"Commercial speech is like obscenity... we can't seem to define it, but we know it when we see it"

In this quote, Jef I. Richards is comparing industrial speech to obscenity. He suggests that both are challenging to specify, but we can quickly acknowledge them when we experience them. This could be interpreted as a commentary on the subjective nature of both industrial speech and profanity. What a single person might consider to be commercial speech or obscenity, another may not. It likewise highlights the difficulty of regulating and defining these kinds of speech, as they can be available to analysis and individual biases. Overall, Richards is acknowledging the complexity of specifying and controling industrial speech, while likewise acknowledging its impact and influence on society.