Adult industry site XBiz has taken a look at the history of the war on porn in the USA. Four Republican Congressmen recently wrote a ‘hysterical’ letter to the Department of Justice, demanding that more prosecutions be made under existing obscenity laws. They are backed by countless NGOs, evangelical or radical feminist, sometimes with a very dubious past. XBiz looks back at previous attempts to ban porn, whilst cautioning the adult industry to be on its guard for renewed attempts.
https://www.xbiz.com/features/249573/war-on-porn-4-0-doomed-to-fail-but-be-on-guard
n 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people had the right to view even obscene materials in their home. That triggered the first modern War on Porn by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson, who created the “President’s Commission on Obscenity and Pornography.” However, the Commission did not deliver the report that the administration expected. Instead, it found no evidence that porn played any significant role in delinquent or criminal behavior, and had no effect on character or moral attitudes regarding sex. It also determined that most Americans believed that they should be able to read or see any sexual materials they wished. Naturally, the report was rejected by Congress, the Senate and Republican President Richard Nixon, who succeeded Johnson. Obscenity prosecutions against “girlie magazine” publishers and adult film producers followed, and people went to jail.
Then, in the early ‘80s, adult video tapes became readily available in corner video stores across the country. People could finally watch their adult film star of choice from the comfort of their home without venturing out to the local XXX theater. As it turns out, they liked this idea and adult video rentals kept most of the small stores in business. In response to this phenomenon, Republican President Ronald Reagan commissioned the infamous “Meese Report” on pornography. This time, the result was predetermined, and the report documented the purported harmful effects of pornography and the alleged connections between the adult industry and “organized crime.” The report was roundly criticized as being biased, not credible, and inaccurate. Yet the issuance of the report gave birth to the next War on Porn, in which video tape distributors and retailers were targeted by the Department of Justice with draconian racketeering laws. Numerous operators were prosecuted and imprisoned for selling videos of adults having sex. These efforts largely subsided with the election of Democratic President Bill Clinton.
Two interesting accounts to follow on Twitter when it comes to the truth about porn are Dr David Ley and Real Your Brain On Porn. And of course XBiz itself.
Related posts:
XBIZ Report into the Future of Virtual Reality Porn Published
XBIZ 2015 The Future of Sex, Porn and Technology with Brian Shuster
XBiz On How Ultra-Conservative Zealots Became Media Experts On ‘Sexpolitation’
XBiz Looks at Haptic Toys, Drones, & Other Trends in Cams
Adult Industry Insiders Predict VR Porn Cams are the Future
