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Jail time in manga case
'Obscene' U.S. Manga Collector Jailed 6 Months
It's an interesting case - the guy was prosecuted for owning comics that depicted children in sexual situations. And the problem is that most people are inclined to say, "eww, that's gross, and if you're a guy who likes reading about children being molested, then you're a creep who probably belongs in jail." I tend to think that the law shouldn't extrapolate like that - not everything that's immoral (by whatever standard you prefer) or creepy should be illegal; drawings are not children.
Neil Gaiman had a post about it a year or so ago: Why defend freedom of icky speech? Definitely worth a read.
The 40-year-old was charged under the 2003 Protect Act, which outlaws cartoons, drawings, sculptures or paintings depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and which lack “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” Handley was the nation’s first to be convicted under that law for possessing cartoon art, without any evidence that he also collected or viewed genuine child pornography.
It's an interesting case - the guy was prosecuted for owning comics that depicted children in sexual situations. And the problem is that most people are inclined to say, "eww, that's gross, and if you're a guy who likes reading about children being molested, then you're a creep who probably belongs in jail." I tend to think that the law shouldn't extrapolate like that - not everything that's immoral (by whatever standard you prefer) or creepy should be illegal; drawings are not children.
Neil Gaiman had a post about it a year or so ago: Why defend freedom of icky speech? Definitely worth a read.