Sir: The following arguments l ir now new, but much of
what re Holbrook says indicates that stating them would do no hatr,
I would not presume to tell
Holbrook that there are greater 'or scenities in the world than 1),0 nography; he knows as well as 'to of the presence of the Vet war, unemployment, pollution ed al. The fact of their existence neof not blind us to the existence in lesser evils. But Mr Holbre°''
SPectator, February 5, 1972
concentration on effect rather than cause disturbs me — he dies not ask (and, it seems, neither does Brigade) else in the Anti-Porn urigade) " Why do people want P°Plugraphy? "
if Pornography is a perversion, it Must be a perversion of something
else. Mr Holbrook neglects to mention what this something is, but we „can fairly assume that it is the 4'?tch-potch of moral values which "e call generally accepted' or 'traditional '. Might it not be the
case that traditional moral values are lacking in some way, and is Mr Holbrook willing to accept that
theIr
are necessarily the best doctrines Would he commend the uoctrines of Empire-building and racial exploitation, and the stork/ gooseberry bush methods of sex education, which were held, until fairly recently, to be desirable? Perhaps the most worrying tabsPa:ct he of Mr Holbrook's zeal is has evidently convinced himself that " the ugliest sadistic fantasies are the predominant cultural influences on the Ycbung'" Well, really! Has he never heard of Match of the Day? 't would be nearer the mark to say that the staple diet of the young consists of whatever trivia the BBC and the News of the World decide spoon-feed them with, and that the subject -matter is as often Printesa Anne's hats as it is sadism. Add our politicians' cynical disregarA u for the opinions of their electors, and it is easy to see how the Young are driven to the sad -tedium of pornography and the absurdities of black magic.
Hugh Tomlin rank
Bsome Green, Darlington. t-0. Durham
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