opinion

Here We Go, Again….

Yes, another set of doubtlessly earnest yet entirely misguided souls has demonstrated a complete lack of understanding concerning the “Miller test” for legal obscenity.

This time around, it is certain members of the Kansas State Senate and community activists who are not happy with reading material being given to students in the Blue Valley School District who appear to have missed at least one prong of the Miller test in their zeal to clean up Kansas’ classroom reading lists.

According to a report from the Kansas City Star, Sen. Karin Brownlee has proposed a measure that would “require school boards in the state to review supplemental classsroom materials that parents might challenge as obscene.”

“What’s acceptable in San Francisco may not be in Kansas,” Brownlee reportedly said to the House Education Committee. “Let the school board set the community standard.”

Fair enough — but what parents “might challenge as obscene” and what can be considered legally obscene are two very different kettles of fish, as I’ve blogged about before.

Apparently, one of the books that have drawn the ire of Blue Valley parents is Cormac McCarthy’s “All the Pretty Horses.” The book has some tough stuff in it, no doubt, and it is arguably not the sort of the thing that is appropriate for kids — however, there is no way one can claim the book is legally obscene.

Now, obviously I can't reproduce the work "as a whole" here, but a quick look at one of its passages will give some idea why I object to the book being termed "obscene."

”What he loved in horses was what he loved in men, the blood and the heat of the blood that ran them. All his reverence and all his fondness and all the leanings of his life were for the ardent hearted and they would always be so and never be otherwise.”

Clearly, these are words that appeal to the “prurient interest,” right? How much more “patently offensive” does it get?

Anybody who argues that the book “lacks serious literary value” (as a work must in order to be considered legally obscene) frankly doesn’t know the first thing about literature. To claim that McCarthy’s work is not literature is not just disingenuous, it is delusional.

This is not to say that parents are ‘wrong’ to think that McCarthy’s work is inappropriate reading for children. I’m not closed to that argument, and I do think parents should get fairly considerable say in what their children read, watch or otherwise consume, especially during their child's early, formative years.

To frame this discussion as an obscenity issue, however, is absurd — "patently" so, I’d have to say.

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

profile

Q&A: Mathema Kitten Rises to the Top as Clip Creator

As the only child of older parents who strongly encouraged her to prioritize academics, Mathema Kitten grew up spending a substantial amount of time on her studies. Working to meet her folks’ high expectations, she spent little time around people her own age and felt shy and challenged in navigating relationships with peers.

Alejandro Freixes ·
profile

WIA Profile: Rae Threat

Threat is completely self-taught. Shooting nightlife was how she learned photography and honed her skills, experimenting with ways to shoot low-light action shots without a flash. She notes that these nightly adventures also helped her acquire social and networking skills. One thing led to another, and she soon found herself working in the adult biz.

Women In Adult ·
opinion

How History Drives Marketing Strategies Today

Thanks to the efforts of activists, sex educators and members of marginalized communities, products like sex toys, lubricants and adult films have become much less stigmatized, and much more visible and accepted in the public sphere today.

Hail Groo ·
opinion

BAFTA Nominations Highlights Importance of Gender-Neutrality

While the Brit Awards have paved the way for gender inclusivity by introducing gender-neutral award categories, it has recently been confirmed that the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards will not follow suit.

Scarlett Ward ·
profile

VerifyMy Seeks to Provide Frictionless Online Safety, Compliance Solutions

Before founding VerifyMy, Ryan Shaw was simply looking for an age verification solution for his previous business. The ones he found, however, were too expensive, too difficult to integrate with, or failed to take into account the needs of either the businesses implementing them or the end users who would be required to interact with them.

Alejandro Freixes ·
opinion

How Adult Website Operators Can Cash in on the 'Interchange' Class Action

The Payment Card Interchange Fee Settlement resulted from a landmark antitrust lawsuit involving Visa, Mastercard and several major banks. The case centered around the interchange fees charged to merchants for processing credit and debit card transactions. These fees are set by card networks and are paid by merchants to the banks that issue the cards.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

The Ins and Outs of Creating Horror Porn

It’s spooky season, which means it’s the time of year when I get to go all out on my very favorite genre: horror porn. While horror porn may seem incredibly “niche,” horror happens to be one of the most popular genres of film in general, getting butts in seats all year round — sometimes no matter how bad the actual movie looks.

Espi Kvlt ·
opinion

It's Time to Rock the Vote and Make Your Voice Heard

When I worked to defeat California’s Proposition 60 in 2016, our opposition campaign was outspent nearly 10 to 1. Nevertheless, our community came together and garnered enough support and awareness to defeat that harmful, misguided piece of proposed legislation — by more than a million votes.

Siouxsie Q ·
opinion

How to Explain Wax Play to Shoppers

When it comes to candles in the bedroom, most folks think of them as a great way to create a sexy ambiance. For folks who enjoy wax play, however, candles are also a kinky way to heat things up. While it may sound daunting to the uninitiated — because, you know, fire and hot dripping wax — wax play can be a fun and accessible sensation-play option, as well as an excellent intro to BDSM.

Rebecca Weinberg ·
opinion

Staying Compliant to Avoid the Takedown Shakedown

Dealing with complaints is an everyday part of doing business — and a crucial one, since not dealing with them properly can haunt your business in multiple ways. Card brand regulations require every merchant doing business online to have in place a complaint process for reporting content that may be illegal or that violates the card brand rules.

Cathy Beardsley ·
Show More