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I was just reading the current issue of Art in America, my new favorite magazine. One of the articles in it is about a book called “Secret Museums” which is a study of the history of pornography in the art world. In the article, they explain the root of the word obscene. It turns out it is a word with it’s roots in a saying created by the ancient Greeks. Ob Skena was said to describe acts so taboo and awful, that when they occurred in a play they had to take place off stage. In fact, in English the saying literally translates as offstage. Such acts included murder and sex. If you say ob skena out loud, it is easy to hear where the modern day word obscene came from….

Ta Da! Now you know something fun!