Religion ghosts in Pornhub’s battle with Utah, Louisiana and red-state America? — GetReligion

Politicians working with conservative parents vs. Pornhub may seem like a rather obvious conflict.

But what would happen if cultural conservatives did something that angered, well, Disney, ESPN, Apple, Amazon and other more mainstream principalities and powers in American (global, really) culture?

In the podcast, I reminded listeners of the 2017 clash between the state of North Carolina and the gods of big-time college basketball (think March Madness). This was a fight over a “bathroom bill” that today’s left would call “anti-trans,” while others (perhaps even old liberals) would say the debate was about the privacy rights of women. Yes, I know: Define “woman.”

How did that North Carolina clash turn out?

To understand what is happening in Utah, it helps to back up to this interesting New York Times feature about a similar clash — with a different plot twist — in Louisiana. Here is the double-decker headline on that:

States’ Push to Protect Kids Online Could Remake the Internet

New age restrictions for minors on sites like TikTok and Pornhub could also hinder adults’ access to online services.

Louisiana is, of course, an interesting state. For starters, so-called “culture wars” fights in Louisiana usually include a coalition of Republicans and culturally conservative (or “populist”) Democrats, including Catholics and, rarely mentioned by the national press, African-American Protestants and Pentecostal believers.

At the same time, folks in New Orleans know a thing or two about strip clubs and battles over public indecency.

Thus, this is a perfect example of the complex nature of these parents vs. Big Tech wars. It’s one thing to demand that customers entering an “analog” strip club to produce an ID showing their age. Yes, IDs can be faked, but everyone understands the point of this kind of law.

But what about requiring patrons to show ID when entering a “digital” strip club, or websites that are much, much worse? Thus, the Times notes:

Louisiana is at the forefront of a sweeping national push to insulate young people from potentially harmful content by requiring certain online services to bar or limit minors on their platforms. As a result, people in many other states may soon find that they, too, need to use credentials like digitized drivers’ licenses to access a host of services, including popular social media apps.

The proposed restrictions, introduced by at least two dozen states over the last year, could alter not only the online experiences of children and adolescents. They could also remake the internet for millions of adults, ushering in a tectonic cultural shift to a stricter, age-gated online world.

Here is the thesis, from the point of view of the Times:

The spate of new bills may come as a relief to parents who worry that their children are being bombarded by sexualized images or targeted by strangers online. But civil liberties groups say that certain bills could make it difficult for Americans, including minors, to view online information they have a constitutional right to see, violating free speech principles.

An example of the valid, yet sexualized, material that minors need to see? Anyone want to predict the legal fault lines in that debate?

But let me end with this final podcast takeaway. This trend is clearly and example of cultural conservatives trying to help parents who believe they have been placed in an impossible situation. The state can help, for sure, but it cannot prevent entrepreneurs from creating “back doors” into digital strip clubs (and worse).

My question, as a journalist and as a churchman: At what point will religious groups — think congregations, denominations, seminaries — realize that they need to address these issues in sermons, education, retreats, etc.?

Yes, it’s good to lobby legislators on “screen culture” issues. But, at some point, pastors are going to have to be brave and dive on this cultural hand grenade.

Enjoy the podcast and, please, share it with others.

FIRST IMAGE: Uncredited graphic with FOSSBYTES.com feature: “More iOS Users Watched Pornhub Than Android In 2019: Report.”