More Out of Touch Libertarianism

Case in point: Andrea Dworkin, a renowned feminist who is known to have fought hard against anything that she viewed as dangerous to women has died. Sullivan quotes a bit of her obituary from conservative David Frum which reads as follows,

And in one respect at least, she shared a deep and true perception with the political and cultural right: She understood that the sexual revolution had inflicted serious harm on the interests of women and children – and (ultimately) of men as well. She understood that all-pervasive pornography was not a harmless amusement, but a powerful teaching device that changed the way men thought about women. She rejected the idea that sex was just another commodity to be exchanged in a marketplace, that strippers and prostitutes should be thought of as just another form of service worker: She recognized and dared to name the reality of brutality and exploitation where many liberals insisted on perceiving personal liberation.

So where does Sullivan go with this? Only the place that reckless libertarian could.

They agreed on one important thing: the need to roll back sexual freedom...And she shared with Frum a deep suspicion of people who believe they are free and act accordingly.

That's right, they both realize the damage that pornography does to the image of women and to the psyche of the men who "enjoy" it. And because of that, they're "suspicious" of people who think they should be able to enjoy whatever they want to enjoy.

Sullivan, and libertarians everywhere, refuse to see that porn is not a victimless act. It turns women into objects of lust and makes them toys to be owned. It creates unrealistic expectations within males which makes true love and intimacy next to impossible. But even more horrid is that it twists a gift given by God between one man and one woman and makes it a public display of lust and self-gratification.

The fact that Sullivan, himself a confessing Catholic, cannot see this shows a disturbing lack of understanding concerning one of God's greatest gifts and the way it was meant to be enjoyed. And it also reflects how bankrupt our minds have become, when the sexual subjugation of women becomes "enjoyment."

Yet again, I find less in common with the libertarians, supposedly on our own side of the spectrum, then I do with those on the other side.