Isn’t Anything Obscene Anymore?
by Obscenity is no longer limited to washrooms and tunnels; our society is experiencing a new attitude toward freedom that tends to permit almost any word or action. Four letter words, nudity, sexuality, erotic films – all are vying for public acceptance.
Every young person is familiar with obscene graffiti written on washroom walls. We have become accustomed to seeing obscene words scribbled on public buildings and underground passageways in public parks. However, obscenity is no longer limited to washrooms and tunnels; our society is experiencing a new attitude toward freedom that tends to permit almost any word or action. Four letter words, nudity, sexuality, erotic films-all are vying for public acceptance.
Pornography has become a word to describe just another form of literature. The sex act is described freely in books and magazines, and obscene language is common on the theater stage and in movies. Words and acts that do not shock your sensitivity are considered dull and not saleable. What was once spoken and practiced in secret is now blazed across the public media without blinking an eye.
There is a great amount of profit in pornography. Shrewd businessmen are producing millions of dollars worth of films and magazines-erotica of all sorts that is distributed throughout the United States and globally. The American public, which is hardly puritanical, seems to be enjoying this stuff with reckless abandon. It is estimated that the pornography business grosses billions of dollars yearly.
Even though many respectable people are disturbed about the increased availability of pornography and obscenity, there seems to be little that can be done to stop it. Community standards no longer serve as moral guidelines that can be used to enforce laws against obscenity. Our highest courts have failed to spell out precise definitions of obscenity and pornography and attempts to enforce adequate legislation suffer from such a handicap. Many argue that it is a constitutional right to produce and read pornographic literature and that no laws should discriminate against it. As a result, hard-core pornography is sweeping the country, bringing immense profits to its distributors, while the average citizen, who is disturbed about it, can do little to change the situation. Pornography is a loveless, degrading influence on a child and reduces man to the level of an animal.
Public morality, respect for human growth, and respect for family love are strong standards deeply rooted in our culture. A recent Gallop poll indicated that eighty-five out of one hundred adults favored stricter obscenity laws. Our moral consciousness should be concerned about the problem of pornography because we are aware of the effects of pornography on people’s attitudes and actions. Current society seems to say that pornography is okay for adults, but not for children. Young people are caught in between. Films labeled “adults only” and X-rated movies are considered acceptable for adults, but not suitable for young people under eighteen. The regulation is not based on whether something is right or wrong, but whether or not the audience can take it. The restrictions placed on adult movies are not based upon the rightness or wrongness of what is portrayed, but upon some concept of “maturity”.
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Post CommentPinkpuff
On July 21, 2009 at 7:47 am
It does indeed seem as though nudity and sex are becoming more socially acceptable. What I’m confused about though, is why you seem to think that is a bad thing.
Your article seems to implicitly take for granted that there is something fundamentally immoral about sex and/or nudity. If that is indeed your position, why do you think that?
If anything, I think society’s current attitude towards nudity is not liberal enough. People’s bodies are seen as something shameful that needs to be covered up and so as a result you have people who are extremely self-conscious and obsessed about their appearance. If people were less obsessed with hiding their bodies they would see that most people are not supermodels and that there is beauty in everyone that transcends the physical appearance.
As for sex, there is no greater, more beautiful physical expression of love between two people. Due to its intimate nature, of course most people wish to express their love in private. However, there are many that do not mind being observed and there is nothing wrong with that. What’s wrong is when one party is taking advantage of the other. Then the act becomes not one of love but one of exploitation of another person. That is as wrong as any other form of violence or exploitation and no one needs or should want to see that; but if the act is indeed one of love then I see no reason to censor that, even from children.