As the old saying goes, you should never discuss politics at a dinner party or with strangers. This may well be true in most circles, but it certainly isn’t true of webmaster boards and social media.
Over the 2016 election cycle, we all saw an influx of political tweets, posts and memes — some insightful, almost hopeful, and some downright mean.
We really can’t know what a Trump administration will mean for us, but one thing’s for sure: Prop 60 will not be the last attack on our industry.
Like the rest of the country, the porn industry was seriously on edge. In California, we not only had to make the ultimate decision about who would be the next commander-in-chief — we also faced an uphill fight against misinformation and poorly planned policies with Proposition 60, the Condoms in Pornographic Films Initiative.
The industry pulled together, especially the talent who changed their profile pictures to No on Prop 60, and every company worked hard to remain active on social media, reaching out to their fan bases for support. It was heartwarming to see people take action, fight for, and succeed in winning something they believe in — even if, unfortunately, we can’t quite say the same for the presidential race.
When it came to the contest for leader of the free world, people were passionate about their political choices. And it was pretty apparent that everyone wanted change.
And while a good business person will not let someone’s political preferences persuade them to not to do business with someone, this type of ideological conflict can cause rifts in relationships of every kind.
On the boards, the sheer amount of infighting, name-calling and worse were unreal. We seemed to have forgotten that we’re one industry and we are striving to survive in a world where we’re threatened by an influx of free porn on both the tubes and social media.
The presidential choice has been made, and what this means for the industry we can’t really tell. Trump has surrounded himself with conservative folks—many of whom hold worrying stances on race, gender politics, and general human rights — and while the adult industry is not the top priority on his hit list, now is the time to come together, just as our talent did for Prop 60.
As an industry, we are stronger together today. We really can’t know what a Trump administration will mean for us, but one thing’s for sure: Prop 60 will not be the last attack on our industry.
Here are Ways to Come Together:
- Get back to business — reach out to affiliates and partners to collaborate on new deals and trades.
- Leave the politics talk behind — the choice has been made, and now we must wait to see what happens next.
- Attend industry gatherings — our industry is strengthened by coming together to attend events, mingle and have fun.
- Create your own gatherings — here in Los Angeles, for example, we started a non-sponsored monthly gathering. Do the same for industry members in your city!
And finally, the most important thing: Remain positive and hopeful. There is no better industry in the world and no better time than now to show your love!
Holly Ruprecht is Hustler’s senior business development manager. She can be reached at holly@hustlercash.com.