In legal terms, an obscenity is anything that can be offensive to the morals of someone. An obscenity can be pornographic, and in fact is often thought to be nothing but pornography. Things such as topless dancing, suggestive television or radio commercials or programs, or even the spoken word can be thought of as an obscenity. If something is determined to be an obscenity by the courts of the United States, then the item, act, or utterance is not protected by the First Amendment. A person who is cursing in public can be charged with uttering one or more obscenities if the person or persons who hear the cursing decide to press charges. Material that is considered as socially permissible is the opposite of material that is seen as an obscenity. There is no exact list that states what is and what is not an obscenity. This varies from state to state, and what is obscene in one state may be perfectly fine in another. It pays to be aware of local obscenity laws if at all possible to avoid getting into trouble.