Globalization…

Globalization is the tendancy of business to move beyond domestic markets to other markets in the world. It has the reputation of making an increased network of different markets in scope. In lecture 32 we learned how globalization plays a role in the spread of cyberporn and the internet. We are asked the question 'Why place matters to porn?' We then learn that pornography becomes tied to cultural ideas and morals, as does place. Being that people are in some way connected these days, porn is accessible through so many different aspects. Just as people like to cross borders to different cultures, borders are crossed in cyberspace. I agree with this statement. Regulatory Arbitrage was mentioned in this lecture also. It was explained as being the process of buying something at a cheap price and selling it for more money where it is scarce and wanted. I feel that this pertains to the porn industry and cyberspace in that countries will make more money if they supply and distribute porn to other countries where it is less accessible, and ultimately wanted.

Report Child Porn Site?

"A hotline for webmasters and surfers to report suspected child pornography. Report Child Porn Immediately, This Crime needs to reported everytime you find it." This is very true…I was stunned to find a site like this that is helping parents and good citizens fight the up and coming crime. The site offers a way to report child porn, discuss problems with child porn, and a distinct definition of what child porn is. In order to report a site, you must first be a member. This membership allows you to post blogs, chat, and report sites that are of harm.  This is a great way to meet avid supporters of the issue to get new ideas and tactics to fight the battle against child pornography.

 http://reportchildporn.com/rcp/modules/newbb/

child porn, obsecnity…

Most of this semester we have been talking about child porn and obscenity…who has rights, do children have rights, and how the government is acting upon this major problem. The truth is, I think that children have rights and that the government could be doing more to relieve this problem that is facing us today. Its doubtful that children are going and making pornos themselves and placing them on the internet, but it is brutally true that adults are using children as a prime factor in their money makers. From reading various blogs and articles on the web, I find that many people have a problem with it and are finding it to be a a shameful action on Americans.

The CMU Study…

In June of 1995, the US senate voted to outlaw indecency and obscenity on the internet by passing the Communications Seceny Act; hoping to take control over the pornography in cyberspace. In July, TIME magazine made public the story of research conducted on the issue. This study, conducted at Carnegie-Mellon by an undergraduate student, ultimately found scientific evidence that the internet was loaded with cyberporn. The primary focus of the study was to analyze the files from adult erotica and USENET. Surprisingly, the study found that 83.5% of all the images posted on the internet were pornographic. The Carnegie-Mellon study was published in the Georgetown Law Journal and featured as the cover of Time Magazine. It was found that the study violated several guidelines; some of which were protecting subjects from risk, assuring subjects were fully informed that research was going on, assure data is collected in a private manner, and to assure fraud does not occuer. It was found that the Carnegie-Mellon Study violated these ethics.  

Indecency

From lecture 28 we gained some insight on how indecency in different matters is taken. I found the zoning policies to be one of the more interesting subjects, along with the adverse secondary effects. The fact that people prove that having adult business near churches, schools, or bars has negative effects is simply amazing to me. Cases such as Renton v. Playtime Theaters is an example of this. Another case dealing with zoning issues is the Voyeur Dorm v. Tampa. What was intriguing about this case is that it was found that the zoning laws did not apply to this at all, although some thought it would. It was a house in a residential area, just equipped with cameras and naked women walking around doing their thing. Yes this house wasnt "zoned" for adult business, but there was no proof that it was having negative effects on the neighborhood. Many people did not even know about it. I found this to be interesting because people find proof of adult businesses next to a church or school to be negative, but in a residential area people are unaware!

2 important cases to know.

After watching lectures 25-27,I think there are 2 important cases we should pay attention to. One involving child porn and the other involving x-rated books. The first important case, Ashcroft v. ACLU, involved the usage of community standards in deciding what is at harm to children. I feel that this case was vrey important because it also involved the 1998 Child Online Protection Act. We found that using the community standards doesnt interefere with the first amendment. The second important case was LA v. Alameda Books which involved cities taking measures to banning adult book stores. At first the case determined that the stores had to be a certain distance from eachother, but Alameda fought back because it went against their first ammendment rights.

All this obscenity talk…lecture 27

After hearing all the talk about obscenity and how people percieve different matters, Im honestly trying to read into how the US is working these days. In our country, sex sells! Its safe to say that many companies and markets use sex to get their name out there. We use it to make money, use it to make people happy, yet something like porn is viewed as a negative? Maybe its because we are scared of sex, or we are not a very open society like a lot of other cultures are. Maybe we are too diverse? I think that sexual orientation has a lot to do with how we percieve porn and obscenity also. Gays tend to be more liberal and heterosexuals tend to be more conservative…give or take. I think that the US worries too much about the trivial things. We should be more open in expressing ourselves, with reason of course.

Obscenity 1.

After watching the first of 3 lectures on obscenity, I figured I should look up the word to get a better understanding of how I should percieve the next few lectures. I found that obscenity is indecency, lewdness, or offensiveness in behavior expression or appearance. That classifies a lot in todays world. There was a lot of information in this first lecture, most of which was an overview preparing for the next two which I believe will get more specific. We talked about some cases of obscenity such as one in which an artist was charged with obscenity for painting a picture of the Biblical character Eve with no shirt on. The play "Lysistrata" was outlawed in the 20s because it was considered to be too overtly sexual under the Comstock Act. I felt it was good to know a few of the cases from the 19th century because I feel they set a precedent for future cases today.

Pornification…Whats Acceptable?

In Lecture 24 we learned about how many celebrities have some unlisted jobs on their professional resumes…jobs in which people may or may not look at them differently over. We ask the question 'Is it acceptable to be in a Porno?' Actors such as Sylvester Stallone, Madonna, and Cameron Diaz have some missing attributes on their professional resumes, basically because they were not some of their most proud works of art. So these actors write it off as being young and needing money, and definitely not using it as a way to get their name out there because not many people know their favorite stars have LOTS of experience so to speak! As we change as a culture and a society, we see how people's perceptions of this and their standards are changing too. The standards to which people are judged  and what is now viewed as acceptable is much different as it was even 20 years ago. Obviously these stars are cautious as to who knows about their past lives, and Im sure there are many more stars out there where no one knows they were once in the porn business. The one-time deal for them may mean a few extra dollars at the time, but to them it seems that they are working extra hard to keep it a secret. The way I see it, just as someone would be skeptical of dating or marrying a porn star, who wants a porn star to act in their films? Or even who wants their favorite celebrity to have a past in the porn business? It seems that these stars are trying to keep their dirty little secrets hidden because the world is not totally ok with it yet…even though we may seem more liberal than years ago, porn is still viewed as a risque business and something that is not quite socially acceptable.

Lack of Funding in the Child Porn Battle

After watching recent lectures on child porn and the intense battle, I did a little research on the topic myself. "Funding level to fight child porn hasn't grown in 10 years," is what was stated on the Family.org website. Federal fundingfor the effort is decreasing even though the problem is becoming a more widespread.  Congressman Mark Foley states, "Well we are still not funding it enough. This is one of the most pervasive, dangerous elements in out society. We also want to beef up our Customs Enforcement division, which has been doing heroic work." Religious objections we have learned about recently also have played a role in the views of child porn. Advocates of the situation are hoping to promote family policy and stability, all while trying to get rid of this horrendous problem facing not just the US but the world.