So, Hef is responsible for all the porn, then? I don't see it. There has been pornography since there has been civilization. There was porn before Hef, too, however old he is.
Further, classifying Playboy's airbrushed naked women as pornography seems to me to trivialize true pornography, which is explicitly sexual.
Colson has gone off the deep end, here, in my opinion.
Is Hugh Hefner someone to be admired? Probably not. Is he responsible for the growth of pornography in this country? Not really. So, what is responsible for pornography? Human nature, I suppose.
You are right. There are porn post cards that were made in France back when there were first cameras. We have some of these antique photos.
Check out... old vintage French post cards at
http://ly.lygo.com/ly/wired/news/images/full/rr-1920to1939_f.jpg
from an article at
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,68790,00.html
Photos taken between 1920 and 1939. WAY BEFORE PLAYBOY MAGAZINE.
I disagree. He was pivotal in creating an environment where women could get paid for taking their clothes off and exposing themselves to horny men. Once that door was open culturally it just steamrolled into who could top who with more "erotic" poses and other things.
Hefner helped create an environment where women would let themselves be exploited.
