When the Government and the Porn Industry Collide

This week, as I was pursuing AlterNet, I found and interesting article on the porn industry bail out (click here to read the article).

In this harsh economic time, it is no surprise that the porn industry is suffering just like everyone else. I do not feel that the porn industry will ever get a "bail out," and, frankly, I don’t think it should get one. If there was some form of federal funding that was devoted to the porn industry, I think it could be a great opportunity to re-vamp certain aspects of the industry, such as initiating the proposed condom usage bill (as noted in the article). Nevertheless, I think it would be impossible to federally fund porn with satisfactory results. For example, funding film that promotes violence against women is absurd; yet, on the flip side, regulating what can be portrayed would restrict personal freedoms.

I am all for freedom of speech and freedom to express yourself, but the porn industry, in my opinion, does a little too much expression of the degradation women. I am not opposed to porn in general. I am opposed to the material that is produced by the mainstream porn industry. Next semester (Fall ’09), the Women’s Resource Center is holding a screening of The Price of Pleasure (click to see the preview); be sure to join us for a lively and engaging discussion.