In Miller v. California, a 1973 landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme court, the justices redefined obscenity.  Previously, content was deemed to be obscene if characterized as “utterly without socially redeeming value.”  The new standard, sometimes referred to as the Miller Test, is based on whether the content “lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.”  The decision also gave more deference to community standards as long as “the work as a whole” did not appeal solely to prurient interests.    Pre-1973, films like Caligula (1979) or Natural Born Killers (1994) may never have seen the light of day.

In response to calls for censorship of films like John Water’s Pink Flamingos (1972) the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) created a system of voluntary rating so movie-goers had better information about the salacious or violent nature of a given film.  However one does have to wonder what logic and rationale MPAA’s Classification and Rating Administration (CARA) uses to score a film’s content?  Examples.  The King’s Speech, how British monarch George VI overcame his stuttering to rally his subjects at the outset of World War II, initially received an R rating for language.  To ensure greater distribution and viewership, the producers released an alternative version which garnered a PG-13 rating.

In contrast, the 2008 action thriller Taken received a PG-13 rating.  The protagonist (played by Liam Neeson) uses the skills he honed during his former CIA days to save his daughter who is kidnapped during a trip to Paris.  According to IMDB.com:

CIA operative Bryan Mills racks up an absurd body count in his quest to save his daughter from a sex trafficking ring. At the film’s peak of violence Mills even straps an electric torture device to someone’s testicles which, moral and political issues aside, might be up there in the upper echelon of vicious movie acts.

Which brings us to deliberations by the Florida House of Representatives.  Yesterday, this less than distinguished chamber put itself in CARA’s position, rating the content of our public discourse.  Unlike CARA, there was no ambivalence.  The House gave gun violence a PG rating.  Make it available to everyone, regardless of age.  By a vote of 71-36 with 10 non-voting, the House rejected an attempt by Democrats to bring HB219, a ban on assault weapons, to the floor for debate.  Let me be clear, Republicans were afraid to debate gun violence while classmates of these Parkland students who watched from the gallery actually faced gun violence.

To add insult to injury, the next order of business was consideration of House Resolution 157 titled, “Public Health Risk Created by Pornography.”  The bill summary reads as follows:

Recognizes public health risk created by pornography & acknowledges need for education, prevention, research, & policy change to protect citizens of this state.

Slap on that X rating. Forget the sounds of gunfire and screaming children.  Protect our tender ears from moans and the echos of “Yes! Yes! Yes!”  Forget the fact our sons and daughters now have indelible images of limp, lifeless bodies and streams of blood burned into their memories.  Heaven forbid we be exposed to language which expresses the raw emotions which are part of living.  Don’t dare take away my killing machine when the real danger is Hustler magazine and YouPorn.com.

Just so you understand.  The Florida House of Representatives wants us to know that it is not watching their friends being ripped apart by an AR-15, but the possibility of being “@#%!!ed to death” as a high school student’s worst nightmare.  Maybe we should bring back the pre-Miller v. California definition of obscenity as the 71 members of the Florida House who chose pornography over assault weapons as a threat to our children’s safety most certainly can be described as “utterly without socially redeeming value.”

UPDATE:  The Miami Herald surveyed state legislators following the Parkland shooting on their attitudes toward different measures to address gun violence.  Republican Representative Ross Spano, who sponsored HR157 (the pornography bill) and is running for state attorney general replied:

This is no time for quick thoughts.  I’m not ready to offer a short answer because I want to take the time to seriously consider more comprehensive solutions. My suggestions for comprehensive solutions will be forthcoming within the next few weeks.

[Historical Footnote:  Yesterday, February 20, 2018, was the 56 anniversary of John Glenn’s Mercury orbital flight, paving the way for the moon landing just seven years later.  Americans should have been celebrating a time when our nation was reaching new heights.  Instead, we witnessed a new low.]

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP