So, what are Scruples?

[maveness]

I'm not a part of the Harry Potter fandom, but I've been hearing about this fandom_scruples thing for several days now.

So I wandered over and took a look just to see.

My opinion:

In the United States of America, first ammendment rights protect Freedom of Speech.

NC-17 fanfic (graphic depictions of sexual acts) are not much different than your standard trashy romance novel.

Therefore, I will place a password code on my NC-17 fanfic when bookstores place a padlock and an age verification system is installed on the section of the bookstore containing books depicting graphic sexual acts.

Rating systems on fanfiction are purely voluntary. Ratings are required for movies and video games (and sometimes music) for mass distribution, but guess what folks! That's not required for books. Yes, some will be sectioned out for purely adult content, but throw in a plot and it can be housed on the shelf next to the Bible.

If we put an NC-17 label on a fic, we've done our part. We're appropriately taking the opportunity to warn audiences about content (because it is very widely realized in fanfic communities that the NC-17 doesn't refer to violence).

If you can't take the time to set up a Net Nanny, then don't try to make me set up passwords and locks. You are responsible for what you and your child view. Stop being a lazy ass and start being a parent and responsible.

Thank you and have a nice day.

Comments

[eanja]

I quite agree (even though I don't write anything.) I spent a fair chunk of time when I was 13 or 14 smuggling victorian erotica over into the kids section of the bookstore and reading it while my mother was grocery shopping. It's really not like kids can't get smut w/out the internet.

[maveness.livejournal.com]

I did the same thing, but with mom's romance novels. I snuck them into my room and would hide them under the mattress when I wasn't reading. It's not hard at all to read smut, not hard at all. Heck, I had friends who would trade books with me.

I'm all for passwords and locks on visuals of sexual acts, as seeing something is very different from reading it (we'll not even go into what I though a penis looked like until I finally saw a picture of one...let's just say "sword of love" and "tumescent shaft" were used widely in romance novels back then). But lord have mercy, it's like there are some parents who place *all* responsibility on others. Society should take some responsibility for their actions, but parents should be responsible for their own kids too. Heck, my parents turned on Net Nanny on their computer when my sister was 19. It kept her from things (much to her annoyance), but that was their perrogative.

[eanja]

I again agree w/ you about visual stuff being much different - it's fairly easy to read something without really understanding it properly. I think the number of places you can accidentally get to that show graphic teaser photographs is much more of a concern that someones fanfiction. Most kids aren't going to find NC-17 fanfiction unlesss they are actually looking for it, and to be quite honest, I rather lean to the idea that if a kid is old enough to both look for it and find a way into w/out telling his/her parents, they are probably old enough to read it. A really young kid, finding a typical sex scene, is usually going to go yuck and leave as soon the kissing starts

[ebonbird.livejournal.com]

I agree too. The softbrains at fandom_scruples have blocked comments and screened the existing ones.

They are weak like old teabags.

[maveness.livejournal.com]

It's the idea of "you're horrible, and we'll say it publicly, but we won't allow you to defend yourselves". They're merely sad, sad scaredycats that stirred things up then ran.

[ebonbird.livejournal.com]

I agree too. The softbrains at fandom_scruples have blocked comments and screened the existing ones.

They are weak like old teabags.

Who Died and Named them the Butterfly?

[ddcatwoman.livejournal.com]

OK, so like you can't find Porn ANY where else on the net...and someone must have plenty of time on their hands to go through all of these peoples,sites, storeis and LJ to find things that are rated NC-17...so if you had no rating at all, would they just pass it by?
have they read personally EVERY single piece of HP fanfiction out there?

Grow up and be responsible yourselves.
If you don't want your child reading these things, then monitor their internet use.
ITA with the whole don't expect us to be your babysitter...

[margroks.livejournal.com]

I stumbled across that yesterday and wondered, WTF? I was going to ask a polite question about their attitude but they won't allow anyone to comment, apparently. Many years ago, during a boring summer here in the duplicating room, my co-worker (a guy) and I borrowed some romance novels from a lady in our office. I could only read a couple before my tolerance left me but we both looked up, at one point, and said, Hey! These things are just soft core porn! This is what these God fearing proper ladies are reading? We laughed a long time over that. At one point we were both saying, We could write this stuff!
Anyway, it certainly smacks of parents who are too lazy to monitor their kids properly. I did it when my daughter was much younger and gradually allowed her more freedom and let her be on her own when the time was right. If your site or your fiction is marked then net surfer beware. No one wants too young children to view or hear that which is inappropriate for their age but that's you job as a parent. I find the idea of even TV chips for parental control a bit disturbing because parents should be paying attention themselves, but whatever.
I guess these people are very afraid of hearing any other viewpoints. Who died and made them God of the Net to list people they think are NOT RESPONSIBLE at their own sites?