"A First Amendment Junkie" by Susan Jacoby.

Essay by Jerome SmithCollege, UndergraduateA+, September 2005

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A Female for the First.

Although a very respected female journalist, Susan Jacoby was labeled as a "First Amendment junkie" by many other women for her personal views concerning the censorship of pornography in society. Ultimately, she believed that censorship of any kind against pornography was wrong. Feminists were infuriated that another female acknowledged pornography's right to exist. Susan Jacoby did not necessarily agree with pornography, but she felt that its rights guaranteed under the First Amendment should not be excluded.

There is no universal definition for the interpretation of the First Amendment in which every single American can agree upon. It was created with the basic understanding that everyone share the same rights. Trying to appeal to feminists that pornography is protected under the First Amendment is almost an impossibility. Susan Jacoby refers to the feminists as a social group entity that wants to use their powers of the state to try and change what has not been able to be changed.

She believes feminists lack any real rational reason for the censorship of pornography and that it is wrong simply because they say it is. In the eyes of feminists, all types of pornography will undoubtedly lead to violence, destruction, and the immoral downfall of mankind, as we know it. Evidently, feminists understand the viewpoints for all women and know exactly what is good and what is not for them.

Feminists believe themselves to be an unfairly treated minority in society. They have banned together to defend other women across the nation from becoming victims of sexual obscenities and foul vulgarity. It is more important that the freedom of speech granted to pornography be censored more than the freedom of speech granted to other ideas such as lesbianism or abortion. Truly, it is amusing to see how feminists...