Indiana crackdown on snow sculptures of penises

A mere sculpture of a mere body part is obscene, according to authorities in Indiana. Listen to these victims, who appear to be scarred for life. I feel scarred for life merely by hearing about this display of a human body part.

I can understand those who think it is in bad taste.  Terror Management Theory offers me an explanation for the extent of the outrage.   And see here:  “We are gods with anuses: another look at ‘terror management theory.’”

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Erich Vieth

Erich Vieth is an attorney focusing on civil rights (including First Amendment), consumer law litigation and appellate practice. At this website often writes about censorship, corporate news media corruption and cognitive science. He is also a working musician, artist and a writer, having founded Dangerous Intersection in 2006. Erich lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his two daughters.

This Post Has 9 Comments

  1. Avatar of Jennifer Emick
    Jennifer Emick

    Oh, what horror! Seriously, these people must be unbelievably bored or wound up to get so worked up over this.

  2. Avatar of Don Stone
    Don Stone

    Lighten up. Your kids will watch thousands of simulated murders on tv, in movies, and video games by the time they are 18.

    That is OK, but a snow P is "disgusting", etc? Didn't G*d create the human body? Is that creation wonderful in our eyes?

    Such contradictions and hypocrisy amongst bible belt believers. You guys are closer to the Taliban than you are to Jesus' message of tolerance and acceptance.

  3. Avatar of Jennifer Emick
    Jennifer Emick

    Also, how does a two year old BOY not know what a penis is? But good on mom for telling him what an awful obscene thing it is…

  4. Avatar of Ginger
    Ginger

    How is a body part obscene? Who gets hurt by this? Why should kids not learn about a penis or a vagina, given that they have them? If you have a problem with snow penises, move somewhere with no snow. In fact, move somewhere where animals don't have sex. Move to the moon.

  5. Avatar of Erich Vieth
    Erich Vieth

    After we obliterate the snow penises, let's head over to museums, many of which are displaying images of "obscene" body parts.

    This TV "story" reminds me of a figure drawing class I took at a local community college a few years ago. The class of adult art students worked hard to draw naked models, male and female, until somebody peeked in the door one day and made a ruckus. For the rest of the class, the models had to wear swimming suits for the moral protection of the budding artists.

    What a joke that so many people can't deal with the image of body parts. They each ought to strip naked, take a deep breath and look in a mirror for a few minutes. Gad.

  6. Avatar of Lucy
    Lucy

    You really think that the people who made these sculptures are great artists, or did it to enlighten their neighbors on the human body? It was done to provoke, and to harass. That, IMO is what makes it obscene. Just because the neighbors are missing the point on _why_ it's obscene doesn't change that. Nothing is always beautiful or always art.

    That said, I do think it's hilarious that they're so scandalized.

    1. Avatar of Erich Vieth
      Erich Vieth

      Lucy: I agree that it's probably low-rent art. What amazes me is that people act like they are so injured just to see an image of a body part. Janet Jackson all over again.

  7. Avatar of Mike M.
    Mike M.

    Lucy,

    Any obscenity exists only in your mind. There is no external reality for obscenity – it is a psychological construct. You cannot count, measure or otherwise quantify "units of obscenity" without a quick descent into absurdity. Belief in external obscenity is the modern form of the witchcraft delusion.

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