Page Six — THE GRYPHON — Thursday. March 10.1977
Obscenity Local Issue
ADULT BOOK STORE OPENED: The Peep Show is an X>Rated booli store on Tarboro Street.
[Photo by Builucl(]
Public Comments
“How do you feel about
pornography?” This and other
related questions were asked to
several townspeople.
The Rev. John Kelly, Vicar at
Christ Episcopal Church, feels
that pornography is wrong.
However, he adds “What’s
pornography to you might not
be pornography to someone
else.' The nude body is not
nasty,” Rev. Kelly adds, “It’s
what we make out of it that’s
dirty.”
Mrs. Lynda Holmes, city
councilwoman, says of Playboy
magazine: “I haven’t seen a
Playboy lately but I know it used
to have excellent literary
materials.” The Rev. Kelly feels
that “some of the best Christian
views I’ve read have been in
Playboy.” The Rev. Gaylord
Lehman of Lakeside Baptist also
feels that Playboy has some
good articles in it. “Playboy is
the least obnoxious of the
bunch,” the Rev. Lehman
conveys. The Rev. Lehman is
bothered by Hustler magazine
and “its grotesque portrayal of
sex.” “All these magazines try
to give some respectability to
what they’re doing by having
first class interviews,” the Rev.
Lehman explains.
The Rev. Johnnie Bradley of
Calvary Baptist Church states
United Federal
Savings
&
Loon
115 S. Franklin
446-9191
his case by saying “I’m against
it (pornography), and the reason
I’m against it is that a man is the
sum total of what he feeds into
himself. If all he takes in is sex,
that’s all he’s going to think
about.”
Dr. David Goodman, employ
ed at the Mental Health Center,
informs The Giyphon that a lot
of research has been done on
whether pornography is detri
mental to the mind or if it helps
the mind. Nonetheless he did
not know the results.
Dr. Goodman believes por
nography should be kept away
from children. “I don’t see how
it could be helpful to young
children,” Dr. Goodman says.
The Rev. Bradley thinks it has
an effect on sex crimes. “It
causes people to do things they
wouldn’t ordinarily do.” He
explains, pornographic ma
terials may trigger a sex
maniac. Says Rev. Kelly,
“Pornography tends to enlight
en some and hurt others. Do
your thing as long as it doesn’t
hurt someone.” The Rev.
Lehman doesn’t see much social
Thompson
Insurance
Agency
218 Hammond
value in X-rated movies. “These
things only exploit sex,” he
declares.
The Rev. Bradley feels
pornography should be outlaw
ed because “it harms the
weaker people, and they should
be protected.”
On the other hand Mrs.
Holmes, who is opposed to what
she considers pornography, is
“also very much opposed to
censorship of any kind for
adults. You can’t make laws to
control morality,” she asserts.
She believes if people would
stop buying these magazines
that the men who run the
bookstores would go out of
business, but she adds, “I can’t
tell you that you can’t go.”
The definition of Pornography
and obscenity is very much in
doubt. It seems to be up to the
If Nudity
Do Not
In recent years pornography
in Rocky Mount has grown at an
alarming rate. The X’s at the
Cameo Theater and Tower
Drive-In seem to multiply
weekly. The number of news
stands selling “Playboy,”
“Penthouse” and “Oui” has
greatly increased in the past
three years.
For Rocky Mount a new hitch
in the pornography scene has
been the arrival of the adult
book store on Tarboro Street,
The Peep Show. For the
prurient enthusiast the front
window opens doors to the
imagination. The colorful flash
ing lights remind the public of
Eighth Avenue in New York.
The front door has such sayings
as, “Adults Only; No One
Under 18 Allowed; ID Required;
If Nudity Offends You, Do Not
Enter.”
The warnings on the door are
partially true. If nudity does
offend you, then definitely don’t
enter. However, The Giyphon
has ascertained that the “adults
only law” is not strictly
enforced. It has been proven
that teenagers under 18 have
visited and purchased the
individual. The dictionary de
fines pornography as “obscene
writings or pictures.” Another
definition from a Religious
pamphlet The Little White Book
says that “Pornography is not
just a matter of innocent people
trying to earn their living by
selling some dirty pictures.
Pornography is a vast industry.
Greedy money makers are
behind it.”
So now what’s your defini
tion?
Offends
Enter!
pornographic books and maga
zines sold at the Peep Show.
After visiting the Peep Show,
one teenager says “The cover of
the books sold at the Peep Show
makes the centerfold of
“Playboy” look like the cover of
“Jack and Jill,” % magazine for
young children.
This pornographic store also
consists of a “peep show.” The
customer pays a quarter and
watches a pornographic film or a
portion of it. When the film cuts
off, another quarter is paid, and
the film continues. This is a
quick way for the customer to go
broke and the owner to get rich.
Who visits this store? Upper
and middle class businessmen
as well as young people have
been seen entering the store.
These people buy the cheap
books and magazines printed on
cheap paper. The prices,
however, are not cheap.
Magazines cost up to $35!!
The Supreme Court recently
defined pornography as: any
thing that is obscene to the local
community. In contradiction to
this, the First Amendment of
the Constitution grants the
people of America freedom of
the press. The Fourth Amend
ment gives the American citizen
the right to keep in his person
and house papers and effects
against unreasonable seizure.
So where does this leave
Rocky Mount and other
communities unaccustomed to
such openly sold pornographic
materials? They are in the
middle of a lot of legal red tape
while stores such as The Peep
Show sell the crudest sex
material to Rocky Mount
citizens.
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