Larry Flynt, an infamous photographer and free-speech activist, has brought
about controversy in the film, "The People v. Larry Flynt". The movie functions as a
general biography, but it focuses on legal issues to a large degree.
Flynt, the editor of Hustler magazine, publicized pornographic obscenities in
many ways. By doing so, he has challenged the First Amendment and the Charter's
guarantee of the right to free expression.
Larry at first glance seems like an odd figure for a hero. He is outspoken,
opinionated, and perverted. If there is one word to sum him up it would be, unapologetic.
In "The People v. Larry Flynt", Flynt stood up for his rights, never quit, and never
apologized for what he did.
Flynt started out as a strip joint owner with his younger brother Jimmy. He was
not making any money, so he decided to advertise his dancers in a pictorial magazine.
Eventually Larry gets an offer to publish nude shots taken of someone famous, Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis.
He decides that this is his big break and decides to do so. This eventually brings
his magazine into the public eye. Flynt gets arrested for this, because it is an alleged
violation of community standards.
In 1976, Flynt was arrested on charges of obscenity and organized crime. The
disputed notion in the trial became the method by which to judge whether something
is seen as obscene or not. Flynt's initial loss in which he was given a jail sentence,
suggested that individual communities had the right to define what is obscene and thus be
able to control what is sold in stores.
Larry hires a lawyer when he learns he is being taken to court. He ends up with
Alan Isaacman, a young lawyer who defends him from the beginning to his most famous
case. The primary case involving Reverend Jerry Falwell, who is suing Flynt for
defaming him in one of Hustlers' ads.
After Flynt was released on bail, he stated "we're the strongest country in the
world today because we are the freest." He declared that his way of being free, lays in his
pornographic magazine.
Flynt tries to show a point about the communities' view of obscenity. "What is
more obscene, sex or war?" In the movie, Flynt explains that murder is illegal, but if
you take pictures of it, you'll be put in a magazine. However sex is legal and if you take
pictures of it you can go to jail.
sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. The case against him was largely
but most of all he wanted to live with freedom to think and act as he
“But what is freedom? Freedom from what? There is nothing to take a man's freedom away from him, save other men. To be free, a man must be free of his brothers. That is freedom. That and nothing else.”
calls for Allie. This marks his breakdown. It is then, because of Allie, that he realizes that
In her essay “Let’s Put Pornography Back in the Closet,” Susan Brownmiller, a prominent feminist activist, argues that pornography should not be protected under the First Amendment (59). Her position is based on the belief that pornography is degrading and abusive towards women (Brownmiller 59). She introduces the reader to the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, and explains how it relates to her beliefs on censoring pornographic material (Brownmiller 58). In addition, she provides examples of First Amendment controversies such as Miller v. California and James Joyce’s Ulysses to explain how the law created a system to define pornographic material (Brownmiller 58). She described the system that used a three-part test as confusing (Brownmiller 58). Regardless of whether or not the First Amendment was intended to protect obscenities, she and many others believe that the legislatures should have the final say in the decision of creating and publishing pornography (Brownmiller 60).
Gideon, is a middle-aged man who has been in prison in the State of Florida. Accused of a
1.How does the novel inform us about the impact of the Brown v. Board decision?
... at its core, is not a governable process. This could be argued by the simple fact that the legal system (despite being a supposedly emotionless system), is in fact, based highly on emotion. Since emotions are not governable, neither will the concept of freedom. He also notes the inconsistencies, such as an individual writing a promotional piece for Taliban, and no one speaks up, yet when neo-Nazis attempt to walk around, suddenly an uproar begins. Rosenblatt appears less concerned with the content itself, and more annoyed by the sheer lack of consistency, as well as a crippling lack of perspective on the part of those protesting. All in all, the author’s point seems to be one of fundamental futility. That no matter how much we try to fix the system, we cannot remedy people from their emotions, which will always be the most fundamental (and perhaps only) factor.
... his action could actually be really harmful for the society. Gitlow defended him as not guilty merely depends on the part of the context of the First Amendment of Constitution about U.S citizens’ freedom of speech. It is actually make a deliberate misinterpretation out of the context. Gitlow’s claims that he is innocent might because of his less awareness and misunderstanding of the laws. Or, he might believe that the faults of the Constitution would help him escape from the punishment. However, in my point of view, Gitlow fail to consider the primarily goal of the U.S Constitution that is to protect the best profit of its majority.
This demonstrates to us that no matter how much your legal or moral laws are violated, what matters is how you as an individual react to the situation, justly or unjustly. This movie is centered around the notion that if you are a person of ethnic background, that alone is reason for others to forsake your rights, although in the long run justice will prevail
Asimow, Michael. " Law and Popular Culture: Bad Lawyers In The Movies." Nova Law Review (n.d.): 24 Nova L. Rev.533. LexisNexisAcademic. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
In 1984, there was a protest in the streets of Dallas; Gregory Lee Johnson was one of the many protesters there. During the protest Johnson set an American Flag on fire. There were some who agreed with what Johnson had done, but there were several others who felt extremely offended. This caused Johnson to go to court When Johnson went to court he was found guilty and was charged with "the desecration of a venerated object.”, and was sentence to a $2,000 fine, and one year in prison. Jonson should have not gone to court in the first place because what he had done was protected under the first amendment, the freedom of speech and the freedom of assembly.
Sometimes it’s hard to see the bad in a person when all that is shown is the good. Trying to look for the truth about a person often times is hidden for that same reason because the person doesn’t want the terrible information to be found. The People vs. Larry Flynt gave a fake sense of good in a person without showing the whole person. When looking into Larry Flynt there were mixed opinions between the masses. Some said he was a wonderful guy while others said he was a horrible smut peddler. Larry Flynt exploited and abused his first amendment right.
at least I know I'm free." Freedom is the founding pillar of the American self-
In his book Peace Be Still, there are several paragraphs almost identical to numerous articles online and other academic resources (Flaherty, 2014). He wasn’t punished for this act, but he did apologize to the public saying "My critics have revealed numerous mistakes that I made. It is painful to recognize that I was so careless as to fail to properly paraphrase and cite sources, despite my reverence and respect for the work of others in this field," and "I alerted ASU administration to the fact that the