Departments



Articles

Less

Editorial: Editorial: Cedar Key News Annual Meeting March 29
March 8th, 2008

Editorial: Let School Board Know What Should Be Taught
February 15th, 2008

Editorial: What Is a Fair Tax?
February 4th, 2008

Editorial: Inconsistent Appraisals Harm Taxpayers
December 17th, 2007

Editorial: Energy Crisis?
November 30th, 2007

Editorial: Florida Water War Heat Up
October 16th, 2007

Editorial: Nobel Prizes in Medicine
October 5th, 2007

Editorial: Editorial: Same Rules for Everyone
September 22nd, 2007

Editorial: Demand Action on Bridge Repair
August 8th, 2007

Editorial: Local Response Needed to Stem Clam Poaching
July 24th, 2007

Editorial: Money, Money, Money...Votes
July 9th, 2007

Editorial: We Celebrate Independence and Clams
June 26th, 2007

Editorial: Are You Ready for Hurricane Season?
June 12th, 2007

Editorial: The Sources of Progress in Medicine
May 30th, 2007

Editorial: A New Era of Politics and Religion
May 17th, 2007

More

The Obscenity Conundrum

The Obscenity Conundrum

Editorial

Obscene, adj., based on the Latin word for filth. 1. offensive to one`s feelings, or to prevailing notions of modesty or decency; lewd. 2. disgusting; repulsive.

Complaints from citizens of Cedar Key about allegedly obscene signs have inundated City hall recently. The stimulus of the complaints is the name of a yet-to open restaurant on Dock Street. The complaints are an echo of complaints about the name of a chain of restaurants called Hooters. The name Hooters as well as the local instance has been judged to be insulting to women, disgusting and repulsive.

Debates about obscenity arise from content of radio programs, newspaper cartoons and works of art. Deciding what is legally obscene depends on "one`s feelings or prevailing notions of modesty, etc." Talk radio, Rock 104 includes the Lex & Terry program, broadcast from the University of Florida. Lex and Terry use presumably simulated sounds of flatulence and recommendation of giving offending women physical abuse. This passes for entertainment and airs despite complaints from Floridians. On the international scene, a Danish cartoon depicting Allah caused an outcry and death threats from offended Islamic people far from Denmark. These examples demonstrate the difficulty in getting a consensus of what is obscene. Locally it is hard, globally it is impossible.

The U.S. Supreme Court has great difficulty in deciding what is obscene, as will the City Commission The current sign ordinance may or may not be adequate to limit the contents of commercial signs. If the ordinance is unenforceable then it should be modified.

Click for printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

 

 

© 2013
Cedar Key News

cedarkeynews@gmail.com