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 The Uses of Obscenity and Abuses of Erotica: Part One—The Players and the Game

A history of pornography and censorship in terms of various approaches to the concepts of the erotic and the obscene. Ancient art and modern scholarship collide in a discussion of the biological, psychological, social and spiritual roots of porn. Find out where you stand in the game played between Conservatives and Liberals in the arena of sexuality!

 

It is likely that people will object to both the pro- and anti-censorship arguments that are to follow. Some shocking, confusing, even contradictory things must be said: the language of prudery and prurience will be echoed in the murmurings of lust and love. There will at times be a need for comedic figures and gestures, as when Germaine Greer stood in front of a crowd holding a banana and demanding satisfaction. Some say that it is only permissible to talk about sex and to show dirty pictures when there is a ‘serious purpose.’ Others point out that resorting to comedy is cowardly when instead of open and honest discussion there is guilty refuge in crudity and sarcasm. But an incredible tension surrounds the sordid past of pornography and the messy debate over obscenity, and humor serves as a two-way prophylactic: it shields the speaker from accusations of being too preachy on the one hand or too immoral on the other; and it reminds the audience not to take things too seriously, challenging us to be open-minded by pointing out the ridiculous contradictions of erotica versus obscenity that we experience in our own lives.

 

Henri Bergson theorizes, rather dryly, that a laugh is the result of an absurd contrast between two independent series of events that collide producing two entirely different meanings simultaneously. Ideally, in moments of mirth the seriousness and the silliness of sexuality can coincide in a pleasurable way, thus opening the door for physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth.

 

A zesty love life is, generally speaking, a psychologically healthy one. It is, however, not always one that is easy to live out, even though the sexual function is one of the most powerful manifestations of biological spontaneity and urgency, one which perennially defies both personal and political will-power. We are the only species for whom public nakedness is humiliating. We cover up, both literally and figuratively, the very organs we most want and need to use. Likewise, social pressures, as well as those exerted by internalized forces of repression operating through mechanisms of guilt and shame, shape the entire debate over porn. It is difficult to know in our thinking, in our systems of values and in our hearts, what it means to be a sexual being and how to express our sexuality in language, art and deed.

 

Frustrated sexual energy often enters other areas of life. The sublimation of erotic expression combines with a fear of death to produce a machine-like sexuality. Self-hatred then drives one to dominate other people and things, including the natural world. We become physically, psychologically, socially and even spiritually impervious to the changes required by the modern world.

But before dealing with deeper issues involving erotica and obscenity we shall first survey the debate over pornography and its censorship, the character of the players and the quality of their play. It should be fun, but it quickly gets serious; if moralists and hedonists agree on one thing it is that sex has the power to both create a vast civilization, or destroy one’s reputation.

 

 

 

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