Not in Front of the Children
Not in Front of the Children
'Indecency,' Censorship, and the Innocence of Youth
From Huckleberry Finn to Harry Potter, from Internet filters to the v-chip, censorship exercised on behalf of children and adolescents is often based on the assumption that they must be protected from “indecent” information that might harm their development—whether in art, in literature, or on a Web site. But where does this assumption come from, and is it true?
In Not in Front of the Children, Marjorie Heins explores the fascinating history of “indecency” laws and other restrictions aimed at protecting youth. From Plato’s argument for rigid censorship, through Victorian laws aimed at repressing libidinous thoughts, to contemporary battles over sex education in public schools and violence in the media, Heins guides us through what became, and remains, an ideological minefield. With fascinating examples drawn from around the globe, she suggests that the “harm to minors” argument rests on shaky foundations.
An indispensable resource for anyone curious about censorship designed to 'protect' young people.
Heins's historical argument makes an important contribution to the literature on civil liberties and child psychology.
[Heins] makes a well-reasoned argument that censorship in the name of children harms them more than it helps.
An indispensable resource for anyone concerned about censorship, obscenity, and harmful to minors content in any era.
The best work in the field on the subject.
Acknowledgments
Introduction to the 2007 Edition
INTRODUCTION
From Plato to Computers
Youth and Censorship: A Road Map
Clarifications and Caveats
1. "TO DEPRAVE AND CORRUPT"
Minors, Censorship, Sex, and History
The Invention of Childhood?
"Protecting the Young and Immature"
Free Love, the Comstock Law, and "Secret Entertainment"
Some Judges Start Asking Questions
2. MORE EMETIC THAN APHRODISIAC
Freud, the First Amendment, and a First Round with Ulysses
Minors and Obscenity in the '30s and '40s
Juvenile Delinquency, Social Science, Comic Books, and Professor Kinsey
Intellectual Rumblings
3. THE GREAT AND MYSTERIOUS MOTIVE FORCE IN HUMAN LIFE
The Supreme Court Speaks - Finally
Protecting Young Psyches After Butler and Roth
Buttons, Armbands, The Little Red School Book, and Rupert Bear
Justice Brennan Changes His Mind
4. POLICING THE AIRWAVES
Oral Sex, and "the Public Convenience, Interest, or Necessity"
Jerry Garcia and a Definition for Indecency
Shielding Young Ears from the Seven Dirty Words
Pacifica in the Supreme Court
5. THE REIGN OF DECENCY
The FCC, the Meese Commission, and Art About AIDS
Act I, the Irrepressible Mr. Stern, and Perhaps Molly Bloom
Sealed Wrappers, Blinder Racks, and Dial-a-Porn
A Few Judges Think About Indecency and Harm
School Censorship, Heinous Crimes, and Violent Videos
6. THE IDEOLOGICAL MINEFIELD: SEXUALITY EDUCATION
Modesty, Virtue, and Early Battles over Sex Ed
Teen Pregnancy and Sex Respect
Abstinence Unless Married
Models of Sexuality Education
7. INDECENCY LAW ON TRIAL: RENO V. ACLU
Panic over Cyberspace
The Wired Courtroom
A Never-Ending Worldwide Conversation
8. FILTERING FEVER
The Politics of Filtering - Blocking Sex, Vulgarity, and Dr. Seuss
State Laws, Loudoun County, and Reno II
Heavy Breathing: The "Harry Met Sally" Case
V-Chips, and Ratings Revisited
Violence, Curse Words, and Kids at Century's End
9. CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
Minors in the Global Culture
Video Nasties and the Venerable BBFC
The French Letter and Internet Watch
The European Union Weighs In
"Les Dangers Ubesques du Filtrage"
10. MEDIA EFFECTS
Imitation and Catharsis
Disproving Aristotle
Definitional Dilemmas
Sex, Violence, and Social Science
Kids, Ambiguity, and the Social Cognition Approach
CONCLUSION: "THE ETHICAL AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH"
Notes
Index
Illustrations follow page
