Crush film
Encyclopedia
Crush films are videos of animals being crushed
by being stepped on. The term hard crush refers to videos portraying the compaction death of larger animals (e.g. reptiles, birds, mammals), while the term soft crush refers to such videos involving smaller animals (usually invertebrates).
There are currently no known laws forbidding the crushing of live invertebrate
s, although the production or trade of crush erotica involving vertebrate
s is condemned by opponents of animal cruelty
and is illegal in many countries including the United Kingdom
and the United States.
invalidated the ban on the sale and possession of such films (if not otherwise obscene) as a violation of the Constitution's guarantee for freedom of speech
. The United States Supreme Court affirmed the Third Circuit's decision in United States v. Stevens
, finding the law unconstitutional because the law was so broad and vague that it included any portrayal of an animal in or being harmed such as by hunting or disease. As of November 28, 2010, bill H.R. 5566, which prohibits interstate commerce in animal crush films, has been passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate, and as of December 9th, the bill has been signed by President Obama.
Crush fetish
A crush fetish is a paraphilia in which one is sexually aroused when usually someone of the opposite sex crushes objects, food and sometimes small animals or insects with/under their foot. The term soft crush, the more common fetish: refers to videos involving small animals being crushed, usually...
by being stepped on. The term hard crush refers to videos portraying the compaction death of larger animals (e.g. reptiles, birds, mammals), while the term soft crush refers to such videos involving smaller animals (usually invertebrates).
Legal status
The legality of crush films and the actual practice of crushing varies by region, however, many have been posted on web sites and are available for download via the Internet, making the control of their distribution difficult.There are currently no known laws forbidding the crushing of live invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s, although the production or trade of crush erotica involving vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
s is condemned by opponents of animal cruelty
Cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse or animal neglect, is the infliction of suffering or harm upon non-human animals, for purposes other than self-defense. More narrowly, it can be harm for specific gain, such as killing animals for food or for their fur, although opinions differ with...
and is illegal in many countries including the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States.
United States
In 1999, the United States Congress enacted a statute affecting the legality of crush films which criminalized the creation, sale, and possession of depictions of animal cruelty, though with an exception for "any depiction that has serious religious, political, scientific, educational, journalistic, historical, or artistic value." In 2008, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
invalidated the ban on the sale and possession of such films (if not otherwise obscene) as a violation of the Constitution's guarantee for freedom of speech
Freedom of speech in the United States
Freedom of speech in the United States is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and by many state constitutions and state and federal laws, with the exception of obscenity, defamation, incitement to riot, and fighting words, as well as harassment, privileged...
. The United States Supreme Court affirmed the Third Circuit's decision in United States v. Stevens
United States v. Stevens
United States v. Stevens, 559 U.S. ___, 130 S.Ct. 1577 was an April 20, 2010 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, which ruled that the version of 18 U.S.C...
, finding the law unconstitutional because the law was so broad and vague that it included any portrayal of an animal in or being harmed such as by hunting or disease. As of November 28, 2010, bill H.R. 5566, which prohibits interstate commerce in animal crush films, has been passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate, and as of December 9th, the bill has been signed by President Obama.
External links
- US Supreme Court to hear cruelty video case
- News article on Crush Film Ban
- Reference to Insects as Sexual Fetish Objects
- Love Crushed Sex - 1999 Darwin AwardDarwin AwardsThe Darwin Awards are a tongue-in-cheek honor, created by Wendy Northcutt to recognize individuals who contribute to human evolution by self-selecting themselves out of the gene pool through putting themselves in life-threatening situations...
- Lex Appeal: Animal Cruelty, "Crush Videos" and the First Amendment
- Court Voids Law Aimed at Animal Cruelty Videos