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PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

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Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#801

It’s funny to see half of HN clutch pearls when a segment of society doesn’t want their kids addicted to digital porn. No one’s stopping you; it’s to stop kids from ramping up what might be the most societally acceptable hardcore addiction. There are elected representatives that push for these changes, this is how the society in the US is structured. If you want a different set of rules, get elected or change states.

It’s funny to see half of HN clutch pearls when a segment of society doesn’t want their kids addicted to digital porn. This is a disenguine, bad faith take on a swathe of commenters, not half of hn. Please don't add to flame wars.

Not at all.

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#802

Pornography, social media, 24/7 news... will all be looked back on in history as having profound negative mental health effects, akin to how we today view smoking in the 1950s. There is a mountain of growing evidence that this is verifiably true. The exact means that Utah is using to provide ID check may be for debate, but the concept there should be an age restriction, liable to the ISP or the content provider, shou…

Exactly, see https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#803
post #684

The funny thing is the minors know how to use a VPN to get around this law whereas the many older users don't! So, in Utah the minors will be able to access porn and many of the adults will not! Good job Utah!

It's a myth that "prohibition doesn't work" which is one of the roots of this type of thinking. It does actually work (e.g. reduce alcoholism, increase health) but it also leads to the increase in organized crime which became much more of a problem.

The increase of organized crime and the spawning of a giant black market do not seem to be indicators that prohibition "worked".

Also, during prohibition it was more efficient to smuggle stronger alcoholic drinks due to the fact that a bottle of whiskey can hold more standard drinks than a bottle of beer (30 ml whiskey ~ 285 ml beer). From what I red in Johann Hari's Chasing the Scream [1], this seemed to contribute to spirits becoming more available than lighter alcoholic beverages.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasing_the_Scream

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#804

Just the fact that pornography is being taken seriously as something that's dangerous for minors is a good thing really.

Is it? Is this a States thing? That in the United States that nudity and pornography is "dangerous", yet in other cultures throughout Europe, it's not taken as seriously, nor does it have this overall "dangerous" tag to it (generally speaking that is. Prudish people trying to impose their will on others can be a world-wide phenomenon). And does this put a curb on explicit R rated movies that has nudity and acts of se…

It's simply science, see the research for yourself: https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#805

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hyperbole much? Comparing Utah to the Middle East is a bit disingenuous.

Well, both regions are deserts occupied in majority by religious zealots of a single ethnic group that believe in polygamy and their economy is primarily driven by natural resource exports (oil for the Middle East; gold, other metals, and agricultural products for Utah). I don't think the comparison is that far off. Utah is 85% white and 60% Mormon, so... The only reason that Utah isn't whiter and more Mormon is due…

The LDS church has prohibited polygamy for well over a century now: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/polygamy-la...

LGBT rights in Utah is also middle of the road among U.S. states. The LDS church also supported the recent Respect for Marriage Act unlike many other conservative Christian organizations. Your other points about climate and economy are extremely generic and not really a strong argument for why Utah more similar to the Middle East than the rest of the US.

>Utah is 85% white and 60% Mormon, so...

Maine is ~95% white and ~60% Christian, so what's your point?

>The only reason that Utah isn't whiter and more Mormon is due to all the immigrant workers

Replace "Utah" with "United States" and "Mormon" with "Christian", then it remains a true statement for the entirety of your country's existence. The United States is far more culturally homogenous than most Americans like you think it is. Consider travelling outside North America for once before making such egregious comparisons again.

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#806
post #692

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anything that can hijack the dopaminergic system should not be allowed to kids. Gambling, tiktok & smartphones in general, porn, drugs etc. We used to have shame as a societal mechanism to deal with these issues. It was shameful to be an alcoholic, which was how alcoholism was kept in check. The same way it was shameful in ancient Greece to surrender to your carnal urges. Shame is disappearing. Our societies are goin…

> Anything that can hijack the dopaminergic system This is far too broad, just because something could be used for evil is not enough to ban it for all children. What about TVs? Candy? Stimulating toys? I think all of these can have negative outcomes when abused, but that isn't enough for me to say all children should not access them.

All online pornography is scientientifically demonstrated to be harmful for both children and adults, see the research: https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#807

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> people in high positions within the LDS Church often go into state and local politics and elect Yep. That's called a democracy, or a Republic, depending on which word you prefer. It's literally nothing like a Theocracy, in practice or in theory. You should probably study what an actual theocracy is: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/theocracy...

It's literally a theocracy /in practice/ because the religious minority is the majority in that region, in a state literally created for them, and they have run it since its foundation on the basis of the their religious beliefs, and continue to do so. You can't get more theocratic while being inside the US.

It's literally not a theocracy /in practice/. You don't get to redefine words to mean whatever you feel like. A theocracy is not a state that has some laws that correspond to one religion's moral code. It has never meant that, nor will it ever mean that.

Here are some major practical differences between a theocracy and a constitutional republic.

1. If citizens change their mind, within one election cycle they can replace every leader with atheists, or ones with different religions, and change the laws entirely. This is not possible in any theocracy, either in theory or in practice.

2. A constitution, both state and federal, limits what the state government can do, even when the leaders are all of one religion. Such limits do not exist in any theocracies, in theory or in practice, because, when you rule in the name of God, limits to your rule are sinful!

3. Utah has checks and balances via different branches of government. It has judicial procedures, for instance, where minorities can seek redresses. Our state and federal governments were explicitly designed to protect minorities from the tyranny of the majority. No such systems exist in any theocracies, in theory or in practice. For one, the majority doesn't rule in theocracies! When the majority rules, that makes it a democracy. I'm sure you've heard of that system of government?

4. Often, leaders disagree in Utah even when belonging to the same faith. The church itself has zero authority to adjudicate these disagreements. In a theocracy, the church's say would be final say, and all leaders would ultimately defer to church authority. Actually, they would be the ultimate church authority. In a theocracy, the ruling officials would be one and the same as the top church leadership.

> You can't get more theocratic while being inside the US.

You can't get past 0% theocratic in the US because theocracy is illegal in the U.S. You redefining the word to mean something else doesn't change this fact.

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#808

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> people in high positions within the LDS Church often go into state and local politics and elect Yep. That's called a democracy, or a Republic, depending on which word you prefer. It's literally nothing like a Theocracy, in practice or in theory. You should probably study what an actual theocracy is: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/theocracy...

I would argue the U.K. and Israel count as theocracies, too. It’s not a strictly defined term. But I agree that having a religious voting block a theocracy does not make.

I would argue that Israel is definitely a theocracy, and for similar reasons to why Utah is. It's a democratic state specifically created to house a persecuted religious minority that make up a majority of its polity and its leadership is ethnically and religiously aligned with that group and specifically elected and governs on the basis of their religious beliefs.

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#809
post #437

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why aren't parents doing basic things like setting up content filters? Not a comment on the policy; I'm a parent and AFAICT none of my cohorts in town know how to do this.

My son runs a vpn to get around my dns enforced fillers. I’ve tried to block vpns but he still finds a way.

A VPN would get around age verification filters too, the kid would just set the VPN server to a jurisdiction that doesn't require age verification.

Re: PornHub blocks users in Utah, cites state’s age verification law

#810
post #193

Just the fact that pornography is being taken seriously as something that's dangerous for minors is a good thing really.

But is pornography dangerous for minors? Has it been researched? What "dangers" are there? Do these apply to all age groups of "minors"?

All online pornography is scientifically demonstrated to be harmful to people of all ages. See the research: https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/
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