Policy regarding reading and people under the age of 18
I am trying not to be too angry about this new adult content flagging feature.
I checked out sexually explicit material from my local library in BFE North Carolina when I was 11. I didn't like it that much and I didn't read it.
When I was 12, my father handed me a book with a lurid, Conan type cover and a porny blurb on the back and said, "This looks interesting." I read it because he suggested it. I was mortified.
But my point is, libraries in my experience let people read what they want. They let parents guide their own children.
And to the extent that the interent is a library - as in, when people are reading words on the screen - I think we should let people read what they want to read. Even 10, 11, 12 year olds. Who, by the way, should not be surfing the net without parental supervision. I have a 9 year old. He doesn't know the password to our computer, and he doesn't do ANYTHING on it without me at his elbow. So I know it can be done and it's a lot easier to control the content a kid sees on a computer than it is to control the content he sees while watching the freakin' football game, with the Cialis ads and the disgusting beer commercials.
My policy regarding readers and explict content is posted on my profile page and index page. It is as follows:
Content Warnings and Age Restrictions
Regarding the explicit sexual content of many of these stories, personally, I don't believe in censoring the written word. If you can read and understand and be interested, then I don't mind if you read here.
However, I am also a parent. I know how parents are. If you think your parents would tell you not to read this material, please respect your parents' rules and wishes. There's nothing in this journal good enough to make your parents mad about. Hopefully it'll all still be here when you turn eighteen when your parents stop paying your bills. :p
So. Now, with the flagging feature, apparently I can no longer have this policy. Because anybody who doesn't share my view can tattle on me to the abuse team, who will then make their own decision about how I should post my content.
Here's the deal. I think if I get one single post restricted based on abuse team review, I'm leaving. I'll post a forwarding address.
I checked out sexually explicit material from my local library in BFE North Carolina when I was 11. I didn't like it that much and I didn't read it.
When I was 12, my father handed me a book with a lurid, Conan type cover and a porny blurb on the back and said, "This looks interesting." I read it because he suggested it. I was mortified.
But my point is, libraries in my experience let people read what they want. They let parents guide their own children.
And to the extent that the interent is a library - as in, when people are reading words on the screen - I think we should let people read what they want to read. Even 10, 11, 12 year olds. Who, by the way, should not be surfing the net without parental supervision. I have a 9 year old. He doesn't know the password to our computer, and he doesn't do ANYTHING on it without me at his elbow. So I know it can be done and it's a lot easier to control the content a kid sees on a computer than it is to control the content he sees while watching the freakin' football game, with the Cialis ads and the disgusting beer commercials.
My policy regarding readers and explict content is posted on my profile page and index page. It is as follows:
Content Warnings and Age Restrictions
Regarding the explicit sexual content of many of these stories, personally, I don't believe in censoring the written word. If you can read and understand and be interested, then I don't mind if you read here.
However, I am also a parent. I know how parents are. If you think your parents would tell you not to read this material, please respect your parents' rules and wishes. There's nothing in this journal good enough to make your parents mad about. Hopefully it'll all still be here when you turn eighteen when your parents stop paying your bills. :p
So. Now, with the flagging feature, apparently I can no longer have this policy. Because anybody who doesn't share my view can tattle on me to the abuse team, who will then make their own decision about how I should post my content.
Here's the deal. I think if I get one single post restricted based on abuse team review, I'm leaving. I'll post a forwarding address.