Because intelligent discussion is one of the best weapons against idiocy

[beachlass]

I've said it in a comments thread, so I'll find the courage to say it in my own journal.

I'm assuming the Warriors of Innocence instigated account and comm deletions are hitting some people that are posting unhurtful things, and have trigger words in their interests, and I'm certainly, in no way at all trying to align myself with unthinking censorship, or the like.

But.

I have a soft spot in my heart for a couple of pairings that have a bunch of shota/underage stuff posted about them. To say that it's fictional and causes no harm and that I don't have to look at it is fine up to a point. But there's some stuff out there - not a whole lot, but some - that really seems to be child pornography. There's pictures of Sasuke and Kakashi in our fandom that make me remember vividly what it was like to be molested as a child. Setting aside the harm it does to me - because I know that scanning copycock or steelandsparks might bring up something that will upset me, and I could just completely stop going to those comms (and I'm damn careful about what I open up) - setting that aside...

I still worry about what's going on when someone creates sexually explicit imagery or writing about a child and an adult. I worry about who is in the communities looking for that. And today, I'm not entirely comfortable about my own silence when I've seen that kind of stuff. Maybe I need to have some more courage about naming my discomfort to authors and creators, rather than silently turning my back and not mentioning it. Making nice. What's the cost? What, and who, have we been tolerating in communities?

Comments

[eshala.livejournal.com]

Well, my love
You already know how I feel about it.
It is so hard to figure out ways to speak out against things without sounding ... not like us...
But. The great thing about being fabulous, intelligent, passionate women in our 30's is that we feel the need to speak out. In different ways than when we were fabulous, intelligent, passionate women in our 20's, or our teens, or than we will be when we are in our 40's and beyond - but speak out we have, and do and will in the future. Because not speaking out has too huge a cost.
Remember back in 1st year University, when we met - I had a huge Silence = Complicity poster on my wall. While I know that mine is not the only opinion that is valid... I do feel the need to figure out ways to express how hurtful I feel some things are.
Especially when it comes to child abuse.
Consent is a huge thing.
Those of us who didn't have the choice when we were kids carry that weight with us. Over and over and over again. And while we may never be able to stop child abuse form happening, I certainly feel fine about speaking out against the glorification of adult/child sexual interactions -- cause even when it's 'just fantasy', it's still turning someone on... normalizing it and make it easier for it to keep happening. If I don't speak out, then I am saying it is okay.
And it's not.
Thank you for being amazing, and lovely and out-spoken. It's certainly part of why I love you so much.

[beachlass.livejournal.com]

Thanks hon.