For '2 Girls, 1 Cup,' Ira Isaacs Gets 4 Years in Prison
Whatever you do, don't search for "2 Girls, 1 Cup" after reading this. I did, to learn more about producer Ira Isaacs being sentenced to prison for making the viral video. And the automated images Google includes in its results may not be something you want to see today, or any other day.
I've never personally seen the entire clip. But the number of reaction videos on YouTube, and even Stewie's reaction on "Family Guy," gives you some sense that if you watch, you'll want to watch with an empty stomach.
And apparently federal prosecutors, and jurors, felt the same. Isaacs was convicted of violating federal obscenity laws and for selling movies featuring "bestiality and extreme fetishes." He was sentenced Thursday to four years in federal prison, reports The Huffington Post.
Ira Isaacs introduced the layperson to a particularly stomach-churning type of fetish porn. In one video, the Bronx filmmaker showed himself having sex with two women eating feces, reports HuffPo.
That and other films featuring bestiality were enough for a federal jury, which found that Isaacs' videos were unlawfully obscene and lacking in any "literary, artistic, political or scientific value."
Isaacs insisted that his art was protected by the First Amendment. Does he have a point?
The First Amendment protects free speech and gives artists the right to depict images and say things that are not politically correct or even acceptable to 99.9% of the population. First Amendment protections are part of the reason why America is such a great country.
So even though Isaacs' depiction of poo-eating porn may have offended the jury (and just about everyone else), shouldn't he have the right to depict what he believes is art? Especially when the depiction does not involve children, and uses only consenting adults as "actors"?
Well, the truth is that while the First Amendment does protect speech, it does not protect "obscene" speech. The million-dollar question then becomes: What is obscene?
In this case, jurors found that "2 Girls, 1 Cup" video producer Ira Isaacs crossed the line into unprotected obscenity. It's possible, however, that a different jury with different standards may have seen it differently.
Related Resources:
- Ira Isaacs Sentenced in Adult Obscenity Case (FBI)
- Hustler's Mobile Strip Club Causes Outrage in SF Neighborhood (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- KKK Can't Adopt a Highway in Georgia (FindLaw's Legally Weird)