Rick Falkvinge: Why free speech is harmed by the ban on child porn

I'm pretty sure peer pressure alone can regulate against people looking at child porn, no need to involve the police in it.

There IS a huge market for videos of violence. It's called the evening news, and they are all over that shit.

Hold on here. It's mainly the right winger Christians who are co-opting laws into their own religion based law. And the statement is also just factually false: not every religion tries to force their rules on the country.

If you were to call me a label of belief, I'd be a pagan. Old Gods, magic, divination, and all that. So I'm trying to force (or any of those I know who practice) our laws on others? We don't have religious edicts or laws! Instead, people like my girlfriend was subbing in the local high school, until a fellow teacher saw her wear a pentagram outside of school. She was gone by the week.

If you read any of the "pagan" news, its articles how only until recently, a cross was put on the burial stone for deceased military members, regardless of religious affiliation. Or, how Gideon groups still pass out those bibles to elementary schools. Or even the cases of religions classes teaching christianity only, neglecting all other beliefs.

>It is made clearly in the article that bad laws are lobbied by religious fundamentalists. Since religions have no value, I say clean it up.

I agree with a part: Fundamentalists. Fundamentalists of any organisation are a poison. Christians are fine, fundies, no. Same with Islam, and Buddhism, and Hinduism, and Taoism, and Paganism, and all the other isms. You add fundie, and "Bad Shit Happens".

Because the evidence continues to stack up in staggering amounts that sexual preference is innate and out of our control. That attempting to suppress it without any outlet is a recipe for a miserable life, possibly leading to dangerous and violent outbursts for perceived injustice and oppression.

There's a big jump from "sexual preference is innate" -- e.g., we can't use therapy to make gay boys straight (no, I'm not asking for references for that part!) to saying that preventing a child molester from viewing fake kiddie porn will make him violent (that's the part I strongly question...).

Yes, people are into kinky stuff, and I agree that someone sexually drawn to children can't just decide to flip an internal switch and be no longer drawn to them. But I'm keenly interested into what's the best way to work with a kink that's harmful to non-consensual others (like children).

There's little if any research available that sheds insight onto how best to handle it, AFAIK.

I do think I've read research that it's a bad idea to let people watch & roleplay detailed scenarios of whatever crime they risk committing, though -- it concretizes vague longings (however painful) into actual plans (that's a bad thing).

My personal best guess would be that we first need to recognize that pedophilic urges are like a condition that needs to be actively managed so that no one is ever harmed -- not hidden away until the sufferer loses control of themselves.

If pedophilic urges were more actively recognized & calmly discussed in society -- like urges to commit violence, which are more common but far more acceptable as well -- and people could seek help (cognitive behavioral therapy?) if they worried about losing control and doing harm, we might see actual harm to children vastly reduced.

Currently they absolutely can't seek help; they'll be turned into the police and all of their neighbors/family/coworkers will be questioned. So they're on their own.

I have an unpublished blog post on this that was spinning out of control, prompted by my childhood scoutmaster being charged with child molestation (many years later and unrelated to scouting activities, actually) and committing suicide -- one day I'll find a way to get it completed.