Nightfall: Several years in LE personally. Worked vice. Have extensive friendships that have endured in LE after I left.
Some folks are wholehearted willing participants in the production of porn. Various reasons.
Some folks are not. Some find it an easy way to finance/further addictions. Some are used for other purposes, such as illegal immigrants falling into the hands of nefarious characters, the end result being held for prostitution. The porn biz is not all roses and steak. I was in Vegas when they had their "Oscar" awards one year while attending CES. No one said smut is not without some professionalism. But it's like anything else. There are abuses and not all are willing participants. Some participants that I spoke with are not on the list for entrance to Yale. I am not campaigning to end the porn biz, do not stand on streetcorner handing out tracts, nor firebomb studios. I guess I just believe one's life should be expended trying to find a way to be of value to ones self by elevating the "conversation".
I just, frankly, from having to deal with the low end of human nature, find it difficult to define a redeeming feature in porn other than degrading folks. Just my opinion. I think I'm entitled to that based on some first hand experiance, and will stand the flack when I express myself.
Having said that, I am not an advocate of censorship or controlling the internet either. The internet may be the only truly free place left in the world. My rationale for speaking out comes more from the direction of having been closely associated with those who are engaged in seeing to the needs of those who require drugs, sex for hire, porn and the like. I think parents should more closely moniter their kids. But I have seen a society that puts more value on personal satiation, be it career, booze, drugs, porn or just plain lazy indiference. There are monsters out there that will use whatever methodology it takes to dignify the low end of human existance. I What's the answer? I don't know, vices have always been with us. It just comes down to a spark has to ignite somewhere in an individual. As Blackburn said, it's about hearts and minds, not laws.
I have also been aquainted with those who work with wreckage from that busines as well as others such as addicts and prostitutes. Like in all things, some don't seem to be phased or troubled about those activities. At the end of the day however, I have never seen folks engaged in the vices having much else on their mind than making money any way they could and damn the consequences.
