To what extent should we have obscenity laws

S

swatiraohnlu

Swati Rao
There has always been a long legal battle over the obscenity laws. Many artists, musicians, authors etc. have run afoul of them throughout the ages. In the US, the defense of it has usually been centered around the First Amendment. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that obscene speech is not covered by the first amendment. While the basic ruling has not been overturned, the SC (during the Warren era) greatly loosened the term of what is obscene.

To what extent should we have obscenity laws?
 
The differentiation between indecent and obscene material is a particularly difficult one, and a contentious First Amendment issue that has not fully been settled. Similarly, the level of offense (if any) generated by a profane word or phrase depends on region, context, and audience.
 
As everyone knows, there has always been a long legal battle over the obscenity laws. Many artists, musicians, authors etc. have run afoul of them throughout the ages. The defense of it has usually been centered around the First Amendment. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that obscene speech is not covered by the first amendment. While the basic ruling has not been overturned, the SC (during the Warren era) greatly loosened the term of what is obscene.
The way I see it, there is danger on both sides of the coin. To say "this is bad", or the FCC saying you can't say these 7 words on Television seems to infringe on free speech. On the other hand, when broadcasted or published in the public arena, we run a risk of exposing children to inappropriate material. I'm sure we all agree that we don't want to return to the time of Anthony Comstock, but should there be a limit?
 
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