Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/184

172 Mr. . Is there not one provision in the code, as I recall from yesterday, relating to the depiction of scenes of crime and sadism?

Mr. . Paragraph 2 of the code reads:

Crime should not be presented in such a way as to throw sympathy against the law and justice or to inspire others with a desire for imitation. No comic shall show the details and methods of a crime committed by a youth. Policemen, judges, government officials, and respected institutions should not be portrayed as stupid and ineffective or represented In such a way as to weaken respect for established authority.

That bears on the point. I was making, to take a panel or two panels out of a story requiring 30 to 40 panels is not, I believe, sufficient to judge the entire content of that particular story or the book.

Mr. . That panel of the person being squeezed does not come within your definition of sadism?

Mr. . Well, I question if I am qualified to answer that particularly, as that is a point which is in great dispute, as you know, atherwise you would not be having this hearing.

Mr. . What I am trying to get at is, that what it comes down to now is, that that is each individual publisher's definition or interpretation of the provisions of the code.

Mr. . I think I will get to that in just a moment.

Mr. . I am sorry.

Mr. . We have no so-called crime comics, but we do have the two anticrime comics J mentioned, Justice and Police Action, both of which are based on true stories, primarily. They are es- sentially no different than the conventional detective magazine. The stories in these magazines are presented to depict nothing other than respect for order and justice. Our code policy precludes the pre- senting of crime or criminals in a favorable light. Nor do we show the representatives af aur government m ridicule or contempt. We at nll times in these two books handle an endless story in a manner which contributes to the prestige of the individual and the organizations enforeing law and order.

Now with regard to weird comics specifically in our concept within our own line, we wish to be realistic. We are a private company engaged in the publishing business and the profit motive is what com- pels us to publish magazines in certain fields. We are in the publish- ing business and cannot change the reading taste of the public. We are in the publishing business just as any adult works in the normal course of his life for his living. That does not mean that we are not mindful of our obligations to the potential reader of all of our maga- zines. We are parents and fathers

The. Let me get this straight, Mr. Froehlich. You say you cannot change the reading habits of your public?

Mr. . I believe that basically would apply.

The. You are in the business for the profit motive?

Mr. . Yes, sir.

The. Now by the same token a saloon keeper is in the business for a profit motive but he does not have ta keep selling to a man tntil he is dead drunk, does he?

Mr. . I agree. But I think the cirenmstances are far dif- ferent becanse the saloonkeeper knows quite well what the effect is going to be if he keeps plyiug is customer,