Indecent magazine put out of business by coronavirus

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HomeschoolDad

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(had to pull the original link as it displayed a picture that some would regard as borderline indecent — I only discovered this after I posted the article, so I am inserting text copied from wwd.com)

Playboy is shuttering its print magazine.

The men’s magazine, launched at the end of 1953 by famed founder Hugh Hefner, said Wednesday that the economic disruptions from COVID-19, or coronavirus, were too much for its already strained print operations to bear, WWD can first report.

“Last week, as the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic to content production and the supply chain became clearer and clearer, we were forced to accelerate a conversation we’ve been having internally: the question of how to transform our U.S. print product,” Ben Kohn, ceo of Playboy Enterprises, wrote in an open letter posted to Medium. “We have decided that our Spring 2020 Issue, which arrives on U.S. newsstands and as a digital download this week, will be our final printed publication for the year in the U.S.”


Very good news. I wonder if anyone has ever stopped to ponder how many men have been led into mortal sin by this magazine.

Granted, there is far worse porn in existence, but at one time, the cultural reach of this magazine was very broad indeed. Good to see that it is finally gone.
 
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I saw the news stories about this. Unfortunately, a lot of really good Catholic magazines may face the same fate. This is going to be hard on all facets of the economy.
 
I don’t know how to get this message out there, but online porn should not be free. That should be against the law as it is easy for minors to be exposed to it. Instead, there should be a law that all Porn Sites have to be behind a paywall, a black screen with a warning regarding adult content, and no suggestive Pictures because all that is behind a paywall.

The problem with the internet is our legislators are too old and out of touch. So, a lot of what’s on the internet should not be there especially for young people to see. So, if word could get out there that this is a campaign issue. Or, alternatively some concerned Catholic Group can sue the government and take it all the way to the Supreme Court.

I just thought of that. There are grounds for a law suit to have free porn accessible where minors can access and see. A concerned Catholic group teaming up with other churches could pose this suit against companies like Google and the Porn Companies. The harm would be being exposed to indecent material otherwise illegal for minors to get a hold of so freely and readily available to minors. Yah, that is the most likely course. A law suit, although I don’t know who to reach to or what groups could do this.
 
Not that I’ve been looking for it, but I thought they stopped their printed magazine years ago. Where will everyone go to read those great articles I’m always told Playboy has?😎
 
I also thought the print magazine had already bit the dust years ago, before Hef died even.
I haven’t seen an issue in years.

As for “great articles”, there did used to be some good articles in it, and in Penthouse also. I realize men were not buying those magazines for the articles though. Usually anything really good would end up being released as part of a longer book or compilation by the article author. I know I bought a couple of such books (they were not on sexual topics).
 
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I don’t know how to get this message out there, but online porn should not be free. That should be against the law as it is easy for minors to be exposed to it. Instead, there should be a law that all Porn Sites have to be behind a paywall, a black screen with a warning regarding adult content, and no suggestive Pictures because all that is behind a paywall.

The problem with the internet is our legislators are too old and out of touch. So, a lot of what’s on the internet should not be there especially for young people to see. So, if word could get out there that this is a campaign issue. Or, alternatively some concerned Catholic Group can sue the government and take it all the way to the Supreme Court.

I just thought of that. There are grounds for a law suit to have free porn accessible where minors can access and see. A concerned Catholic group teaming up with other churches could pose this suit against companies like Google and the Porn Companies. The harm would be being exposed to indecent material otherwise illegal for minors to get a hold of so freely and readily available to minors. Yah, that is the most likely course. A law suit, although I don’t know who to reach to or what groups could do this.
Your idea is a good one, but there would be First Amendment issues (freedom of speech).

The internet clearly put Playboy out of business. Time was, magazines were the only places men could see such things (unless you count porn videos). Then free online porn became available, and from what I am told, it would make Playboy look like Reader’s Digest by comparison.

People are always going to find a way to do whatever it is they want to do.
 
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HomeschoolDad:
… Good to see that it is finally gone.
They continue to publish its content online.
Yes, but at least one avenue is gone. Better than nothing at all.
 
I won’t go into full detail here, because I can’t find the case online. But not all speech is protected. The biggest example will be porn, where free speech or free publication of it is restricted. You can’t file a case and suggest that everyone, even those under eighteen be allowed to watch porn. It’s a Federal Law that has been upheld in court that until 18, the legal age of maturity, porn can not be purchased or sold.

Other examples, is where speech creates threat. So, for example you can’t cry fire in a crowded theater to cause panic. That is not protected. Also, some speech is well known as a crime like Criminal Threats or the more common Conspiracy, both carry weighty prison sentences.

So, not I don’t believe freedom of speech arguments apply here. It’s easy to draw the conclusion:
  1. Federally upheld, Minors cannot possess Porn or be sold Porn. It is a crime and an existing law.
  2. The internet does not have the sufficient regulation under self–policing for minors not to easily get porn. It’s readily available to them.
  3. Where an industry is putting minors at risk by providing free unregulated porn, which is commonly known to be viewed by them, the government has to step in to regulate.
Again, I believe in separation of Church and State. However, it is reasonable to put all porn behind a paywall so as to prevent minors from viewing. It would be hard to find anyone from the Secular world who would not agree with that, knowing the psychological damage porn can create. And the only ones who would be at loss are the poor or stingy porn addicts out there.
 
How would putting it behind a paywall prevent minors from accessing it?
 
Praise the Lord.
Now we just have to pray that the online magazines and streaming sites go the same route.
 
I was under the impression, from what I read elsewhere, that this shut down of the print magazine was temporary. This quote from the article cited in the OP seems to support that - bolded text is my emphasis.
We have decided that our Spring 2020 Issue, which arrives on U.S. newsstands and as a digital download this week, will be our final printed publication for the year in the U.S.”
FOR THE YEAR. Which seems to imply that the print edition may return in 2021.
 
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I saw the news stories about this. Unfortunately, a lot of really good Catholic magazines may face the same fate. This is going to be hard on all facets of the economy.
Our diocesan newspaper just laid off its staff, after 100+ years of continuous publication.

(No, not by all the same staff)
 
According to the story I read it is only the US edition that will no longer be printed.

Did any leading Catholics ever appear in it (in the articles I mean)?
 
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JulianN:
I saw the news stories about this. Unfortunately, a lot of really good Catholic magazines may face the same fate. This is going to be hard on all facets of the economy.
Our diocesan newspaper just laid off its staff, after 100+ years of continuous publication.

(No, not by all the same staff)
I’m sorry to hear that. It’s a shame that one country’s irresponsibility can lead to personal and business devastation across the world. I’ll add those affected to my prayer list.
 
I don’t know how to get this message out there, but online porn should not be free.
It will always remain free, as it is not merely a means of making a profit, but a psychological weapon used by the elite against young and developing minds. Of course, many older adults and even some elderly watch it too, but they aren’t the target audience.

What you propose would reduce this influence considerably, so it won’t happen short of another revolution or an act of God in this country. Until then, the top will continue to subvert our faith and victimize us and our children through the production of pornography, and still make a handsome sum while doing so.
 
I won’t go into full detail here, because I can’t find the case online. But not all speech is protected. The biggest example will be porn, where free speech or free publication of it is restricted. You can’t file a case and suggest that everyone, even those under eighteen be allowed to watch porn. It’s a Federal Law that has been upheld in court that until 18, the legal age of maturity, porn can not be purchased or sold.

Other examples, is where speech creates threat. So, for example you can’t cry fire in a crowded theater to cause panic. That is not protected. Also, some speech is well known as a crime like Criminal Threats or the more common Conspiracy, both carry weighty prison sentences.

So, not I don’t believe freedom of speech arguments apply here. It’s easy to draw the conclusion:
  1. Federally upheld, Minors cannot possess Porn or be sold Porn. It is a crime and an existing law.
  2. The internet does not have the sufficient regulation under self–policing for minors not to easily get porn. It’s readily available to them.
  3. Where an industry is putting minors at risk by providing free unregulated porn, which is commonly known to be viewed by them, the government has to step in to regulate.
Again, I believe in separation of Church and State. However, it is reasonable to put all porn behind a paywall so as to prevent minors from viewing. It would be hard to find anyone from the Secular world who would not agree with that, knowing the psychological damage porn can create. And the only ones who would be at loss are the poor or stingy porn addicts out there.
An issue is that the general definition of pornography is not necessarily used in law; Merriam-Webster has this comment:
Pornography , which has been used in English since the middle of the 19th century, comes from the Greek pornographos (“writing about prostitutes”), and initially referred to visual or written matter designed to cause sexual arousal, a meaning that is still the most common one employed today.
 
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