Source: Adult Industry News
By: Miss Charlie Latour
President Kennedy wanted to know what we could do for our country, not what our country could do for us. The same principle can be applied to consumers of x-rated entertainment. Just as the nation was at a crossroads in 1960, with our national election, the consumer of adult x-rated entertainment is at a crossroads today in 2004.
It is an invisible crossroads, because of society’s inability to deal openly with sexual issues, but a crossroads nonetheless. To me it was the most evident aspect of this year’s F.O.X.E. awards held in Los Angeles, on Thursday night June 17th.
While other correspondents might write about the glitter and who wore what, and even others might write about which awards went to which performers, I feel compelled to write about the heart and soul of the adult industry… YOU! The fans of x-rated entertainment have been and will continue to be the reason why the industry exists. There is no magical formula, no hidden psychological reason, no socio-political agenda, it is simple economics. The adult industry exists because you the consumers are willing to pay. Take away the financial incentive and you may still have an industry, but it would be far different. I will admit there is a core group, of which I am one, who look beyond the economics, but, in general, most of the adult industry would vaporize if there were no economic incentive.
One eccentric, lovable futurist understood this simple economic principle. He lacks self indulgence, self pity and selfish motives. He is not without ego and he is not without self awareness, but above all he understood the fact that the adult industry is all about the fans. There is no man more hated, feared and disrespected by the adult industry, yet there is no human on the face of the earth who has more understanding and more compassion for the adult performer. There is little in the adult industry that he has not touched, yet to the millions of adult entertainment fans all over this country he is invisible. I have yet to meet a person in the adult industry who does not have a strong opinion about him. Personally, I adore him, I love him, I would move heaven and earth for him, at the same time I am wary of him, I pray for him and I have been hurt by him on countless occasions. (Sounds a bit like battered wife syndrome)
This man is Bill Margold.
I know that many of the readers of AINews know the name and some know him personally, but millions of fans across the country are clueless about who he is and what he has done for them. The article is not a bugle call, it is a claxon, sounding an urgent alarm to all within range.
Thursday night approximately 200 brave fans gathered in an obscure ballroom in Los Angeles to hail the performers and support the ONLY fan based national organization for x-rated entertainment. If the federal government, major magazines, AVN and other publications are right and the adult industry is a 6 to 12 billion dollar a year business, all of which is driven by consumer demand, then it is incomprehensible that 200 people gather to support their opportunity to make a difference. The performers can talk about a union all they want, the corporate adult giants can fe-fi-fo and fum all the time, Ashcroft can bluster and Congress can investigate until the next election, the consumers… that means YOU… will ultimately control the destiny of the adult industry or cede it to others.
As I see it you have two choices; sit back, do nothing and continue to consume the end results of the best estimates by manufacturers based on cost-benefit analysis, manufactured within the limits set be legislators and regulators or you can use your combined economic power to reverse the trend of cost-benefit analysis, which continually searches for the lowest cost production that will maintain the highest profit margin, and use your combined political influence to force legislators and regulators to narrow their efforts to those aspects that are truly deleterious to the population, especially those not yet equipped to process sexually explicit material.
The choice is yours, you can either wait, do nothing and, in line with the concept of President Kennedy’s speech, “wait to see what the industry does for you” or you can become pro-active and make a difference and “do for the industry”.
I can hear the snickers already. You see, many, if not nearly all, in the adult industry, in Congress, in state legislatures and in the regulatory agencies believe you will do nothing, that you will continue to consume what is available and that you want to remain hidden in your desire for sexually explicit material because of embarrassment, fear of ridicule and social stigma. Not only do they believe that, THEY WANT THAT! You cede control to them.
Bill Margold, as a futurist, understood this. F.O.X.E, Fans of X-Rated Entertainment was started to give consumers an opportunity to make a real difference, to effectuate change, to drive the industry and to regulate the regulators. Through all of Bill’s bluster, through the biting comments, the false arrogance there is a brilliant concept that will collapse without you. The horse is at the trough, the question is, whether it will drink.
For the life of me I can not understand why there are so few people who belong to F.O.X.E., why there are no chapters in every state and major city and why people are willing to cede their sexual freedom to others. It is not the fault of the adult industry, since they will do what every other major industry does, and that is maximize profit. It’s not the elected officials fault since they only react to stimuli and the only organized and sustained stimuli is from the well organized, sexually regressive moral elitists. It’s not the fault of the regulators, as they are just protecting their jobs by creating the need for regulation writers, lawyers and investigators.
The fault lies squarely with the consumers. The adult industry and what is made available to be consumed is controlled by the consumer. Fail to get involved and make a difference and you cede control to others, who have their own personal agendas and DO NOT HAVE YOUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART or you can use your collective power and influence the product offered by the industry (and believe me, the industry is populated by very smart people who will respond to market changes) and balance the influence of those who want to censor, impose unacceptable standards and control your sex life.
F.O.X.E. Is a good first step. Next year, at the F.O.X.E. awards I would love to see 2,000 people, I would be thrilled to hear about F.O.X.E. chapters in each state and I would be eternally grateful that the millions of fans had spoken. Six to twelve billion dollars in sales translates into tens, if not hundreds, of millions of consumers.
Let the fans be heard!
Let us not ask what the adult industry can do for us, let us SHOW what we can do for the adult industry. In America the power really does belong to the people. If you don’t believe that then you are willing to cede control to others. I am not willing to do that and I hope you are not, either.
These opinions and comments are mine and may not reflect those of this websites’ owners, editor and advertisers. I appreciate the opportunity and freedom to present my opinions and I encourage everyone to join the debate.
