Immoral today, moral tomorrow
Listen to this articleBanning and burning literature has been going on since the early ages. We are but a few years away from a utopian future where super-intelligent machines surpass the intelligence of human beings and we still can’t decide what is immoral. Mark Twain’s, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and J.D. Salinger’s, Catcher in the Rye were both banned. They wouldn’t show a pelvis on Elvis because it might “stimulate” the viewers. Funny now but in 1956 it was devastating.
In the 1950s people feared the influence teachers had on their children’s minds. Great movies like African Queen and A Streetcar Named Desire were thought to have immoral relationships which are now sometimes a normal relationship. Lucy couldn’t say she was “pregnant,” but could say she was with child. Beaver couldn’t put his alligator in the toilet not because they were worried about the alligator but because they couldn’t show a toilet on TV. Chicago radio stations refused to play R&B music because listeners sent letters saying it was “dirty.” During the 1959 re-enactment of the Nazi war crimes trials they couldn’t say “Gas Chambers.” Come on, people died in there, say it like it was so people know the real truth.
In the 1960s, Maryann from Gilligan’s Island, Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie and Star Trek’s Mariette Hartley couldn’t show their belly buttons. Gene Roddenberry got the censors back in 1973 by giving Mariette two belly buttons.
Gosh, Monty Python’s, “Eat your mom with fries, broccoli and horseradish” was not exactly met with enthusiasm. In 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court decided to allow each state to decide what was and wasn’t appropriate for television since people in Maine and Mississippi might not tolerate the same as Las Vegas or New York.
Heavy Metal in the 1980s was considered offensive. I never cared much for Def Leppard or Iron Maiden … so I just didn’t listen to them.
February 1st 2004, Super Bowl XXXVIII. 12 years ago. Not that long. But 1.01 seconds in time. Let me show you that again — 1.01 seconds. Janet Jackson’s nipple, with a nipple shield, caused more than 500,000 complaints from American viewers and $10 million dollars in sponsor refunds. If the media had kept quiet, it probably would have gone by unnoticed, but no, Janet Jackson and her nipple were the most searched image in internet history. Considering all the complaints, it’s funny how many people actually chose to go search the image in the privacy of their own computer.
Erotic romance is taking off, not with a sizzle but a burst of flame, like a backdraft. Whoosh! Yes, of course it is for the sex. Romance was typically for women but erotica is written and read by men, women and couples. Erotic romance has even received recognition by the Romance Writers of America and a Brava author has already received the first million dollar advance. The thing is, erotica can be found not only in romance but drama, suspense, horror, paranormal, satire, science fiction, action, adventure and even self-help. This opens the interest to all genre readers and they are only saying more sex more sex and more sex.
The resistance weakens …
Top photo: Elvis Presley’s first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, September 9, 1956 (YouTube)
Terri Underwood has always written women’s fiction because she finds it so much fun. Love, sex and relationships all have their ups and downs but without the downs, there would be no ups. She likes to look for the good moments in life and she learned that from her huge loving family who get together often for some of the most hilarious times. Terri is a professional who enjoys hiking, fishing and even camping. She’s a California girl who lived in Arizona for six years before running back to California. She didn’t come away empty-handed though, she learned to look at the sky in Arizona. The billions and billions of stars against a deep black sky, the clouds, beautiful sunsets and thunderstorms, isn’t that what romance is all about?