Juvenile delinquency (1955)

JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 225 climate in wliich those of lis who are primarily concerned witli the problems of yovmger people live and must work. The most striking outward evidence of changed public attitudes is public accei)tan('e and even approval of the frankness and the casualness with which the facets of human behavior, notably those dealing witii sex matters, are discussed and written about. Best-selling books, stage plays, paintings, sculp- ture, even national magazine and daily newspapers are the best evidence of this trend. Not more than 2 or 3 generations ago, Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter was regarded by many educators and most parents as questionable reading for young people. This generation is confronted daily with sordid stories of rapes, abortions, and heinous sex crimes in (he news columns of daily newspapers. Best-selling novels concern themselves with themes of lesbianism and revolting brutality. Many modern paintings and sculptures are frankly perverted in theme. And some recognized and widely applauded writers and artists are openly and notoriously psychotics in the Kralft-E]bing pattern. Hit plays on Broadway deal openly and frankly with plots and situations wliich would have been regarded as pornographic and licentious 20 years ago. Ami abroad, in some countries, there is even greater liberty and license. Widely read and reputable magazines carry articles on sexual and social behavior patterns among adolescents in Sweden and France wliich are at great variance with acceptable practices in this country. Publications of tremendous circulation w,ith these and similar articles in the medical and scientific field are part of the everyday reading habit of millions of our people. I want to say as emphatically as I can tliat the motion-picture industry has strongly resisted this trend. We ai'e not at the head of this parade, nor indeed in the middle of it. We are, in fact, far behind and are rather proud that we are. Our people, our producers, our writers, our directors, and our executives have been lambasted by critics for being namby-pamby, for being pollyannish, and for failing to produce mature entertainment. Our production companies, through the production code and the advertising code, have placed upon themselves definite restrictions of morality and decency. We have over the years adhered to these self-imposed restrictions, and have thus eliminated from motion pictures many types of material which are openly treated in other mass media and entertainment forms. Moreover, I repeat, this was the first industry to impose on itself these standards of decency and we remain as the only non-Government-regulated enterprise to continue this practice. So long as creative works are produced by human beings, there will, of course, be unevenness of quality and value. Not all books were written by hgih-minded authors; not all p]lizabethan plays were written by Shakespeare; not all religious leaders have necessarily always pointed to the higher life. And so long as human beings are the judges of what is desirable and undesir- able, there will be honest differences of opinion about the effect on the reader, listener, or viewer. Criticism is a subjective thing, a product of man's mind conditioned by his training and experience. We in the motion-picture industry are not perfect. We have made mistakes and I assume tluit we will make them in the future. But I want to emphasize that the men and women who produce our pictures and the men and women who administer our codes are decent, high-minded people who adliere conscientiously to the standards which the industry has imposed upon itself. We believe that any fairminded analysis of our overall operations will disclose that we do a remarkable job—a job deserving of commendation. I want to thank the committee and its staff for this opportunity to appear and for its uniform courtesy and fairness in its study of a problem which desei'ves the most earnest consideration of all our people. STATEMENT OF PAUL JACOBS, CHAIRMAN, CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION, LOS ANGELES, CALIF. Chairman Kefauvtsr. Mr. Paul Jacobs, chairman of the Civil Liberties Union, has asked for permission to testify for a few minutes. All right, Mr. Bobo. Mr. BoBO. Mr. Jacobs, will you identify yourself and your con- nection ?