Wikipedia:Hardcore pornography images: Difference between revisions
some background assists the reader in understanding the issues and the wikilinks offer insight to actual standards to consider |
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==Scope and definitions== |
==Scope and definitions== |
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===Scope=== |
===Scope=== |
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This page is solely concerned with those activities which are primarily notable as occurring in hardcore pornography. It does not address the use of images in articles covering real-life human sexuality where the behavior in question occurs among populations at a notable level, and this is verified, and there is sufficient material for a worthwhile encyclopedia article, and the image depicts this real-life behavior |
This page is solely concerned with those activities which are primarily notable as occurring in hardcore pornography. It does not address the use of images in articles covering real-life human sexuality where the behavior in question occurs among populations at a notable level, and this is verified, and there is sufficient material for a worthwhile encyclopedia article, and the image depicts this real-life behavior. |
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===Background=== |
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Although this essay details moral objections and aspects to be considered for the benefit of the project, there is a precedent of community consensus for the inclusion of images that have been called "hardcore" by some editors in articles discussing sexual acts seen in pornography. Use of such images has been an ongoing debate throughout Wikipedia and its sister project, [[Wikipedia Commons]]. [[Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not|What Wikipedia is not]] (specifically [[Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not|Wikipedia is not censored]]) is the [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines|policy]] pertaining to such images. The applicable content guidelines are those dealing with [[Wikipedia:Images|images]] and [[Wikipedia:Offensive material|offensive material]]. There have been multiple failed proposals to adjust policy in regards to such content such as "[[Wikipedia:Censorship (2006 proposal)|Censorship]]" and "[[Wikipedia:Wikiethics|Wikiethics]]". in 2010, after an attempt to limit sexually explicit content by [[Jimmy Wales]], a lengthy discussion took place at "[[commons: Commons:Sexual content|Sexual content]]" at Wikipedia Commons that failed to reach consensus. |
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The use of images that might be considered "hardcore" has been discussed at the talk pages of articles that include sexual acts seen in pornography. For the most part, there has not been consensus to remove these sexual images.{{ref|1|1}} The question of if these articles should have their scopes limited to only be of pornography has also met resistance from some in the community. |
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===Definition=== |
===Definition=== |
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The implication is that "graphical depictions of sexual acts" are an example of material hosted here that some readers may find objectionable. But hardcore pornography images go beyond images of common sexual behaviour as depicted in articles such as [[List of sex positions]]. Were Wikipedia to eschew the display of hardcore images, our content would arguably be more in line with the expectations raised by the disclaimer. |
The implication is that "graphical depictions of sexual acts" are an example of material hosted here that some readers may find objectionable. But hardcore pornography images go beyond images of common sexual behaviour as depicted in articles such as [[List of sex positions]]. Were Wikipedia to eschew the display of hardcore images, our content would arguably be more in line with the expectations raised by the disclaimer. |
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==Footnotes== |
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<references/> |
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<small>{{note|1}}1. See: Discussions at [[Talk:Creampie (sexual act)#equest for Comment|Creampie (sexual act)]] that resulted in "keep", a discussion at [[Talk:Gokkun#RFC on Image Inclusion|Gokkun]] that resulted in "include", numerous debates at [[Talk:Facial (sex act)|Facial (sex act)]], discussions at [[Talk:Bukkake|Bukkake]], discussions at [[Talk:Tea bag (sexual act)/Archive 1|Tea bag (sexual act]], and an RfC at [[Talk:Snowballing (sexual practice)#RfC on image|Snowballing (sexual practice)]]. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 23:25, 17 February 2011
 | This is an essay on the Wikipedia is not censored policy. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Wikipedia shouldn't include images of hardcore pornography |
Articles about hardcore pornography subjects should not contain images which are, themselves, hardcore pornography.
Because: on the one hand, these articles are mostly about obscure sub-genres of pornography. The point is, these are not vital articles. They are marginal articles, and any images in them are, perforce, images in a marginal article.
On the other hand, in return for the debatable encyclopedic value imparted by these images, we have that:
- There is a considerable cost to the encyclopedia to host these images. These few images are among the most contentious materials hosted on Wikipedia, degrade Wikipedia's reputation, create a political vulnerability for Wikipedia, and drive away customers (including women; Wikipedia has a serious deficit of female readers and editors, and that is a problem, and this sort of thing doesn't help).
- It is not a good thing for young people to be viewing these images. Other images on Wikipedia may also be problematic, but these images are especially problematic since they depict extreme sexual situations, and they depict events that occur in pornography but not (at a verifiably notable level) in real life. A picture being worth a thousand words, this point may be lost on impressionable viewers.
- Many of these images are misogynistic and degrading to women, and this is by intentional design, since the pornographic genres they illustrate are misogynistic and degrading to women. While it may be appropriate to display images depicting the degradation of women in certain historical or sociological contexts, its not appropriate to use them in what is a least a borderline "fanboy" context. In the war between the sexes, Wikipedia should not be taking sides.
Scope and definitions
Scope
This page is solely concerned with those activities which are primarily notable as occurring in hardcore pornography. It does not address the use of images in articles covering real-life human sexuality where the behavior in question occurs among populations at a notable level, and this is verified, and there is sufficient material for a worthwhile encyclopedia article, and the image depicts this real-life behavior.
Definition
"Hardcore pornography" is a fairly well-defined phrase. Wiktionary, the free dictionary, defines "hardcore pornography" as "Pornography featuring sexual penetration and other sexuality explicit acts". ("Explicit" is further defined as "very specific, clear, or detailed" and (in the pornographic sense) as "containing material that might be deemed offensive or graphic".) Our article on hardcore pornography (contrast with softcore pornography) discusses this in more detail.
It is true that at the limits, the application of the term "hardcore pornography" may be debated (as is true of many English terms, at the limits). Reasonable people may disagree over whether a particular article or image is hardcore pornography or not. That doesn't mean the term has no meaning, and in most cases the application of the term is uncontentious.
Reliable sources
Wikipedia aims to reflect the editorial judgment of the pool of reliable sources available. This is basic policy when it comes to the textual content of Wikipedia articles; Wikipedia makes corresponding commitments in policies such as WP:Verifiability, WP:Neutral point of view and WP:No original research. While many reputable publications on sexology feature illustrations of sexual positions and the like, by and large newspapers, books and printed encyclopedias that discuss pornography seriously in an educational context, as Wikipedia aims to do, do not illustrate their articles, book covers etc. with sexually explicit still shots from pornographic movies or other hardcore pornographic images. To be true to its basic mission, which is to reflect reliable source coverage in a neutral manner, Wikipedia should take its lead from reliable sources in illustrations as it does in textual content.
The disclaimer
The Wikipedia:Content disclaimer doesn't mention that we display hardcore pornography. The closest it comes is this statement:
- Wikipedia contains many different images, some of which are considered objectionable or offensive by some readers. For example, some articles contain graphical depictions of violence, human anatomy, or sexual acts.
The implication is that "graphical depictions of sexual acts" are an example of material hosted here that some readers may find objectionable. But hardcore pornography images go beyond images of common sexual behaviour as depicted in articles such as List of sex positions. Were Wikipedia to eschew the display of hardcore images, our content would arguably be more in line with the expectations raised by the disclaimer.
Footnotes
See also
- Essays/Writeups
- Proposals
- Page Modifications
- Policy/Guidelines/Information