Define obscenity. In a time when “adult content” is essentially one click away from anywhere on the internet, does it really matter if a printed magazine or book contains something you think is obscene? Do community standards matter? Who gets to decide what they are?In 2017, Texas Senator Ted Cruz exposed himself to considerable snark and satire when it was discovered that his Twitter account had “liked” a clip that was posted by a pornographic website. Not surprisingly, the Senator blamed the "like" on a staffer and said that the “like” was inadvertent. That would make sense to anyone who had never spent one minute on Twitter. There is porn on Twitter (and everywhere else on the internet), but you’re not likely to see it unless you deliberately go looking for it.In an article below, you’ll see that a former congressional candidate in Virginia Beach, VA is stirring up the hornet’s nest again by asking a judge to declare some books “obscene” and to restrict minors access to them. In the digital world, you have to make some clicks to see the obscene stuff. But in the physical world of print books and magazines, “obscenity” can be right out there on the shelves with the more mainstream stuff.I find the two books that former candidate Altman objects rather odd choices: They are “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe and “A Court of Mist and Fury” by Sarah J. Maas.I know very little about the first book. But I actually have read some of the “Court of Thorns and Roses” series (Yes, I’m aware I’m not the target demographic!) and I have to wonder: Book 2 of a 5 book series? Is this the best for "obscene content" you can come up with? It sounds more to me like Mr. Altman has problems with some books that someone related to him is reading.And that is the problem. What is obscenity? What is obscene to you? Is it also obscene to your neighbor? Where and when do you draw the line?Some things are obvious. Would you want a strip club or adult bookstore next to a school, playground, hospital or religious institution? But if “Gender Queer” and the “Court of Roses and Thorns” series is in the school, is that a problem? Is the school or the parents supposed to guide what children read? If you ban it in the school library, should you try to ban it from commercial bookstores?Back in the 1970’s you could actually find copies of Playboy and Penthouse Magazines in check out racks at supermarkets and drugstores. That didn’t last too long thanks to President Reagan’s “Meese Commission” but you can still find what’s left of the adult magazine category in selected convenience stores and bookstores. For years, a member of the Hearst family waged a strangely specific war against Cosmopolitan Magazine covers. Back in the day, I had a client who produced an alternative art magazine and in order to get it into Barnes & Noble, we had to polybag it. That actually made the magazine more desirable and increased sales.The days of seeing adult content magazines in mainstream stores is long gone and I'm fine with that. Like I said, while "obscene" content is all over the internet, you usually don't just bump into it. You need to go looking, but it's not a hard search.I believe that we’re better off making things available rather than hiding them. I firmly believe that when it comes to making books and magazines available to students.
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It's Tuesday: Define Obscenity, Please …
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Define obscenity. In a time when “adult content” is essentially one click away from anywhere on the internet, does it really matter if a printed magazine or book contains something you think is obscene? Do community standards matter? Who gets to decide what they are?In 2017, Texas Senator Ted Cruz exposed himself to considerable snark and satire when it was discovered that his Twitter account had “liked” a clip that was posted by a pornographic website. Not surprisingly, the Senator blamed the "like" on a staffer and said that the “like” was inadvertent. That would make sense to anyone who had never spent one minute on Twitter. There is porn on Twitter (and everywhere else on the internet), but you’re not likely to see it unless you deliberately go looking for it.In an article below, you’ll see that a former congressional candidate in Virginia Beach, VA is stirring up the hornet’s nest again by asking a judge to declare some books “obscene” and to restrict minors access to them. In the digital world, you have to make some clicks to see the obscene stuff. But in the physical world of print books and magazines, “obscenity” can be right out there on the shelves with the more mainstream stuff.I find the two books that former candidate Altman objects rather odd choices: They are “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe and “A Court of Mist and Fury” by Sarah J. Maas.I know very little about the first book. But I actually have read some of the “Court of Thorns and Roses” series (Yes, I’m aware I’m not the target demographic!) and I have to wonder: Book 2 of a 5 book series? Is this the best for "obscene content" you can come up with? It sounds more to me like Mr. Altman has problems with some books that someone related to him is reading.And that is the problem. What is obscenity? What is obscene to you? Is it also obscene to your neighbor? Where and when do you draw the line?Some things are obvious. Would you want a strip club or adult bookstore next to a school, playground, hospital or religious institution? But if “Gender Queer” and the “Court of Roses and Thorns” series is in the school, is that a problem? Is the school or the parents supposed to guide what children read? If you ban it in the school library, should you try to ban it from commercial bookstores?Back in the 1970’s you could actually find copies of Playboy and Penthouse Magazines in check out racks at supermarkets and drugstores. That didn’t last too long thanks to President Reagan’s “Meese Commission” but you can still find what’s left of the adult magazine category in selected convenience stores and bookstores. For years, a member of the Hearst family waged a strangely specific war against Cosmopolitan Magazine covers. Back in the day, I had a client who produced an alternative art magazine and in order to get it into Barnes & Noble, we had to polybag it. That actually made the magazine more desirable and increased sales.The days of seeing adult content magazines in mainstream stores is long gone and I'm fine with that. Like I said, while "obscene" content is all over the internet, you usually don't just bump into it. You need to go looking, but it's not a hard search.I believe that we’re better off making things available rather than hiding them. I firmly believe that when it comes to making books and magazines available to students.