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

[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