Blog Assignment Topic 5

Critical Reflection 1

Obscenity

Obscenity, is a term that is most often used in a legal context to describe expressions (words, images, actions) that offend the prevalent sexual morality of the time. It is often replaced by the word salaciousness.

The definition of obscenity differs from culture to culture, between communities within a single culture, and also between individuals within those communities. Many cultures have produced laws to define what is considered to be obscene, and censorship is often used to try to suppress or control materials that are obscene under these definitions: usually including, but not limited to, pornographic material. As such censorship restricts freedom of expression, crafting a legal definition of obscenity presents a civil liberties issue.

Pornography

Pornography or porn is the explicit depiction of sexual subject matter with the sole intention of sexually exciting the viewer. It is to a certain extent similar to erotica, which is the use of sexually arousing imagery. Over the past few decades, an immense industry for the production and consumption of pornography has grown, due to emergence of the VCR, the DVD, and the internet, as well as the emergence of social attitudes more tolerant of sexual portrayals.

Pornography may use any of a variety of media. However, when sexual acts are performed for a live audience, by definition it is not pornography, as the term applies to the depiction of the act, rather than the act itself. Thus, portrayals such as sex shows and striptease are not pornographic.

Indecency

Standards of decency vary greatly depending on the cultural context. Most nations have laws against indecency which regulate certain sexual acts, and restrict one's ability to display certain parts of the body in public.

Indecent exposure is the deliberate exposure by a person of a portion or portions of his or her own body under circumstances where such an exposure is likely to be seen as contrary to the local commonly accepted standards of decency, and may in fact be a violation of law. In some countries a breach of the standards of modesty is considered to be public indecency.

source: wikipedia

Critical Reflection 2

Obscenity can be said as some kind of action can may cause sex desire. Striptease is 1 of the example of obscenity because it turns those audiences on and causing them to have a sex desire.

Indecent material contains sexual or excretory material that does not rise to the level of obscenity. It can be just exposing some parts of the body such as body art.

Lastly, pornography is the ‘explicit representation of sexual activity in literature, films, etc, to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings.’ It has more differences compared to obscenity and indecency. Pornography shows sex as the only important thing in a relationship between a man and a woman or a man and a man or a woman with a woman. The community finds pornography more offensive than obscenity and indecency because it focuses on sex organs and it cannot substitute for long-term love and commitment. It produces short-lived thrills and does nothing to develop a loving sexual relationship which may delivers a wrong message to youth.