Archive Report
Archive Report
Reaction Against Sexual Explicitness
Hardening of Public Attitude Toward Pornography
The great outpouring of sexually explicit material upon the American scene has become deeply troubling to broad segments of the population. They are making their views known in legislative halls, living rooms and pulpits, saying that an “epidemic” of pornography has gone so far in offending public standards of morality and good taste that corrective action is needed. Attempts at “corrective action” are being made almost everywhere—to close a “skin flick” at the corner movie house, divest an “adult” book store of its literature, or get rid of the downtown peep show. These efforts frequently end up in the courts and run afoul of defendant rights, frustrating the crackdown and its backers.
Contemporary pornography poses a dilemma ...