Comments on: Savitabhabhi and the right to smut http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/savitabhabhi-and-the-right-to-smut/ This site is about social commentary, bill of gripes, trivia, insanity, venting my spleen, all rolled into one. Sat, 15 Aug 2009 08:18:59 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Govt. plays Net Nanny to Savita Bhabhi | Bhatnaturally http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/savitabhabhi-and-the-right-to-smut/#comment-495 Govt. plays Net Nanny to Savita Bhabhi | Bhatnaturally Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:39:37 +0000 http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-495 [...] the site recently. More details and a healthy debate at ContentSutra. The mainstream media and blogs have taken up the cause of the banned website and have spoken against the ban. My two-bits on the [...] [...] the site recently. More details and a healthy debate at ContentSutra. The mainstream media and blogs have taken up the cause of the banned website and have spoken against the ban. My two-bits on the [...]

]]> By: bhatnaturally http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/savitabhabhi-and-the-right-to-smut/#comment-494 bhatnaturally Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:06:29 +0000 http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-494 Nice post. The Govt can play a regulatory role but can't be a Net Nanny. The ban on a single site is not going to tackle the problem of content unsuitable for all, on the Net. For those in the know, there are anonymizers and stuff which will allow access to such sites. And when something is banned, it becomes that much more enticing. I am not speaking up for sites like SB, but the nature of the internet beast is such. It will host such sites and more. It is the civil society that has to ensure that their kids are protected from such sites. Not the Government. Nice post. The Govt can play a regulatory role but can’t be a Net Nanny. The ban on a single site is not going to tackle the problem of content unsuitable for all, on the Net. For those in the know, there are anonymizers and stuff which will allow access to such sites. And when something is banned, it becomes that much more enticing. I am not speaking up for sites like SB, but the nature of the internet beast is such. It will host such sites and more. It is the civil society that has to ensure that their kids are protected from such sites. Not the Government.

]]> By: Anon http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/savitabhabhi-and-the-right-to-smut/#comment-487 Anon Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:00:14 +0000 http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-487 Thanks for writing in. You would rather have savitabhabhi.com continue online than have the government bring it down. Those are not the only choices, I hope. Somehow I have great faith in the ability of civil society to rise up and play its role in public life and online. My plea in this post as in many others on my blog is that we have to move from spectators and consumers to actual actors in the society and politics around us. At that point even government can become the instrument of civil society. I am not saying we need to stand for elections, but we need to respond to things we don't like around us, rather than try to avoid them. Thanks for writing in.

You would rather have savitabhabhi.com continue online than have the government bring it down.

Those are not the only choices, I hope. Somehow I have great faith in the ability of civil society to rise up and play its role in public life and online.

My plea in this post as in many others on my blog is that we have to move from spectators and consumers to actual actors in the society and politics around us. At that point even government can become the instrument of civil society. I am not saying we need to stand for elections, but we need to respond to things we don’t like around us, rather than try to avoid them.

]]> By: SM http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/savitabhabhi-and-the-right-to-smut/#comment-486 SM Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:38:46 +0000 http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-486 A very interesting thread..... I've been following it from the content sutra site until here. I thought that your arguement was the most balanced...but I have to admit that I am in 100% agreement with @lostpoet - avoid the 'rough neighborhoods' of the web. I am not in favor of smut all over....that said, I rather have savitabhabhi up and running than the government taking a unilateral approach to determining what I can and cannot view. Hell, go to www.penthouse.com and you can buy a subscription to hard core porn on your Indian credit card. Seems 100% legal. My local DVD lending library will gladly loan out the worst possible smut to anyone for pennies a day. You simply cannot stop this. And for all those self-righteous prigs: get a dose of reality. By banning savitabhabhi.com you are not accomplishing anything. To be clear, I am not in favor of porn - as a kid I was introduced to it; as an adult I am very aware of what is available on the web, on video and in print and how easily a 12 year old can access it (print and video are even more accessible than the web). The only thing I can do for my kids is to bring them up so that they are aware, confident and secure. I've seen enough of the web, enough of India and enough of the world to conclude that all other forms of control will only be counter-productive. To me that is the middle path. A very interesting thread….. I’ve been following it from the content sutra site until here.

I thought that your arguement was the most balanced…but I have to admit that I am in 100% agreement with @lostpoet – avoid the ‘rough neighborhoods’ of the web.

I am not in favor of smut all over….that said, I rather have savitabhabhi up and running than the government taking a unilateral approach to determining what I can and cannot view. Hell, go to http://www.penthouse.com and you can buy a subscription to hard core porn on your Indian credit card. Seems 100% legal. My local DVD lending library will gladly loan out the worst possible smut to anyone for pennies a day.

You simply cannot stop this. And for all those self-righteous prigs: get a dose of reality. By banning savitabhabhi.com you are not accomplishing anything.

To be clear, I am not in favor of porn – as a kid I was introduced to it; as an adult I am very aware of what is available on the web, on video and in print and how easily a 12 year old can access it (print and video are even more accessible than the web). The only thing I can do for my kids is to bring them up so that they are aware, confident and secure. I’ve seen enough of the web, enough of India and enough of the world to conclude that all other forms of control will only be counter-productive. To me that is the middle path.

]]> By: Anon http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/savitabhabhi-and-the-right-to-smut/#comment-485 Anon Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:01:47 +0000 http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-485 Thanks for your comment. I am hoping that there can be a middle path between unbridled freedom and too much government control. Freedom can get stronger only if we use it judiciously and responsibly. To use your metaphor, communities break down in large cities, and that is when we need the law and police to take care of things for citizens. Thanks for your comment. I am hoping that there can be a middle path between unbridled freedom and too much government control. Freedom can get stronger only if we use it judiciously and responsibly. To use your metaphor, communities break down in large cities, and that is when we need the law and police to take care of things for citizens.

]]> By: the lostpoet http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/savitabhabhi-and-the-right-to-smut/#comment-484 the lostpoet Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:55:34 +0000 http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-484 I do no think that this middle path can be achieved in reality. Because the internet is vastly different from the real life. In a neighborhood you can keep unwanted things away as a community through like minded people and coercion. On the internet, you just have to avoid some places, just like in a big city where you have to avoid certain areas if you do not want to be 'offended'. I do no think that this middle path can be achieved in reality. Because the internet is vastly different from the real life. In a neighborhood you can keep unwanted things away as a community through like minded people and coercion. On the internet, you just have to avoid some places, just like in a big city where you have to avoid certain areas if you do not want to be ‘offended’.

]]> By: Naavi http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/savitabhabhi-and-the-right-to-smut/#comment-482 Naavi Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:44:11 +0000 http://justanordinarycitizen.wordpress.com/?p=186#comment-482 Well said. Well said.

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