CDA

[matthews pamela]

On Mon, 30 Jun 1997, Ronnie Morgan wrote:

> How are they contradictory?  Does a child have the right to view porn?  If
> so, then again, why can't a child walk into an adult book store?

I don't know that a child *can't* walk into any given adult book store --
it depends on local ordinances.  I *do* know that a child *can* go into
any 7-11 or CoGo's or even some regular bookstores and be exposed (so to
speak) to your Playboys and your Penthouses and yadda yadda yadda.

I also know that these aren't the only places kids can find "dirty"
pictures, and neither is the much maligned WWW.  Personally, the mags I
found hidden at the bottom of my older brother's desk drawer were *my*
introduction to the genre -- at age 5.  And some of my friends found a
reel of super-8 film literally dumped out in the middle of the countryside
that gave *them* a couple of eyefulls.  

But y'know, none of us (and I include my older brother in this statement)
grew up to be "preverts" or murderers, rapists or even chat room addicts.
The other parts of our upbringing -- the morals and other good stuff
that our parents instilled in us -- kept us from being "poisoned" by the
experience of viewing a couple of naked people.

You just *cannot* minimalize the impact of parents' views on children.
Your views will undoubtedly have a huge influence on *your* children.
However, you do *not* have a right to *impose* your views on *other
people's* children, which is, unfortunately, what happens when filtering
is put in place in a public forum.

			       Pam Matthews 
       	         Acquisitions/Technical Services Librarian
		      Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery
	          University of Maryland Baltimore County
		            1000 Hilltop Circle
		           Baltimore, MD  21250
		            410-455-6754 (phone)
		             410-455-1061 (fax)
		            pamatthe at gl.umbc.edu