Require ISPs to Make Porn an Opt-In Feature
Not only is this petition pointless (other than perhaps being able to give yourself a high-five for having high morals), this is disturbing to me because it highlights a fundamental lack of understanding--not only about the function of government--but about freedom and morality. And that is why, as much as it pains me to say, I opt for porn. Before you get your indignant little typing fingers ready, finish reading this post.
First, I cannot fathom why so many people trust the Government to get involved with legislating the internet in any way, shape, or form. Think about it. This is the U.S. Government we are talking about. The same Government that robs you on a daily basis, kills innocent people abroad, violates rights held sacrosanct by the very documents that led to its inception, and can't even design an effective website to facilitate a much-lauded transition into socialized healthcare. And your plan is to allow this Government to start regulating what you can and cannot see on the internet?
Never mind that such a petition might well allow the government to start invading the last bastion of free speech, we all know from experience that if the Government actually got a hold of the aforementioned power, it would surely end in a debacle. The US Government is unfortunately the reverse King Midas of doing anything beneficial. But, you say, "Porn is wrong! Why should I be subjected to possibly seeing it? We legislate other things that are morally wrong, why not this?"
This leads to my second point, morality is something that should be taught in the home, not enforced by the Government (taught by force). Meaning, if you think pornography to be reprehensible, teach your children and others about its follies. Educate yourself, be proactive, donate your money to awareness campaigns. You have the right to do so. You are free to do so. But unfortunately the same freedom that allows you to stay away from pornography, also allows other, equally free citizens to voluntarily produce and view pornography. That is true freedom. Anything else is veiled oppression. This might be inconvenient to those with strong senses of what is right and wrong, but freedom is, and always has been, a two-way street.
So it is with free speech. Which is exactly what protects pornography. The first amendment wasn't created to protect slogans on the side of cereal boxes. It was created to protect that which is unpopular, as well as everything else. By protecting everything, no one is oppressed, and we are allowed to choose what we want to look at and read and listen to, even if it is unpopular, especially if its unpopular. And thank God for this, because it is this same reasoning that allows me to practice my religion according to the dictates of my own conscience, and for everyone else to do the same.
Consider the implications of the government trying to legislate according to moral beliefs. Since no two people have the exact same moral sense, who then should the government listen to? And how does one prove that a certain way of thinking is superior to another? But as I think about it, this is not a hypothetical, many of the most heated debates in Washington are about moral issues that should not even be discussed, but at some point in the past the Government over-stepped its bounds and we are now dealing with the fallout. But I digress.
Finally, some may have bristled when I called the petition pointless. But it remains true. This petition is pointless because porn is already "opt-in." Very rarely do I accidentally see pornography on the internet. If something suggestive appears that you didn't click on, close it. My petition (as well as yours) should happen with your index finger clicking that little 'x' in the corner. And it is not as if every webpage you navigate to has half the screen taken by naked women, if this were the case I might see the point in such a petition. And if there are naked people on your screen, you are visiting pornographic websites. In case you didn't know. I also have the AdBlock add-on for Google Chrome and I have installed K9 Internet Filtering. It is a free program that filters your internet locally; there is absolutely no need for the Government to get involved.
Saying that you need the government to babysit you and your children is exactly the kind of attitude that has gotten us to this point. Take the initiative. You are not a victim, and government is not the solution.
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| If three wise monkeys can do it, so can you. |
