Vonnegut and Sex Crimes

Kurt Vonnegut once said, “Kill the taproot, and the tree dies, and with its deadly fruits, which are rape, sodomy, wife-beating, child abuse, divorce, abortion, adultery, gonorrhea, herpes, and AIDS” (Vonnegut, n.d., para. 3). This was written in for the attorney general for his commission on pornography. He was part of a selection of writers who were expressing that pornography is shameful. The reason he wrote on the subject is when he read the testimonies of sexual abuse victims it caused him sadness. Vonnegut contributed to the commission and was a spokesperson throughout the 1980’s to 1990’s. This is the reason as to why Kurt Vonnegut would be an advocate for victims of sex crimes.

            Another name for the attorney general commission on pornography was called “The Meese Commission”. This commission was created for “Attorney General Edwin Meese to determine the impact and containment of pornography in the United States” (Schultz, 1992, p. 1). It was held for year and “1,960-page report” (p. 1) with concerns of religious and political views on the topic. Many people, including Kurt Vonnegut, were involved in submitting written statements for the commission (p.1). In written statements and testimonies given in the yearlong commission on pornography, it was decided which certain terms could not have been defined. One thing which was decided about pornography “it unanimously condemned sexually explicit material that is violent in nature” (p. 2). There were pieces of information that stated otherwise of this result.

            To Vonnegut, he wrote in his statement “I have read much of the heart rendering testimony extracted from victims of sexual abuse” (Vonnegut, n.d., para. 1). A testimony from a woman called Linda S. who is a victim of incest and sexual abuse from her father. Linda explained what her father would with her “He would find magazines with articles and/or pictures that would show fathers and daughters. ... He would say that if it was published in magazines that it had to be all right because magazines could not publish lies” (Final Report of the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography, 2010, p. 17). This testimony showed many forms of pornography in the media and magazines were shown to be normalized. Explicit sex material that displays many themes of sex harming women (p.17) and “women reporting on what men in their lives have done to them or to their children as a result of exposure to certain sexually explicit materials” (p. 16). Reviewing the information and seeing the occurrence of it affected many women and children, even Vonnegut.

            Keeping in mind, that there were many reasons for the importance of victims who needed to be heard in the commission, Vonnegut in his written statement said, “It is up to our leaders, and particularly to our attorney general, to persuade a large part of our citizenry that even the most awful sex crimes are perfectly legal, and even celebrated in some godless quarters because of the permissiveness of our commission” (Vonnegut, n.d., para. 10). The reason as to why Vonnegut had written this is to persuade. His words were ones intended to reach the attorney general to determine pornography and its content is shameful. This demonstrated Vonnegut’s stance as an advocate for the victims of sex crimes. As part of his written statement, Kurt Vonnegut is shown to represent the National Coalition Against Censorship.

            Being part of the National Coalition Against Censorship for Kurt Vonnegut concedes with protecting the rights of free speech of the people in the United States. The organization mentioned, Vonnegut is “recognized for making efforts to protect free speech” (Admin, n.d.). The web blog of the organization wrote “He took on censorship as an active member of the PEN writers' aid group and the American Civil Liberties Union. The American Humanist Association, which promotes individual freedom, rational thought, and scientific skepticism” (p. 6). However, this information further confirms Vonnegut as an active “spokesperson for First Amendment advocacy” (Allen, n.d., Section 6). His objective is to continue conserving the rights of the people and to allow them to express their thoughts and beliefs. Vonnegut’s later pieces of literature and work focus on the objective. It can be displayed in his written statement of the Messe Commission with his views on pornography.           

Vonnegut’s written statement displays his point of view in which he quotes people who conform to his own. He also writes about his thoughts on testimonies for the commission. In the second paragraph of his statement he writes, “Given terrible damage freely circulated ideas can do to a society, and particularly children” (Vonnegut, n.d., para. 2). Vonnegut writes this about how pornography is portrayed to the consumers of it in the United States. There are multiple mentions of the attorney general in charge of the commission, Edwin Meese, to obtain his attention as a reader in Vonnegut’s written statement (p.2). Additionally, other mentions of the Bible, the First Amendment, the deletion of his works, and the Constitution to claim the work of pornography are shameful without only expressing his own opinion on pornography and providing sources that apply to his claim.           

          Kurt Vonnegut would be an advocate for victims of sex crimes because of the information given above. It's displayed through his involvement in being a known spokesperson for First Amendment rights and a written statement to a commission based on pornography. Taking part in the Meese Commission is something that should be noted while showing support to victims who were adults and children. He expressed sympathy for those who were affected. It was his personal belief for the future that people not be silenced. This is an ideology that Kurt Vonnegut stayed true to.