hff responds to HDI

H Debate Indifferent's capsule summary of the issue:

"The H debate is a small opinion war being held between two factions. On one side are the people who believe that anime websites should be utterly cleansed of ‘hentai' material, and therefore safe for children. On the other are the people who contend that this is censorship and shouldn't be allowed.

"And then there are those of us who look at this and say: "Who cares?" Even as the debate rages on, even as both sides try to gain converts and new supporters, even as the flames fly, there are those of us who dare to say: "Who cares?"

"In a war where the winners will never be decided, why should you be forced to take sides?"

First of all, it may be a "small opinion war" on this level, but we point out that the "H Debate" is one facet of an ongoing debate concerning pornography which has been going on for years, and that the anime/manga-specific references could easily be replaced with references to written, photographed, or live-action pornography without either side's argument changing very much at all. Hentai is just one of many forms of erotic expression affected by pornography and obscenity legislation, film and video censorship boards, customs detentions and seizures, social stigma and MacDworkinite propaganda. hentaiFREEfree does not simply concern itself with the opinions of anti-hentai organizations, but with the personal freedom to choose what one reads or watches as well -- not strictly the freedom to choose hentai or not hentai, but the freedom to choose, period.

We are not forcing anyone to take sides. The Nerf weapons do not usually leave our house; the pocket knives are Victorinox Cybertools and are much more useful for disassembling PCs than threatening violence. We do feel strongly about the matter, mind; we wouldn't be around if we didn't. Aside from some initial publicity, however, we are not interested in prosletyzing (it's against our lack of religion) and shan't be doing so. Being open about one's opinion is hardly forcing it down another's throat; if that were were the case, HDI would be doing so just as much by openly proclaiming indifference.

hentaiFREEfree supporters exist because they don't want their decision to be forced, either. hentaiFREE would make the choice for us. A quick glance through the support essays on many hentaiFREEfree-affiliated sites will tell you that our supporters may not necessarily care for hentai or other erotica at all, but feel it should be their choice what they see, not someone else's. Fundamentally, that is how we feel as well.