New York Libraries: Come on in and Watch Some Porn

By bluemana on April 27, 2011 in News 12

Photo: PFHLai (CC)

Sam Biddle writes on Gizmodo:

If you don’t mind getting your face punched in, New York’s public libraries might just be your new favorite place to watch people have sex with each other on the internet. Sure, you’re surrounded by other patrons, but it’s free!

You might think that watching people pound away at each other in the most graphic and jarring manner in public might run contrary to a library’s mission of promoting literature and the arts, while providing a safe and tranquil place to read, work, and study. And sure, in 1973 Miller v. California pulled porn out of the categorical forcefield of free speech. But, the NY Post reports, NYPL rep Angela Montefinise thinks everyone’s favorite part of the Bill of Rights includes PornHub: “In deference to the First Amendment protecting freedom of speech, the New York Public Library cannot prevent adult patrons from accessing adult content that is legal.”

This is a sticky (sorry) situation! On the one hand, we tend to agree that people should be able to access whatever information they’d like in a free society. And what if you’re a gender studies major, and you’re writing a thesis on pornography? Or something. Cases like that are likely the infinitesimal exception to the rule that is creepy dudes without a home internet connection who just want to spend the afternoon watching porn, but censorship never quite sits right, even when it’s something I probably wouldn’t want my (hypothetical) little kids to see when I take them to the library to read Goodnight Moon.

Read More: Gizmodo

Children, Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Internet, Law, Libraries, New York City, Porn, Society

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_EAPUJHWIYQJWKN7HUCSCVHKVTQ David Meadows

And to think, I was almost hired as a janitor there. Good thing i didn’t.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_EAPUJHWIYQJWKN7HUCSCVHKVTQ David Meadows

And to think, I was almost hired as a janitor there. Good thing i didn’t.
ArgosyJones

New York Public Library and Peep Shows
ArgosyJones

New York Public Library and Peep Shows
porn_is_dead

Why can’t they ban public use of porn at libriaries by protecting minors from adult material.
porn_is_dead

Why can’t they ban public use of porn at libriaries by protecting minors from adult material.
Ricky Jazzercise

It is illegal to masturbate publicly, so you can watch porn and not masturbate in a library. How many people are actually going to do that? If they want to, then who the fuck cares? Just to play devil’s advocate, you can also watch murder, footage of war, etc in libraries, and you can download information about how to better commit murders, smuggle drugs, commit accounting fraud, build bombs, etc. Just saying.
Ricky Jazzercise

It is illegal to masturbate publicly, so you can watch porn and not masturbate in a library. How many people are actually going to do that? If they want to, then who the fuck cares? Just to play devil’s advocate, you can also watch murder, footage of war, etc in libraries, and you can download information about how to better commit murders, smuggle drugs, commit accounting fraud, build bombs, etc. Just saying.
Anonymous

This would require private viewing areas for the media but not the viewer of the material. Legitimate use would constitute a clinical setting where personal gratification would not be appropriate or tolerated. So, you could look privately -but not be allowed to touch your privates. lol
GoodDoktorBad

This would require private viewing areas for the media but not the viewer of the material. Legitimate use would constitute a clinical setting where personal gratification would not be appropriate or tolerated. So, you could look privately -but not be allowed to touch your privates. lol
Inventingnothing

While I don’t condone masturbating in public, I am an avid supporter of the right to information, no matter what that may be. I know it’s in short supply but there is such a thing as good judgement. I’d say as long as they’re not touching themselves inappropriately while viewing, then what’s the issue? It’s not like some kid is going to come up to the person watching porn and pull up a seat. Maybe there could be an ‘adults only’ section?

I agree with Ricky though; you can view scenes of grotesque murders, footage of war, and other extremely violent content, but not porn?

If anything, it should be that violent material which is censored, not sex. If everyone had wayyy more sex, I hypothesize there would be less crime, less war and more good feelings. npi.
Inventingnothing

While I don’t condone masturbating in public, I am an avid supporter of the right to information, no matter what that may be. I know it’s in short supply but there is such a thing as good judgement. I’d say as long as they’re not touching themselves inappropriately while viewing, then what’s the issue? It’s not like some kid is going to come up to the person watching porn and pull up a seat. Maybe there could be an ‘adults only’ section?

I agree with Ricky though; you can view scenes of grotesque murders, footage of war, and other extremely violent content, but not porn?

If anything, it should be that violent material which is censored, not sex. If everyone had wayyy more sex, I hypothesize there would be less crime, less war and more good feelings. npi.