Such labels cause children and some adults to want to hear the material more. Courts eventually found that neither the material by 2 Live Crew nor Mapplethorpe's photos met the legal criteria for obscenity. Riley said the award generated more interest in the comedy program, which he showed a clip of to audience Monday. Riley also showed a commercial that appeared during a break in the show. The commercial for Levi's jeans showed an implied sexual scene between an invisible couple.
Sex is only okay when it is between heterosexual couples and it is used to sell soap.
Another driving force in the debate on censorship, Riley said, is the Internet. It takes individual initiative to find smutty photos on the Web. Many sites show warnings and ask for credit card numbers before one may access them, he said. Developing a screening policy for the Internet is nearly impossible, Riley said. Using software to filter objectionable material won't work because the same words that would block a pornographic site may also block one devoted to important medical issues such as infertility or safe sex.