CompuServe Messages

Don you suprise me. >> I also feel that this is a part of the whole computer industry and was represented in proper proportion. << So does this mean that at a pharmacuetical convention, there should be an area set aside for home production of cocaine? Or that at NAB there should be an area set aside for Child pornography? >> As far as the male/female thing is concerned I disagree with you totally for this reason. I believe that if it were men exploiting women then you'd be right but in the cases of these vendors they were being run, managed and entrepreneured by women, not men. << Your argument is actually self defeating. Men exploiting women or women exploiting women, it makes no difference. Its still exploitation. We fought a civil war over men exploiting men. And while I think that there were many Southern Gentlemen who took good care of their slaves, it doesn't justify the practice. Even in South Africa where it wasn't a question of slavery but of Apartheid, the policy of the U.S. was to stand against it and as a result the pratice was finally dismantled. It comes down to human dignity and opportunity which if not respected leads to the purges of Stalinist Russia or the massacres of the Kamer Rouge in Cambodia, or the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. >> If anything this was a case of women degenerating men and women as both sexes were represented in the collection of CD's displayed. << O.K. so if this is the case why would you want to see this practice condoned or continued? I believe in the general concept of a free market system too, but I think (hope) you'd agree that there are many things that I wouldn't want to see legalized in the interest of "a free" market. In fact there are many areas in which we do not have a free market, like weapons, certain kinds of technology and drugs to name a few. Just because some women are willing to sell their bodies on street corners or for CD ROM titles doesn't mean its a victimless crime. Typically these women suffer from low self esteem and a troubled upbringing, and what this practice does is exploit their low self esteem. And with women just like with men, there are certain people who will for a variety of reasons take advantage and exploit these people. The practice should not be condoned as it denegrates our collective value and self perception. Which can ultimately lead to dictarorships, purges and massacres. I'm am amazed and astounded by how fast humanity can degenerate into anarchy, as witnessed in Bosnia with people that had lived side by side in relative peace. If the underpinnings of human value are compromised this becomes the end result. This is not a direct correlation to the production and manufacture of CD ROM's with explicit graphic content but is indicative of the delicate balance of the respect for our own humanity. Which, instead of exploitation, requires sensitive nuturing as history shows us how quickly our self perception can be self defeating. And as people who work in Media, it our social responsibility to stand against this exploitation. Yes I know its an uphill battle, and its tough to make a living in Video/Animation as an independent without succuming to the temptation to take advantage of a market which is in high demand, but I for one will hold the line and hope that along with other's we can make a difference. -JE