Re: RARA-AVIS: Books Must Be Good... Or Else.

From: Kerry J. Schooley ( gsp.schoo@murderoutthere.com)
Date: 13 Feb 2007


At 06:22 PM 12/02/2007 -0500, Mark wrote:

>"We must protect the children" has been a clarion call to quell all
>descent for at least a century.

Isn't Dickens credited with popularizing the idea of childhood as a time of idealized innocence subject to adult exploitation? Previously kids, or at least teens, were regarded as smaller versions of adults, with perhaps a little less experience.

Personally I prefer the notion of youngsters as morally blank slates in constant need of guidance and correction from their elders and betters. Send 'em all to bible boot-camp. Teach 'em some discipline and respect, I say, and don't spare the rod.

To reach a little further back in this conversation, who says child molesters are automatically without morals? Isn't it possible the chicken-hawk code of ethics simply does not regard sex with juveniles as immoral, in the same way that many good Christians do not regard driving SUVs as immoral? As Jim said, they may not be your morals, or his, or mine, but as long as there's a moral involved, a work of art is worthy.

That was your point, wasn't it Jim?

Okay, now let's define truth. Kerry

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