Simpson on Simpson action? That's a jailin'.
So apparently, owning images of underage cartoon characters (in this case Bart and Lisa Simpson) having sex means you can be convicted of owning child porn in Australia. Further, they have (somewhat horrifyingly) determined that a cartoon character is a "person" as defined by these laws.
I'll leave the second, more chilling, part aside for now. My first question is - where's the harm? These laws are made to protect children from harm, right? Personally, I find child pornography despicable, but this really baffles me. This seems to border on thought-crime here. While I understand that this type of pornography can be a "gateway" to seeking out a harm situation, it seems legally equivalent to owning a picture of a murder.
The worse part is the second part of the ruling. If a cartoon character is a "person", is erasing a drawing "murder" or merely doodle-slaughter? Is my crumbling comic collection going to get me charged with criminal neglect of a minor? This is patently ridiculous and sets a terrible precedent
I invite your comments, friends.