Please let me apologise in advance for my somewhat long winded answer to your first point - I really tried a number of approaches to make my point but in all cases - I sounded like I was disapproving of porn/slash period and that is not strictly my stand. I promise you that my other two responses are quite short :-)

--- Susan Beth susanbeth33@mindspring.com wrote:

But wouldn't that require that porn was the ONLY information on sexuality this child encounters? That his parents never speak to him about sex, and he never sees them or any other real life couple cuddle or be affectionate in any way, that he has no older siblings who are going through the 'learning to be a man/woman in relationships' stages, that he never watches television (almost all dramas and soap and sitcoms include many, many examples of sexual relationships, the vast majority being m/f) or movies, never goes to a museum with nude paintings or statues, never reads books of any kind other than porno, doesn't get the bland mechanics offered in most 'sex education' courses in school, and on and on?

Unfortunately, there are so many different situations involved in what I meant that it is difficult to catalogue an example of them all, but as a generalisation, I would answer 'yes' to your question but only in as much that the misguided youngster doesn't see sufficient examples of standard behavioural patterns in our society, either through non representations on the home front(some parents don't talk about sex at all and some do not ever show open affection, either towards each other or their offspring)also there are children that do not regularly attend school and not everyone has an older sibling whose current relationship can be used as a good guide - I know I am citing extremes but as I said in my other post - it is the extremes that cause me the concern and if they are led to believe that pornographic material is somehow not only exciting and approved of as standard behaviour (which allowing it to enter non porn areas does suggest)then they really are being presented with the wrong message. I actually am in a bit of a quandry as to where I fully stand on this issue, one part of me suggests that porn should never enter a non porn area (as an example B7 stories and pictures)and if I was the deciding voice that's what I would decree(after all, there are plenty of areas where pornography abounds - why can't some areas be left alone?) this is due in part to possible harmful influences and in part to being just a tad fed up with lusty sex having to enter every frame of our existence, *however* the other part suggests that this material can make for enjoyable reading and in the main is pretty harmless stuff, but that leads me back to possible undue influences on minors - bit of a vicious circle - which is why ultimately, I say that it should be noticeably restricted, there are so many undue influences in this world and we can't observe every single individuals reactions to them so this would seem to be the best approach in all provocative matters so as to minimise possible escalating problems.

Our culture, er, better make that present day American culture, is *drenched* in sexual references and imagery. I find it hard to believe that reading an adult fanzine would have such a disproportionate effect on a child.

the fanzine itself would quite probably have no effect at all...I always find it so much easier to get my point across on a verbal level rather than the written method, so it is possible that I have confused you and maybe others on what I have been trying to say on this particular point; it's not so much the porn in fanzines that causes the problem(to my mind)so much as the message it delivers to some people(particularly the young)i.e. this is an accepted form of practice - so much so that look, even our heroes do it...probably badly put but in essence this is what I mean.

Not that I'm arguing *for* giving adult zines to children. I just don't think a picture of two men kissing will warp a child for life. And that's about as explicit as most art in B7 zines gets...most of it is portraits of a single person, clad or unclad.

But from what I understand, slash/porn has pretty much entered all areas of fandom - even(as I read in one post)Thomas the tank engine for god's sake...how much 'warping' power this sort of expression has on an individual child really depends on how much exposure to this sort of material, they run into.

===== Cheryl. (My favourite 'Blake's 7' moment) What a fiasco! We could take over the ship you said, if I did my bit. Well, I did my bit, and what happened? Your 'troops' bumble around looking for someone to surrender to, and when they've succeeded, You, follow suit! (Avon to Blake. "Spacefall")

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