The Australian PM’s Aversion To Net Sex Leads To Nationwide Uproar

One unpopular prime minister, John Howard, was ousted in Australia’s November ’06 election for his unwavering support for Operation Iraqi Destruction. His replacement, Kevin Rudd, is now under fire not two months into his first term for an initiative which would enact the filtration of the nation’s entire Internet backbone, much to the apparent anger and dismay of its citizens.

The filter’s purpose? To put a halt to rampant nakedness. Literally.

It’s been just a short while since word first crept about the globe over the Rudd administration’s (comprising the Labor party, to be clear) intentions to put a stop to the proliferation of pornography all throughout the land down under. The Communications Minister for the government, Stephen Conroy, devised the details for the plan, which would see that ISPs ensure both residences and schools – both prime locations from whence Aussie youth venture out to the great big WWW – to be guaranteed no encounters with adult-oriented material.

Criticism of the impending move is obviously quite vociferous, and claims of censorship and denial of freedoms akin to China’s authoritarian landscape are being leveled at the Rudd clan. Mr Conroy, the official spokesman for the initiative, rebutted such accusations like so: “Labor makes no apologies to those that argue that any regulation of the Internet is like going down the Chinese road.”

Though we here at Profy see and understand somewhat the logic employed by Rudd, Conroy, and others in the Australia’s executive quarter – we’re certain that the complete elimination of child pornography is in the world majority’s interest, yes? – we have to offer our vote for anti-regulation. Our reason for making that conclusion is simple. It’s really much too difficult to effectively filter all the reprehensible and thoroughly illegal material without sweeping up a great many (too many, we think) “innocents” in the process.

Of course, it should be said that no matter what generic limits are placed on certain items – be they physical or cloud-based attractions - individuals will succeed in subverting them. So, when all is said and done, if explicit visual material is what one craves, explicit visual material one can get.

Regulation by and large always leads to conflict. Humans by nature enjoy the existence of structure and normalcy and, to some degree, uniformity as well, but they favor freedom just as strongly. If options are few, people are unhappy. The level of discontent is directly proportional to the number of choices made available. Therefore, it is eminently understandable for Australia as a whole to respond in backlash to something that essential will leave them with less choice.

Furthermore, it is important to consider the topic of prioritization of civil matters. In this particular instance, children are being used as examples of decency and purity that mustn’t be tarnished. (So says papa Prime Minister.) Yet they are consistently bombarded with pressures that have to do with much more serious concerns than pornographic content. Societal hatreds abound. Education of international matters is woefully inadequate. Levels of ignorance are dangerously high, which now oftentimes leads to destructive conflict. (I.e., the insanity currently being perpetrated by nations large and small in the Middle East and regions elsewhere.) Is porn really a matter of utmost concern? Really?

We dare say this development is all but on par with the subject of marriage in the US, a sore spot that will be remembered in decades to come as American idiocy. Except, well, there’s a pretty big difference between the two. On the one hand you have most Australians in an uproar against regulation. On the other, a good percentage of American’s interested in maintaining the supposed biblical norm.

Chances are Rudd will soon have to reverse course. The administration will most likely attempt to save face and assemble an investigative board of some sort to concern themselves with the matter of decency standards on the Internet, but otherwise, it will be a topic swept beneath the proverbial rug.

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