Responding to my blog interview two weeks ago with adult entertainer Stoya on how she uses social media, several people added heated comments that pornography was unjust and immoral.
I have a question for them–and for you.
Which is the greater evil: the First Amendment right of a taxpayer-funded university to screen a pornographic film on campus, or the legislative right of a state senator to threaten denial of $424 million to fund campus building projects unless the university sets a policy for pornography on campus?
Click that link and be brought to an April 7 story in the Washington Post about how a coalition of student leaders intended to follow the lead of Carnegie Mellon University, UCLA, and other higher education institutions to screen “Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge.”
After state Senator Andrew Harris “called on the university administration to assert its authority,” the full-length film wasn’t shown, despite a post-film Planned Parenthood talk on safe sex; but selections were, followed by a 200-student lecture on free speech. CNN elaborates:
Should a college promote an “analytical discussion of sexuality and exploitation,” as Slate’s Samantha Henig opines? Or is a pornographic teach-in the best recourse?
Maybe I’m not the best person to argue with a Maryland senator who believes pornography is more addictive than tobacco.
But when you consider my late-college years included opposing the constitutionality of the Communications Decency Act through email activism with the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s listserv–which the U.S. Supreme Court agreed was illegal–I’m siding with the university here and the backdrop of the U.S. Bill of Rights. You?
Related posts:
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- Guest Interview with Mr. and Ms. Teagan: Analyzing Pornography, Parenthood, and Public Relations
Comments:
Ari Herzog is an online media strategist and Newburyport City Councilor-Elect.
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{ 15 comments }
I’m agreeing with you. The legislative body shouldn’t be in the business of deciding what colleges and universities teach nor how they teach it. What if he decided teaching the theory of evolution was against his moral compass and threatened to withhold funding?
Human sexuality, including its manifestation through pornography and porn’s influence on sex, is just as valid a subject of study as any other for adults.
Alexa´s last blog post..Society as a Whole Caused Julissa’s Death
Look at the whole Kinsey report and how people were against that study and how affective and educational it became. Legislative bodies should stay out of this type of stuff.
I think the whole thing is ridiculous. College kids pushing the envelope to make a point is nothing new. Of course this falls under free speech, yada yada yada … the ironic thing is that the congressmen that oppose this probably watch and partake in much, much dirtier activities “off the record.”
Isn’t this akin to political blackmail?
I’m no lawyer, but I’m sure there must be some gray legal issue at stake here.
Danny Brown´s last blog post..The Birth of the Internet – The Untold Story
Seriously? With all that’s going on in the world today, THIS is what legislators in MD are worried about? It’s a University for crying out allowed. If I were a student there, no matter my personal feelings on Porn, I’d have to say that I’d be sitting in the front row of a screening with a big sign that says I’ll support porn over political blackmail ANY DAY of the week.
I have to break away from my own words here and offer one of my FAVORITE quotes of all time. I always try and live my political values based on this line from The American President, and it fits here.
“America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You’ve got to want it bad, because it’s gonna put up a fight. It’s gonna say, “You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil who is standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the ‘land of the free’? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up and sing about the ‘land of the free.”
Meghan´s last blog post..The City
Wow. Umm … it’s a state school. With state, tax-payer money. How is showing porn an acceptable “school” activity? If was a tax-payer in Maryland, I would be pissed that state funds are going to a school that is using porn to educate students on “sexuality”. There has to be a better way to speak to students about sex than showing them porn.
Oh, Meghan, I didn’t mean that in response to your comment. Hit the wrong button. Sorry about that.
Chrissy, if I recall correctly, there was no “state” money involved in the showing of the film.
Alexa´s last blog post..Society as a Whole Caused Julissa’s Death
So long as the students are of age (if there is an age requirement to watching porn, I’m not sure), then what is the big deal? And so long as students who do find it morally offensive themselves are not required to attend the screening, then really, what is the university doing wrong? Let’s face it, kids are allowed to smoke on most campuses… which is more harmful? Watching a movie or filling you lungs with smoke?
~ Kristi
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Why does this Senator feel the need to protect these students? Isn’t there something in our country that says when you turn 18 you have all the rights of an adult? Sure, some people maybe don’t exercise them very well
But that has nothing to do with this situation. Why do adults and parents have such a hard time not interfering in the lives of these young adults who clearly have the same rights as them?
Harris even says it himself, they don’t want the Universities to show “obscene material.” Not porn specifically, just a subjective term “obscene material.” So what happens when a student wants to show Natural Born Killers? Or any movie that were to show lewd acts? I think the fact that it’s a state university makes it especially important that they’re not allowed to see this, versus showing it at a private religiously-affiliated school. Not saying that it would be any more right at the latter, but the bigotry would just be more understandable.
Who cares about tax dollars? Thousands of government employees defraud the government of our tax dollars each year. Our tax dollars paid for Guantanamo, and for plenty of other torture. Our tax dollars pay for plenty of things that we don’t want them to, and things that are “worse than porn.”
It’s even funnier to me that Harris thinks he’s standing up for something, because he’s getting all these responses from parents who are telling him he’s doing the right thing. Just because people whisper in your ear that you’re doing the right thing doesn’t mean it’s actually right, it just means they agree with you – and in this case, are just as misinformed and bigoted as you.
Bottom line: These students will watch the film anyway. They’ll discuss sexuality anyway. This is another classic failure by leaders with power to exercise that power reasonably, effectively, and for the benefit of 45,000 students who are now just pissed off that, again, the youth of this country are clearly being harassed.
Tyler,
Why does this Senator feel the need to protect these students?
He isn’t acting to protect them, but rather to control them. The school/students violate what he feels ought to be the standard, and has to act to control them to suit his purpose. He’s not interested in “protecting” them at all. This is not an uncommon tactic with Republicans. They believe in small government unless it is to control someone else’s behavior, especially when it comes to anything having to do with sexuality.
Alexa´s last blog post..Society as a Whole Caused Julissa’s Death
The issue has amazing complexity to me. Interestingly, I still have not taken a position one way or the other. I need to think about this one further, even though I have been aware of the issue for weeks now. This one is tough. There is no simple bottom line in my mind.
In fact, in my mind, it is arguably far more complicated that the Notre Dame / President Obama Commencement controversy.
Reading your comments… it’s a sad state of affairs when, as many of you write, the legislative focus is on pornography in college settings, and not on public budgeting.
Agreeing with you also. Legislative folks need to stay out of the classroom. If what’s going on in the classroom isn’t illegal, then withholding funds is blackmail. Good grief, I’m a strong conservative, but by that nature, I strongly support the 1st amendment. Just because I don’t like your presentations, as long as they don’t break the law, go for it.
Todd Jordan´s last blog post..Internet Famous – Twitterlebrity
The public screening of such films with so much skin, must not be allowed as it can destroy the atmosphere and also it is the wastage of tax payers money. The college union must be refrain fro such act. But the denial of $424 million to fund campus building projects is a worst decision. The denial of the project can curb the future learning facility and can degrade the quality of the education. Instead of doing this the senators can make the union understand the bad effect of public screening of such a film.
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