Digitally-Rendered Kiddie Porn - A Test of a Free Society

I heard a story on the radio about a child pornography ring that got busted. Apparently many digital files were seized which had images of children in sexual activities, but these images were created digitally, therefore no real children were involved in making them.

As an advocate of the free society, I must admit this situation was problematic for me, because on one hand I believe that as long as another's rights aren't being violated, moral issues are not a matter of law, but on the flip side, I have little sympathy for the arrest and detention of any such individual who creates and sells such content.

Here are some questions that I have:

- In a free society, should people be allowed to manufacture and/or sell child pornography as long as no real children are invovled in producing it?

- Or further, on a psychological note, might such kiddie porn potentially serve as a benefit to pedophiles as it allows them to act out their fantasies this way, as opposed to going out to the real world and violating children? Or, would the power of such images make them crave the real thing more?

Post 1

Sunday, November 7, 2004 - 7:57pm

- In a free society, should people be allowed to manufacture and/or sell child pornography as long as no real children are invovled in producing it?

Christ. I cannot believe the lengths to which people will go to simply satisfy themselves in a way that demeans the entire act of sex. I like Jeanine Ring's concept of erotica much better; her grasp of it actually carries meaning. Regardless, yes, these people should not be punished for their extreme efforts to produce child pornography digitally.

-Or further, on a psychological note, might such kiddie porn potentially serve as a benefit to pedophiles as it allows them to act out their fantasies this way, as opposed to going out to the real world and violating children? Or, would the power of such images make them crave the real thing more?

Is it impractical or cruel to consider a study? Survey a group of pedophiles, expose them to digital child porn, and record their reaction, desire, etc. We wouldn't be able to use the real thing, of course... But honestly, do you expect any of us to know what goes on in such the mind of a child molester?

Anyways, the efforts these people spent to avoid the child pornography laws...is it just me, or is it astounding? I hear that the new Disney film, the Incredibles, was something like a decade in the making, that human figures and expressions could only now be accurately reproduced with computers. What sort of dedication do digital child pornograhy creators have? Wouldn't it take immense amounts of work (not that I don't reluctantly applaud them for it), that would sumply ruin the entire genre for the creators at the outset? Wouldn't the outlandish means ruin the ends? Well, I suppose that if there exists a market, that it can and will be done. But sheesh...

*is bewildered*

-Michael

Post 2

Sunday, November 7, 2004 - 8:32pm

Caned N Able writes in response to my post:

But honestly, do you expect any of us to know what goes on in such the mind of a child molester?

There are people in the field of psychology who devote time to studying such things. I thought there were some SOLO members with degrees in psychology and/or extensive knowledge of the subject, and that they might be able to weigh in on the issue.

Caned goes on to write:

Anyways, the efforts these people spent to avoid the child pornography laws...is it just me, or is it astounding? I hear that the new Disney film, the Incredibles, was something like a decade in the making, that human figures and expressions could only now be accurately reproduced with computers. What sort of dedication do digital child pornograhy creators have? Wouldn't it take immense amounts of work (not that I don't reluctantly applaud them for it), that would sumply ruin the entire genre for the creators at the outset? Wouldn't the outlandish means ruin the ends?

With technology improving at the rate that it is, it is not inconceivable to imagine that the latest level of Disney animation would be available to people of modest means in the relatively near future. Additionally, high tech methods aside, one could still conceivably generate child pornography through drawing, painting, PhotoShop etc.

Post 3

Monday, November 8, 2004 - 6:08am

What sort of dedication do digital child pornograhy creators have? Wouldn't it take immense amounts of work (not that I don't reluctantly applaud them for it), that would sumply ruin the entire genre for the creators at the outset? Wouldn't the outlandish means ruin the ends?

What I can tell you is that most of the time that goes into something like The Incredibles goes into digital animation. For the digital kiddie porn images you keep hearing about, which (I assume) are mostly just still images, you don't need anything like the skill of the Pixar animators to produce something of reasonable quality. There is plenty of consumer-grade software available for those uses. The best example is probably Poser from Curious Labs, since it already provides good-quality human models, meaning all you have to do is pose them.
(Edited by Nature Leseul on 11/08, 6:09am)

Post 4

Monday, November 8, 2004 - 11:53pm

There are some quite unjustified assumptions floating in this thread...

One is that the effect of masturbating with "child pornography" on pedophiles is not known. In fact, it is well known: it is the most effective way to prevent pedophiles from molesting real children. It is called "satiation therapy", and is available as treatment to pedophiles in US Federal prisons, and in some States and foreign countries as well. The remaining problem is that satiation therapy is only available to pedophiles who have already molested one or more children. Sort of like making methadone available only to felons already convicted of heroin possession, except that the primary victims of this bizarre legal regime are the very children whom the law is supposed to protect...

The other unjustified assumption is that pedophilia is somehow a natural inclination for some people, and therefore a problem with which any society, no matter how rational, will have to deal. There is some evidence that pedophilia is really, not just figuratively, a perversion - the result of cultural repression of the normal sexual attraction of some individuals to neotenic adults. I understand that in Japan, where cultivation of neotenic personality and appearance is less taboo for adults than in Western societies, there is much LESS child molesting going on then here; and that what child molesting there still is in Japan, may be the result of Japanese assimilation to sexual repressions imported from the West. Also that most of what is mistaken by Western tourists in Japan for "child pornography" are actually photographs of neotenic adults, not real children.

Post 5

Tuesday, November 9, 2004 - 3:27am