It's actually not a "popular" idea at all; nobody likes being reminded that their sweater was made in a sweatshop, and they are a necessary and complicit part of a system that requires sweatshops. The reason this argument has stuck around is because it is correct.
You're thinking of cause and effect linearly, as compared to systematically. Child pornography is created by a criminal industry, which is a system. The buying, selling and redistribution of child pornography is an integral part of the system; without it, the system could not exist.
Now, there will always be a certain amount of people who just enjoy creating child pornography, and they will do it regardless of whether a system is in place; but this is not the vast majority of why child pornography is created. A creator makes the product, a consumer buys the product, which gives the creator more capital to make more product, so, yes, the possession of child pornography directly harms future victims.
I mean, once again, this is Philosophy 101 stuff. Scratch that, this is "essay given to you to read and write an essay in response during Composition 1" stuff. At this point, my main concern is not that outside observers think I'm not right; I'm more worried they're rolling their eyes at me for being trite.
It's actually not a "popular" idea at all; nobody likes being reminded that their sweater was made in a sweatshop, and they are a necessary and complicit part of a system that requires sweatshops. The reason this argument has stuck around is because it is correct.
You're thinking of cause and effect linearly, as compared to systematically. Child pornography is created by a criminal industry, which is a system. The buying, selling and redistribution of child pornography is an integral part of the system; without it, the system could not exist.
Now, there will always be a certain amount of people who just enjoy creating child pornography, and they will do it regardless of whether a system is in place; but this is not the vast majority of why child pornography is created. A creator makes the product, a consumer buys the product, which gives the creator more capital to make more product, so, yes, the possession of child pornography directly harms future victims.
I mean, once again, this is Philosophy 101 stuff. Scratch that, this is "essay given to you to read and write an essay in response during Composition 1" stuff. At this point, my main concern is not that outside observers think I'm not right; I'm more worried they're rolling their eyes at me for being trite.