence of an "honest" snuff movie, did all this change in the two weeks I was away?

The BDSM community were justifiably concerned that they'd essentially just been criminalised.

[Bill Dungsroman]

...Rob Beschizza dies soon thereafter of terminal boredom and impotency.

[Kirian]

Speech is permissible up to certain limits, after which they are banned by the government. (many books are banned in the UK, the press cannot print certain things)

If you want to speak, go to Speaker's Corner.
We do have freedom of press+, however, and the BBFC do an excellent job, with all aspects of the media. Certainly better than the situation during the eighties.

Ditto on the Beethoven.
+And if the non-British people I know are right, a damn good press it is too.

[Tim Partlett]

Actually, you're not quite right: Australia is far more sexually repressed and repressive than Britain. I'm pretty sure they're the only western country that's really getting serious about setting up a general-purpose national firewall, a la Saudi Arabia.

It's debatable, but from my experience the UK is worse for sex censorship, and I did work out in Australia for a year. I'd find that many movies that were rated 18 in the UK because of the sexual content were teen rated in Australia.

There are sex shops and strip joints all over the big cities. I'd never been in a topless bar before (I don't know if they even exist in the UK), but I walked into a number of them in Australia without even being aware of what they were.

Sex was regularly on the TV. SBS in particular were not afraid to show explicit sex. I'd often find ordinary things like TV guides that would have pictures of women baring their breasts.

In the UK the attitude towards sex is far more prudish, and the censorship laws relating to it are extremely strict. Stuff like page three are the exception to the rule, but even page three caused a massive public outcry when it first started.

[extarbags]

It feels liberating being over here in Germany, where nudity and sex are considered perfectly normal.

Degenerate.

[Rob Beschizza]

Yeah I was going to ask about that. It seems to me that sex and nudity are much more open in the UK with boobies appearing in regular newspapers and whatnot.

That's a typical Brit paradox. Folks there are rather more matter-of-fact and open to sexual matters, in my experience, than, say, Americans. Soft-core porn in daily newspapers; conservatives waving through "marriage in all but name" civil unions for gays; that sort of thing. On the other hand, England's Green and Pleasant Groupthink, though having approved the idea of individual liberty, doesn't like to get principled or pointy-headed in its understanding of it. So the place can be remarkably comprehensive in its public suppression of things people just don't like--and damn any unwanted logical consequences that such legislation might imply.

Because the immediate issue is about porn, it's easy to overplay the whole sexual issue, though. It's not really about sex. It's more an issue of there of it easy to ban repulsive things without having to ask, "Could this be used as a mechanism to ban other things, later?"

[FIDGAF]

There goes my subscription to the Brit mag: "Strangle me when you do that".