illegal digital images

[_larky]

My three-year-old daughter and I were browsing YouTube, looking for clips of cute animals. I clicked on a link that came up entitled "Cute Puppy Says 'I Love You'". The first 20 seconds were standard YouTube-looking footage of a guy trying to coax his puppy to say "I wuv you"...at which point the puppy's head turned into a terrifying CG representation of the leering head of Satan, filling the screen, with a blaring death-metal soundtrack.

I lunged to shut the video down; it took a few seconds, by which time my daughter was completely traumatized.

I am a strong supporter of our freedom to create images, of any type. But I've never wanted to shut someone down as much as at that moment.

OK, but that person shouldn't go to jail though right? This law is just so ridiculous and it wont work, they'll reverse the decision. They have to.

 

[ItsReallyDarren]

So they want to make it illegal to digitally distribute images online that "frighten, intimidate or cause emotional distress".

Does that mean its still legal so print the photos out and mail them to your friends?

Tennessee supports analog!

 

[Todd Frederick]

Oh my...just a glimpse of a photo of Sarah Palin sends me into a panic attack. Is her picture on the banned list ?!

 

[Luna]

My three-year-old daughter and I were browsing YouTube, looking for clips of cute animals. I clicked on a link that came up entitled "Cute Puppy Says 'I Love You'". The first 20 seconds were standard YouTube-looking footage of a guy trying to coax his puppy to say "I wuv you"...at which point the puppy's head turned into a terrifying CG representation of the leering head of Satan, filling the screen, with a blaring death-metal soundtrack.

I've seen this so many times and it never stops getting funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh87njiWTmw
and etc...

Tennessee is just being Tennessee. If you get tangled in their web, take up arms and attack.

 

[x-ray]

I live in Tennessee and have for almost sixty years and this is not a surprise. I don't know if these are still on the books but suspect they are. TN had / has laws prohibiting sex between caucasions and American Indians. Also there is only one legal sexual position per TN state law. Guess which one. These laws aren't intended for enforcement, they're only there to some small group. None of these are ever enforced thankfully. I think if you dig into mosts tates obscure laws you would be shocked to see what's on the books.

I guess I could get busted for some of my gallery images.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

But Wait Folks - There's More!
Another representative in the same legislature is promoting a bill that will outlaw the use of the word "gay". Not being gay - just using the word will be enough to get you in trouble.
I suppose being a "Happy Chappie" will be alright though - not sure what term the girls will use. "Hip Chick"?

 

[bolohead]

Good thing Anthony Weiner is not from Tennessee.

 

[x-ray]

But Wait Folks - There's More!
Another representative in the same legislature is promoting a bill that will outlaw the use of the word "gay". Not being gay - just using the word will be enough to get you in trouble.
I suppose being a "Happy Chappie" will be alright though - not sure what term the girls will use. "Hip Chick"?

This is really funny, the main street through downtown Knoxville is officially named "Gay Street". No it's not the"GAY" you're thining of. My understaiding is it was named by a group of society ladies in the 1800's after visiting another city (can't remember the city) and the atmosphere of the city was so "GAY" they came back to Knoxpatch and named the main street "GAY Street".

 

[Bill58]

History is replete w/ state legislatures in the US (particularly in the bible belt) passing such dumb, discriminatory/prejudicial, overreaching, etc. laws that fortunately get overturned in the courts as unconstitutional-this is just another one.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

I think if you dig into mosts tates obscure laws you would be shocked to see what's on the books.

You're absolutely correct, but what is disturbing is that while most of them date from way, way back, a few States are currently enacting new legislation of this kind.
Also disturbing is that people in some places (Tennessee obviously amongst them) are electing representatives who embrace such narrow, unthinking approaches to governing for all the people.

 

[Bobbo]

This is why Larry Flynt is my hero. You need someone to push the boundaries... like winning a Supreme Court case (unanimously with all those evil liberals like Rehnquist, O'Connor and Scalia) by saying you have a right to say Jerry Falwell had his "first time" with his mother in an outhouse.

This sort of stretching allows all of us the right to post pictures on the Internet, or for me to publish a column in the newspaper where I work. Or, to show the opposite, stopping the government from rounding up reporters, photographers and bloggers, and putting them on a one-way train for Siberian "re-education camps."

This stupidity in Tennessee is unconstitutional, and will be judged as such by a federal court.

 

[rpsawin]

Does this mean CNN cannot broadcast images of preachers & politicians in Tennessee in the event one of them frightens a viewer?

Bob

 

[PKR]

This one is too funny.

If I find a poster on a wall offensive, I can sue.
If I find a TV ad offensive, I can sue.
If I find a comment on a radio offensive, I can sue.
If I find some music offensive, I can sue.
If I find the smell of KFC chicken while walking beside the store offensive, I can sue.
.
.
.

There are countless things that are meant to be seen/smelled/heard to the general public. You can't satisfy everyone, and there is no standard on what's offensive and what is not. This will end up looking worse than communism.

How about: I'm allergic to peanuts or bee stings. They could cause my death. The sight of peanuts or Bees "in photos" scare me - or even the printed words frighten me..

 

[jan normandale]

What interests me isn't the law, it's who brought the idea forward and which politicians supported it. Now that's interesting.

Finally regarding scaring children who watch youtube videos of puppies that become devils let me suggest watching America's "family fun icon" Disney. Snow White is a good place to start where the mother becomes an evil witch. Then there's Bambi and the killing of his mother. As a 4 year old at the movies with my mom these two scenes have never left my memory.

Let the censorship and removal of all of Disney's works begin! I'm sure this is what these legislators want. Isn't it?