censorship (of arts, theater, or literature) n.: Comstockery
[This term is named for Anthony Comstock (1844–1915), secretary of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, who helped destroy 160 tons of literature and pictures that he deemed immoral.]
The [Communication Decency Act says,] in effect, that if you display “indecent” or “patently offensive” material on the Internet, “in a manner available to a person under 18 years of age,” you are a criminal. . . . The best argument for upholding this electronic Comstockery can be summed up in a single world: zoning. (Jeffrey Rosen, “Can the Government Stop Cyberporn?” New Republic, 3/31/1997.)
No Comments
Comments Off
