Boobies on C-SPAN

Recently got some slightly panicky responses to the idea that I might actually show pornography in a course entitled “Cyberpornography & Society.” I hadn’t expected any hand wringing until I at least had a working syllabus. Future such questions will be referred to the fact, as Fleshbot (link not safe for work) notes, that C-SPAN recently aired naked breasts.

Of course, this is not a simple matter. As this paper suggests, there is a fine line to be tread. Nonetheless, it seems pretty clear that talking about pornography without actually observing it is an unnecessarily difficult project.

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2 Comments

  1. Posted 11/25/2004 at 12:33 am | Permalink

    “True to that!” It appears to be that you have quite the challenge on your hands for next semester’s class. What kind of a society do we live in where the human body is a taboo concept? Is this an enlightened, information age that we live in or just a society of prudes?

    Sorry, I don’t mean to ask a series of philosophical questions or to opine on just one subject forever, but this is a very relevant issue in our society. It always has been and always will be a sensitive issue that people will differ on. We as Americans find it inappropriate to show nudity on even some of the most established, respected and educational programs; and yet in the media we can exploit the human body to no end as long as it doesn’t cross that “fuzzy” line.

    Is it then too far out of the scheme of things to except the constant criticizing that we get from Europeans and even our neighboring Canadians for our “prudishness?” Then again, there are many Europeans that believe that we Americans bathe too much… They do have a good point about our views on nudity though.

  2. Posted 11/29/2004 at 11:37 am | Permalink

    Joe, the real frustrating part is the double standard. There’s a lot of porn out there and a lot of people who “watch” it. But we can’t talk about it. It’s wrong because it exploits women but the same thing happens on TV shows and ads and no one says a word. It’s like our society says “porn is ok, just don’t talk about it.”

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