It's not the fear of spreading STDs that has me thinking of a comprehensive production moratorium, but I do want to touch upon this still "touchy" issue, since lawmakers have seen fit to become involved, as have many folks on the sidelines.
XBiz has been reporting on recent developments in this case, including the following summary: “We feel confident that this outbreak has been contained,” AIM board member Ira Levine told reporters at a press conference at the Universal City Hilton. “No additional transmissions of HIV from these cases are expected, either in the adult-performer talent pool or in the community at large.”
It's important to keep in mind as you read the following comments that while I'm not "Vivid" – I am a content producer, and I am also "content" – although the current extent of my involvement in the content end of this industry surrounds shooting and exclusively performing with my lovely wife. We're seriously monogamous, and we've both been tested for everything you can imagine, and came out with flying colors – despite many years of rampant promiscuity and a near total disregard for "safe sex." Yep, my wife was a swinger, and I was just a total slut...
With that as a preface, let me say that any attempt to portray adult content producers as an irresponsible bunch of “bad guys” is downright silly. They are not parents – they’re pornographers. It’s up to the talent to decide how much risk they’re willing to accept – and with whom.
Taking personal responsibility for one's actions is what I'm on about today, though doubtless my cry will fall on deaf ears in a society where "blaming the other guy" is what it's all about. Case in point, a news story that I saw this morning: Some kid was killed when the portable soccer goal he was hanging from fell over and whacked him in the head. The commentator went on to discuss the parent's outrage and how there were other instances of mayhem caused by these portable nets. Hello? The portable net was not the problem here, the problem was the monkey boy swinging from it instead of kicking a soccer ball into it... While I'm sure the parents will not want to hear that their son is responsible for his own death because he acted stupidly, I'm equally certain that they'll try to sue the school, the coach, the net manufacturer, etc. But I digress...
Taking responsibility for one's actions, in this case, within the world of porn. As ChiChi La Rue said on yesterday's premier of "AlyTV" – "Wrap it up!" But I'm not talking about condom usage or waiting a few weeks to see if you've contracted the virus, I'm talking about a comprehensive, and extended, moratorium on Internet porn.
Wait And See
The extended moratorium that I'm encouraging is merely a "wait and see" mechanism that Webmasters should consider before constructing and / or launching any new sites. The end of this moratorium? When the results of the upcoming elections this November are known...
While it's no secret that I hope George Bush is re-elected, it's also no secret that a renewed "war on porn" is about to get underway. Americans, having low attention spans, aren't interested in the reality of how long and drawn out some of these federal obscenity prosecution cases can be, and with highly uncertain outcomes, it doesn't behoove the administration to shine a spotlight on the end game; merely on the kick off – so that while I don't expect prosecutions to be announced soon, come the fall, we'll start seeing TV commercials and Sunday morning pundits proclaiming "We're taking an aggressive stance against the evils of Internet pornography to protect America's families and children..."
It would be easy for me to simply say, "tone it down a bit, boys..." – but when even HBO isn't safe, better advice might be "time to wrap it up, boys – at least for 'tonight'..."
Most of my readers won't take this suggestion seriously, and won't heed my advice. And most, being needles in a haystack, really have nothing to fear, the odds of them being singled out being so "low..." Then again, the odds of you contracting AIDS is pretty low, too, and while a miserable death is worse than prison and financial ruin, prudent folks will take all the precautions they can when it comes to such serious matters. Stay Safe! ~ Stephen
