NJ Task force arrests 40 men for child pornography

[PickelledEggs]

I think the problem with child porn is that to make it, it requires under aged participants that are not able to offer adult consent.  Whether they give their consent or not, they are not legally qualified to do so. 

^

It's a law because they can't make decisions on their own and also, because they are children, they are easily influenced. They don't know the long term effects of decisions, in general.

[mauricio]

I am a little torn on this. Yeah child porn is bad...yada yada...but just as there are men who watch gay porn and will never experiment or women who watch vids about sex with animals will never do it...etc etc..there are men who watch child porn and will never go near the real thing. Sure you can say that by "buying" the stuff they help promote it, but giving these guys ridiculous prison sentences is a little whacky. Charge them 5 grand and be done with it. Go after the real fucks. Kinda like charging the smoker for making the ciggies.

the whole consuming it promotes it argument is bunk. Child porn is out there for free, created by truly bad people. There's various levels of moral culpability in which this should be seen. The one who rapes the child>the one who films>the one who uploads it for the first time>the one who shares it further>the ones who merely consume it. This goes from clearly you should go to jail to I'm not so sure jail is warranted. Obviously there's some overlaps between this categories. What you have to think about is what justifies to forcibly imprison someone. The one who merely consumed it has not actually harmed anyone, are you gonna incarcerate him because he may have an abnormal mind which maybe dangerous? Then it follows we should incarcerate sociopaths who have not committed any crimes.

[mauricio]

another way to think about this is comparing it too gore videos like the videos of ISIS burning a man alive. Follow the chain of moral culpability from above in this case and see if your moral judgements change and ask yourself why.

[Mr.Obvious]

well, there are no "roots", like every sexual "persuasion" it renews itself on its own. And although there is plenty of studies to suggest much of it is due to personal past experience, there are still many who simply go that route.

I am well aware the points of your argument, such as I mentioned them, yet…. how well did imprisoning the pot smokers help to quell the sellers eh?

By the roots I'm talking not about the problem within the users, I'm talking about the market within our society and all those who participate and help it grow and flower.
Edit: Though on a second read of your post, I guess that is what you mean too. None the less. I'm not claiming it can be removed from society. But it must always be combatted.

And I understand your pot-point. I just keep in mind that putting illegal substances into your body just screws you yourself over mainly, while funding others to do something illegal though not necessarily damaging to others. In childpornography, however, there is always a third party which must suffer. And promoting that  in exchange for their selfish desires should be punished more severely because of it.

[mauricio]

I think the problem with child porn is that to make it, it requires under aged participants that are not able to offer adult consent.  Whether they give their consent or not, they are not legally qualified to do so.  It would be like an underage girl having sex with an adult.  She may be willing and even an enthusiastic participant, but the adult involved is breaking the law.  The law probably exists because there is a somewhat universal feeling that children should not be used by adults for sexual gratification.  As far as adults viewing child porn, I'm not even sure they breaking an actual law.  In cases of normal porn created by consenting adults, there is usually a notification that all participants are 18 or older.  That's to protect the legal rights of the porn industry.  Now if a person wants to view child porn, I doubt that he has to provide documentation notifying the internet that he believes all the participants are of legal age.  Of course he couldn't do that.  So I'm guessing laws against child porn only pertain to production, but I don't know that for sure.  If someone knowingly views it, I'm not sure if it actually breaks a law.  It might.  I just don't know what law that is.

In the US it definitely does, in Canada people have even been incarcerated for cartoon porn. I remember someone got jailed or received a harsher sentence for having porn of bart simpson and lisa.

[Baruch]

In the US it definitely does, in Canada people have even been incarcerated for cartoon porn. I remember someone got jailed or received a harsher sentence for having porn of bart simpson and lisa.

Puriitans are, what puritans do.  But that doesn't excuse the other monsters of the Id.