Comments | mckitterick: Thought Police: 1, Citizens: 0.

mckitterick

Thought Police: 1, Citizens: 0.

Mar 14, 2013 13:58

Turns out that it's now illegal in the US to have disgusting fantasies... even when you explicitly state that the online chat you're having about said fantasy is just that: Only a fantasy.

From the Slate.com articleIn the government's version of the facts, Valle had been working up "practical and strategic" plans to kidnap, rape, torture, kill, ( Read more... )

politics, decline of civilization

Comments 9

(The comment has been removed)

mckitterick March 14 2013, 20:14:36 UTC

I agree, that I'd like to know more, overall. But the fact that people can no longer feel safe writing about their fantasies, and searching for information on how to make them sound more realistic, is creepier than this guy.

I've known people whose fantasy lives would be seen by others as twisted, others who would like to see them prosecuted for being dirty and wrong. So what if two people work out an abduction fantasy online and even act it out if no one is actually harmed by it? Geez, this is where "slippery slope" gets me worried - especially when the majority are okay with such kinds of prosecutions.

(The comment has been removed)

mckitterick March 15 2013, 19:22:52 UTC

Exactly - and the vast majority of those aren't going to harm anyone.

clevermanka March 14 2013, 19:45:57 UTC

This does not bode well for the slashfic community. At all.

mckitterick March 14 2013, 20:11:35 UTC

A-yep. And writers of SF/F/H? Should we start worrying about what we search for while researching our work?

carmy_w March 15 2013, 17:09:23 UTC

This was exactly what I was thinking. Any murder mystery writer who really does extensive research had better keep a "fry the hard drive" button set up on his computer (see also-Rick Castle).

Sorry-I know it's not funny, but it also sounds EXACTLY like a script from "Castle!"

Which, in a way, makes it even less funny. *sigh*

mckitterick March 15 2013, 19:23:13 UTC

A-yep. *sigh*

(The comment has been removed)

mckitterick March 14 2013, 20:10:47 UTC

Good points, Lane. Using police resources as part of his fantasy really ought to be illegal. But it makes me more than a little worried that the thrust of the prosecution was, "These are not okay thoughts!"

supergee March 15 2013, 10:09:58 UTC

At least they were his own fantasies. There are people doing time for going along with fantasies cooked up by undercover cops.

mckitterick March 15 2013, 19:23:37 UTC

There's that, too....