Okay, Listen Here

Okay, Listen Here

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

"Boobies" - Is It Porn?


Freedom of Speech is a part of the first ten amendments to the Constitution. I learned about the importance of those ten amendments in law school. When the drafters of the Constitution looked back at their document, they discovered that there were some rights which they wished to specifically preserve for the people BECAUSE THEY WERE IMPORTANT! Over the years since the Constitution was ratified by the states, the judicial branch of the our federal government has construed these rights according to the views prevalent for the times – calling the Constitution a “living breathing document” which could adjust to the mores of the day. So, depending on the social heartbeat of the nation, those amendments have been construed in various ways, some strict and some lax. I have always considered myself a strict constructionist - the words mean just what they say, not what the public at the time thinks they should say. So, there are two camps of opinions about how our Constitution should be interpreted. With that little legal lesson on Constitutional Law (as in “Paper Chase”), I wanted to put something out there for all of you writers – a point to ponder.




I was recently reading news articles on the Internet and one caught my attention “I [Heart] Boobies Bracelets Cause Stir in High Schools.” The bracelets are sponsored by the Keep a Breast Foundation which promotes breast cancer awareness. It seems that high schools have banned the bracelets as being too explicit and degrading to women. Now, I understand rules at schools but to ban those bracelets because of what they say is, to me, a violation of Free Speech. Besides, it promotes a good cause.




As writers of the romance genre, “boobies” is a rather innocuous term. Extrapolating this ban, which is supported by a lot of local high schools, what if this were extended to our writing? What if there is a government censor who takes a red pen to our work and tells us that we have to clean up our act? I worry that when people start curbing our rights to say something, whether on paper or orally or on a bracelet, the intrusion will spread. People will begin dictating what we write. Just a thought.

There is a very tenuous balance between the rights of people – my rights vs. your rights. When mine start to intrude on yours where is the line? Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, a premier Supreme Court Justice, tried to delineate that line. He said that to yell “Fire!” is all right until…you yell “Fire” in a crowded theatre and cause a riot resulting in injury. In other words, you have the right to say something until it results in harm to someone else. Then you get into the argument, what are the degrees of harm? Do you accept a little harm or must it be to the point that it causes physical harm? Then you get into the quagmire of who does it harm? Where is that line?

I know this is not the usual light blog that I write but I feel strongly about curbing our rights to satisfy a few, less open-minded views. What worries me is the threat to our genre. You might say that won’t happen - you don’t have to buy the books. But that doesn’t matter – it’s the thought that there could be a censor who simply says you can’t write this any more. A local government can take the stand that using words like breast or penis within a love scene is against the local social customs and is therefore banned. (Banned in Boston ring a bell?)

How do you feel about the current state of literature? Are we heading toward a more restrictive atmosphere or do you think it’s just a phase that won’t affect our writing? Or do you even think that restrictions exist? Give me your opinion about the atmosphere of the country toward romance novels.

13 comments:

  1. I find the "Save the TaTas" bumper stickers and boobies bracelets refreshing. The innocuous pink ribbon and support breast cancer research makes me want to grimace and look away and feel sorry for those "other" people who've been stricken with this disease. The new take brings a smile to my face and actually makes me want to jump in there and do what I can to help.

    I think some romance novels have seen a trend toward more explicit language and more "real" love scenes. Women are frank and in charge of their bodies and want to read about heroines who talk and act like them. But in today's market, there's something for all tastes.

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  2. I proudly wear my "Fight Like a Girl" T-shirt on what the hospital I work for has termed "Pink Wednesday." We have a doctor who specializes in Breast Cancer surgeries and she is usually in the hospital on Wednesdays. If I had a "Save the TaTas" or "I <3 Boobies" bracelet, I'd wear that, too!

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  3. I've always thought it was interesting that societies always come up with words that are "bad" or "dirty" that mean exactly the same thing as other words that aren't considered bad language. There's absolutely no logic to it and I've often wondered who decided which were which.

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  4. Debra, I agree. Those bumper stickers make me smile as would the bracelets if I had ever seen them. They serve a purpose to make us more aware. You are right about the frankness of today's women. We've come a long way baby.

    Cai - I would also wear the bracelet. My mom is about ten years out from breast cancer. I lost two aunts and two very close friends to breast cancer. It is a bad disease and it hurts families. Awareness. as advocated by these bracelets, is very important.

    Lyla - Society does dictate what is or isn't acceptable. I just worry about who in "society" determines what the rest of us have to live with.

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  5. I am a huge proponent of intellectual freedom. I also recognize that schools must have a dress code to maintain order and do business but we have to be very careful about that line. Everyone's line is different. It would be a great thing if we could just say, "Use good sense," but not everyone has good sense.

    When I was a librarian, I bought books for my collection that were suited to my community. I did not buy "Heather has Two Mommies" for two reasons: I'd never had a call for it and I did not want to raise a flag. When a book banner gets on a tear, it is a terrible thing to see. If I did not wave a controversial book in the face of my small community, I figured they would leave me alone about "What's Happening to Me" and "Where Did I Come From?"--which I did have requests for all the time. That said, if I'd had call for that book or if I lived in a heavily gay community, I would have bought it.

    It never ceases to amaze me, the number of people teaching high school who have no concept of how to handle a teenager. If they giggle about the bracelets, ignore them. In fact, praise them for being aware. Pretty soon they stop giggling and they might just start thinking about breast cancer.

    And don't people just love to trot out the word "degrading" (whether it be to women, a particular race, or the ants that crawl the the ground) to promote their agenda?

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  6. Cheryl, this is a very thought provoking post. :) My first response disappeared into cyber space so I'm giving this another try.

    Though we live in a country where freedom of speech reigns, nary is there a moment when we appear truly free. You see there will always be someone who takes umbridge at what we do or say, no matter how good our intentions. There will always be those who think that just because they have the freedom of speech, they can burn an American flag, stage a protest, hold a derogatory banner and desicrate whatever they so choose. Can you be truly free in a world where tolerance is the most lauded ideal and people are surrounded by intolerants? Take one woman who cried 'Wolf' and an entire nation took prayer out of school, as an example.

    Okay, so that said, 'Boobie' used to be a term of endearment given to someone who behaved like an idiot. My how times have changed. :)

    How about this? How well would these bracelets go over in schools? Save Nads, Balls of Steel, Check Your Rocks, Jewel Alert and so forth for testicular cancer which is a growing cancer among men. Do we still have a double standard? Why do we have a full monty for women in movies but not men?

    When it comes to my country, I vote for freedom. But there comes a time when stupidity should not take precedence over the law and/or our God given rights. We should be able to support the causes of our choice. Taken out of context, I can see why these bracelets might offend. But if there was more promotion, everyone would know that these aren't meant to offend but defend lives.

    In literature, I'm not afraid to show the cover of a romance novel I'm reading. I'd rather be reading romance than books about death and despair. I want a happy ending for my hero and heroine. And most importantly, I want the book to be about a hero and heroine of my choice. No one should tell someone what they can't or cannot read. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

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  7. And I just want to add that I didn't mean my post to sound mean-spirited. I'm passionate about the freedoms we experiences as American citizens. We tend to take those freedoms for granted, even though as I write this men and women are dying to give us this right. Our forefathers meant for us to use common sense and good judgment.

    Lila, you have a great point. Who decides to censor every facet of our lives?

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  8. Jean, you are absolutely correct - the more you point something out to teenagers, the more exciting and titillating it is. It's the other people that I am afraid of who have an agenda (now I am sounding like a crazy conspiracy nut). I worry that some of those groups will turn their attention on my writing and tell me that I have over-stepped the bounds of decency (in their minds). I was raised not to offend people and I try not to but neither do I want what I love destroyed - our books.

    Kathy, you are not mean-spirited, just impassioned. That's what our forefathers intended for us. Patrick Henry's speech "Give me liberty or give me death" about sums it up. I want liberty for all and not a few. The winds of change in this country are blowing erratically and one never knows where a group's attention will turn, like the bracelets. I don't want them to turn toward us as writers. I know every one thinks that this is America and we have freedoms but they are becoming more limited each day. It was speech and the press (underground) that gave the founding fathers their voice in a time of revolution. Those liberties should be protected. Our rights to express ourselves are sacred. I hope every day that some group does not open a romance novel and begin a wave of discord.

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  9. Cheryl-Great Post! You gals are all so smart!
    I agree with y'all that no one should be allowed to tell me what I am going to read or write.

    As a teacher I see how many books are now on the banned list that were once considered classic must reads. It is difficult to know where the "wave of discord" might strike but I believe that if we are aware of the possibility that means we would be more likely to be on guard against it.

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  10. Exactly Stephanie! You hit the nail on the head! The whole purpose of me going on about this is to make us all aware. Banned books exist in the United States. We must learn to watch and guard against censorship.

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  11. Cheryl-thanks for the affirmation. I am feeling not so bright tonight so I really appreciate the "Yeah, that's right!" :-)

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  12. Stephanie, for shame! You are one of the brightest people I know! Don't let the bas@#$%* get to you! Just remember how smart and funny and witty and kind you are!!!!!

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  13. Great post! Thanks for the insight. I don't have a problem with I *heart* boobies at all. I *heart* my booby health. And I support getting the booby message out there to all women and men. Cause men can get breast cancer, have wives who might have breast cancer and have daughters who could grow up to have breast cancer.

    I *heart* this blog, too :-)

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