For those worn smooth by the wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling coverage of the Epstein scandal, here’s a barely newsworthy item that hit my radar that we might have some fun talking about.
Back in May, Senator Mike Lee introduced the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act, which defines obscenity as “appeal[ing] to the prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion,” according to his website. Adding that last qualifier is a bit nauseating, but I commend the use of an Oxford comma in doing so.
The second bullet point declares that obscenity “depicts, describes or represents actual or simulated sexual acts with the objective intent to arouse, titillate, or gratify the sexual desires of a person.” So now the Oxford comma is missing from the first series and present in the second. Why are elected officials so wishy-washy?
Finally, obscenity “lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” The Oxford comma is here, and this third point seems to describe Senator Lee as well as the subject at hand.
Of course, I have some questions for Lee. What do you mean by nudity? Is a bare chested man considered nudity, or does that apply only to women? Do simulated sexual acts require the participation of at least two persons, or can thrusting and twerking by one person qualify as obscene? Since the algorithm knows I’m gay, my feed is generously provided by near naked men bumping and grinding to sexually suggestive lyrics. Lord knows I don’t want those guys to lose their incomes, much less face criminal prosecution, simply for giving a whole bunch of folks a bit of eye candy between clips of the latest horrors coming out of Washington. Which, by the way, are at least if not actually more obscene than what Lee is trying to address.
It’s no secret that porn today is way different and far more accessible than it was back when I was in high school. There was nothing arousing, titillating, or gratifying about the one time I went to the Apache drive-in with my friend Ricky to see some really awful X-rated movie. It highlighted a Nurse Ratched wannabe climbing up on a hospital bed and the man who was in it without having taken off her orthopedic oxfords. The best we could do was slip over to Longview and buy the latest edition of Playgirl, which was like manna from Heaven for a couple of baby gay boys.
But today’s porn reaches a huge audience and is really big business. According to Gitnux, which provides information about market trends and statistics, there are 4.2 million adult websites on the internet, accounting for 30% of all data transferred. About 65% of men watch porn weekly with the typical session lasting about ten minutes. (There’s a statistic for you.) The global online industry generates close to $100 billion annually in revenue.
Another source points out that the porn industry generates more revenue than ABC, CBS, and NBC combined or more than the NFL, NBA, and MLB put together, if you prefer sports. In a report from 2021 from that source, whose stated mission is “to spread the Gospel,” 50% of Christian men and 20% of Christian women are addicted to porn. That seems high even to me, so let’s hope they’ve been able to pray some of that porn away.
So this is what Lee is trying to eradicate, and it could be that’s because he was brought up to be a good Mormon. They may not as susceptible to the dangers of porn, although that magic underwear sure seems like a ripe subject for fetishizing.
I doubt that this endeavor will meet with success any more than similar legislation introduced by Lee in the past did, even though it seems to be in line with Project 2025. That notorious document calls for the imprisonment of all who produce and distribute porn, as well as the shuttering of telecommunications and technology firms that facilitate its spread.
Let’s face it. When it comes to porn and its dangers, America has long adopted an “eyes wide shut” attitude on the subject. But will we, as a nation, adopt the same attitude about the long history of sex trafficking that is dominating the news cycle today?
If that should be the case, that would be the definition of obscenity.
Wouldn’t it be refreshing just once to look at an important issue with our eyes wide open?
