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Yes, obscene materials are protected; there are restrictions on their content, distribution and sale on a state by state basis.

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Actually, "obscenity" is NOT protected by the First Amendment. A series of United States Supreme Court cases has confirmed that "obscenity" is not protected by the free speech clause of the First Amendment. The problem is defining what is and what is not "obscene." Early Supreme Court cases discussed criteria such as whether the material appeals to "prurient interests" and whether it has any redeeming social value. Community standards are mentioned. Perhaps because taste is so personal, courts have struggled classifying something as "obscene" and hence not entitled to constitutional protection. Justice Potter Stewart summed the problem up nicely when he wrote in one seminal decision: "I know it when I see it."

Is nudity obscene? Violence? Sexual exploitation? Sexual exploitation of children? Crush videos? In April 2010 the Supreme Court, in an 8-1 vote, invalidated restrictions on crush videos as violative of the First Amendment.

Nowadays, it seems the only true barrier that will be upheld in most courts is the usage of children (people under 18 years old) in depictions of nudity or sexual activity.

Interestingly, the familiar "G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17" ratings are entirely voluntary. If challenged in court they would most certainly be thrown out. But they won't be challenged because film distributers have an "understanding" with the industry and people in Congress that they will continue to adhere to this rating system.

There is also a strong argument that the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) cannot ban curse words or nudity on broadcast TV. Supreme Court decisions decades old still grant the FCC broad power to regulate content. But the analysis of the FCC's regulation of limited airspace due to wavelength availability begins to break down when other sources such as cable, satellite TV and the internet are considered.

In the end, it is simply the individual judgment of the adult that will decide what is and what is not "obscene."

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15y ago

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