The joke has been made by some that if prostitution is indeed the world’s oldest profession, than pornography must be the world’s oldest expression. Indeed, the very word pornography was originally used to describe any art or literature that depicted the life of prostitutes (Jenkins, 2014), while obscenity is a word believed to have come from the Middle French word obscène in the late 16th century, meaning “offensive to the senses, or to taste and refinement” (Harper, 2001).
In order to completely examine the idea of obscenity, its role and how it is handled in today’s legal society, one must first take a look at the legal definition of obscenity, including how it is related to and different from pornography, how it has evolved, and the problems currently associated with it. This paper will briefly examine the history of how obscenity has been defined and dealt with in the United States, apply a personal view to the standards set by the “Cambria” list, and discuss the effect the internet has had on the way the courts now deal with obscenity cases.
Pornography vs obscenity
Pornography is widely defined as material which deals with sex, and is designed to sexually arouse the …show more content…
The list includes possible moral objections, such as “no coffins” and “no incest topics,” as well as a number of hygiene-related objections such as “no spitting/saliva mouth to mouth” “no food used as a sex object,” “no girls sharing [the] same dildo,” and “no menstruation topics” (American Porn, 2002). Interestingly, the list on the “Paul Cambria” Wikipedia page lists more prohibited acts than the list on the PBS “Frontline: American Porn” webpage, including the use of, “animals,” “adults appearing to be underage,” and “subjects involving the
In order to completely examine the idea of obscenity, its role and how it is handled in today’s legal society, one must first take a look at the legal definition of obscenity, including how it is related to and different from pornography, how it has evolved, and the problems currently associated with it. This paper will briefly examine the history of how obscenity has been defined and dealt with in the United States, apply a personal view to the standards set by the “Cambria” list, and discuss the effect the internet has had on the way the courts now deal with obscenity cases.
Pornography vs obscenity
Pornography is widely defined as material which deals with sex, and is designed to sexually arouse the …show more content…
The list includes possible moral objections, such as “no coffins” and “no incest topics,” as well as a number of hygiene-related objections such as “no spitting/saliva mouth to mouth” “no food used as a sex object,” “no girls sharing [the] same dildo,” and “no menstruation topics” (American Porn, 2002). Interestingly, the list on the “Paul Cambria” Wikipedia page lists more prohibited acts than the list on the PBS “Frontline: American Porn” webpage, including the use of, “animals,” “adults appearing to be underage,” and “subjects involving the