EU votes to ban pornography

[Charles Kozierok]

A typical example of one of many reasons I will never live in Europe. This apparently isn't binding, but the fact that it's being suggested at all is patently ridiculous.

It is none of the government's business what sort of pictures or movies I want to watch; the only reasonable exceptions are those that involve criminal acts in order to produce. Furthermore, banning pornography is apt to be about as successful as banning alcohol was, and for the same reasons.

 

[randomrogue]

Yeah that's not going to work. Hungary would attack France and WWIII would start. If it passes I'll just move to Norway.

 

[GreenMeters]

Title is a little misleading. There was a vote ON a pornography ban (sort of; it was part of a larger resolution and, as you mentioned, the ban was more of encouraging media self-policing than anything binding). Fortunately, they ended up voting "no": http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57573771-93/eu-votes-to-reject-porn-ban-proposals/

I can see arguments for banning particular forms of pornography, particularly those in the "Max Hardcore" genre of physical and verbal abuse. But an indiscriminate ban on all pornography is ludicrous.

 

[randomrogue]

I don't think we need to ban porn when there are already laws in place to protect people from underage sex and rape. Besides if you see what he was prosecuted for and convicted of it was clearly a witch hunt.

 

[Murloc]

please don't generalize, not everyone gave in to that pseudo dictatorship. It's like saying I will never live in America because I don't want to get beheaded by drug dealers. Also there are many examples about the US to be cited to say the same thing, e.g. sanctorum did support a ban on sodomy and was a serious candidate in the primaries. The fact that he was suggested as a candidate is patently ridiculous.

Even then, it was not a clear ban or a binding vote, it was just some stuff that feminist nuts managed to insert in a report to be approved or not. Typical of northern socialists, they're crazy, just look at what they did in Sweden.

 

[randomrogue]

Did they ban porn? Is that why we aren't seeing a lot of blond and blue eyed porn stars talking like the muppets?

 

[randomrogue]

Charles I do agree that your opening sentence is a bit strange considering the stuff our politicians do. I recall them trying to pass a constitutional amendment regarding marriage and them actually passing a law making it against the law to unlock your smart phone.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

Sorry if I got the story a bit wrong.

And yes, our politicians are getting pretty bad. But they are way worse with respect to free speech issues in much of Europe (not all, sorry Murloc. )

 

[Sheep221]

We don't watch porn in Europe, we have real sex instead.

The only reason they are coming up with these things is because they want to cover more important problems and draw attention away from more important things.
Those free-speech issues are in every country, you are not allowed to say or do completely anything, wherever you live.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Maybe they saw these porn stars without their make up?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/...-makeup_n_2853817.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

 

[Murloc]

But they are way worse with respect to free speech issues in much of Europe

it's true, USA is freer in this regard. Part of the reason is WW2, it's forbidden to support fascism in Italy and probably in other countries too, while in the US you can do whatever you want (I saw that in "Blues Brothers").
I think it's stupid because fascist organizations exist anyway and in private you say whatever you want, and propaganda would get torn down by communists immediately, it's also unfair that only communists can promote their views just because they were the "good" guys in WW2 (partisans and URSS).
Also the whole guilt thing should be abandoned at this time, everyone who was alive back then is dead or inactive.
Repealing these laws would be a good idea.
People will always say what they think anyway, they'll circle around the forbidden terrain but the message is sent anyway.

We don't watch porn in Europe, we have real sex instead.

The only reason they are coming up with these things is because they want to cover more important problems and draw attention away from more important things.
Those free-speech issues are in every country, you are not allowed to say or do completely anything, wherever you live.

yeah if you're releasing secret information (this concerns the USA too) or slandering/defamating (I gather that this is not forbidden in the US).

 

[Sheep221]

I didn't want to go to the US vs EU topic but ok,
Well it clearly is visible some stuff is allowed in the US, but it is still not vise to perform that either. In fact it's mostly about strictly historic and political stuff.
If you are normal person you don't have more freedom in America than Europe. I never had any problem with freedom here, in fact you can really just stand on your head all day long if you wish. It's all about deciding whether you want your life suck or not. After the war, the situation was mixed in europe, and america was seen as democratic and capitalistic with freedom in first place, but it's not anymore. With creation of allmost to be federations like EU, the situation in Europe has improved much over the last few decades. And in some Asian countries too. So the once free america is nothing special anymore.

 

[randomrogue]

Is there any practical example of there being less freedom in the USA or the EU? I have lived in both and I can't think of anything. Maybe the lack of an ability to sue the shit out of everyone? That's all I got.

 

[Murloc]

Is there any practical example of there being less freedom in the USA or the EU? I have lived in both and I can't think of anything. Maybe the lack of an ability to sue the shit out of everyone? That's all I got.

Apology of fascism is a crime in Italy. You will get processed if you create an association aimed at recreating the fascist party.

I don't know how it is in the US but in Switzerland it's also easy to get fined if you publicly insult, defame or tell lies about people. Seeing how birthers and the like are rampant and how aggressive the US rethoric is, I guess that there's more freedom in that regard. Not that in this case it's a positive thing.