11.19.2009

Day 9 - Attitude of Gratitude

I cannot believe this. I am glad that that some people are speaking out and talking intelligently about what is and is not appropriate when it comes to what we do in public. This is a link to an article in the NY Times about people who are viewing pornography on their iPod or Blackberry while commuting. As indecent as this practice is even privately, I am absolutely appalled that anyone would think to view porn in public, forcing it on bystanders like foul language and second hand smoke.

I am grateful today for the responses to this article (scroll down to the bottom of the article... they are all worth a read). They have reminded me that human decency survives, that the conscience of the common man is not dead.


For those of you lazy enough not to click on the link, but not lazy enough to forego reading the rest of this post, this is my favorite part of the article:

Perhaps this is the real problem: the increasingly blurred boundary between public and private. If we are so accustomed to burying our noses in tiny screens, carrying our entertainment in and out of the house, perhaps people are simply getting confused as to where they are.
Could simple public service announcements clear this up?
ATTENTION: As similar as this basketball arena may appear to your apartment, they are not, in fact, the same place. For further evidence, please ask yourself the following question: Does my apartment typically contain 20,000 complete strangers? If the answer is “No,” then you are in a public arena. You should not be watching porn.


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This article from the Washington Post is worth a read as well. I've decided: for my English 312 class, I am writing my 10 page researched argument about the feasibility of passing a law - like unto indecent exposure - against viewing pornography in public. Of course, we should do away with it all together, but I can't argue that kind of censorship. Baby steps.


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