In my post below, I suggested that blogger Brian Flemming is “close” to the porn industry. In the aftermath of sharing with him the honor of being on the receiving end of a pornographer’s indignation, I revisited Brian’s site. More careful reading of his fine blog reveals that he is a local filmmaker with a conscience. He writes today about another young victim of the HIV outbreak, and notes:
I’ve been criticized for speaking out about this HIV crisis by some in the industry because I am not in the industry myself.
I also criticize the president. But I don’t work in the White House. If only people who worked in the White House were allowed to criticize the president, what kind of dialogue could we possibly have? Yet the vast majority of us cede the entire discussion about porn to either people who make it or hate it or hate the people who make it.
If you’re wondering why I keep talking about this porn crisis on my blog (hi, Mom!), that’s why. Not talking about it created this problem.
Porn producers have had it easy so far. The shame people feel about consuming porn ($10B worth or so a year) actually works to the producers’ advantage. Because people don’t want to talk about it, you don’t hear much of a discussion about the (lucrative) trend toward rough anal sex and younger and younger performers–a trend that almost certainly helped this crisis happen. “Double-anal” was not exactly common in the Boogie Nights era. That’s how Lara Roxx got infected.
The bold emphasis is mine. I don’t know Brian, but I’m now a fan. And I did want to correct any prior impression that I had made that he was in any way associated with the porn business.
And you all will be pleased to hear that I think I am going to take a break from posting on porn.
Thanks, Hugo.