"Decency"

Decency is defined as "propriety in conduct, speech or dress".

Propriety is defined as the quality of being "proper", which in itself means "in accordance with recognized usage, custom or principles". In other words, decency is a very ill-defined term, that could mean anything from not farting in public to not talking with your mouth full.

It is clear that "decency" is almost impossible to regulate. What is to be considered decent or indecent anyway? It is almost entirely subjective. But although almost a triviality by definition, the notion of decency keeps an amazing number of supposedly intelligent people up in arms. And when you dig deeper, it all boils down to trying to censor any reference to sex.

The "Communications Decency Act" was fortunately shut down. But they may be back.

Howard Stern, a radio entertainer and free-speech advocate whom I greatly admire, once got a nasty letter from a "decency" association in Dallas, logically called DAD (Dallas Association for Decency). The organization threatened Stern with trying to force his sponsors to stop supporting him if he did not become more "decent" (a kind of racketeering in a sense). Stern had a very appropriate answer to them: he claimed he founded his own association: SON (Sick Of Nitwits). After he proclaimed this on national radio, I never heard of DAD again. It must have shut them up.

Watch out when people talk about decency. They usually focus on an extremely narrow definition (sex) and have an amazing ability to miss the worst cases of indecency (poverty, suffering etc.)