Not For Sale

Supplemental Reading

Random Internet Clippings: The Silence of the Left posted by D. A. Clarke

This is a collection of internet clips that inspired me to write something about the massive blind spot of the US Left with regard to the Abu Ghraib scandal and its connections with commercial pornography.

Susan Brison Article: "Good Old American Pornography" posted by D. A. Clarke

One of only two articles I saw in the online lefty press which tried to make the connections. It was tremendously encouraging to read this article in the SF Chronicle after the book had gone to press, and to see that this feminist scholar and I had followed the Abu Ghraib trail to very similar conclusions.

Chyng Sun Article: "Revisiting the Porn Debate"

Professor Chyng Sun of NYU breaks the left/liberal media rules by re-opening the question of racism and misogyny in commercial mainstream pornography: "We should be afraid of government forces interested in repressing sexual expression. But we also should be afraid of the influence of misogynist pornography." This article originally appeared on Alternet.

Nina Hartley Responds to Sun: "Thus I Refute Chyng Sun"

Chyng Sun's article was picked up by a couple of left/liberal websites soon after its Alternet appearance. One of these was Counterpunch, a male-dominated left website which usually toes the pro-porn line. Very shortly thereafter the anticipated "rebuttal" appeared, which I include here despite its unpleasant tone because it's a fairly representative sample of the talking points and rhetorical style of the pro-porn lobbyists.

Stan Goff Responds to Hartley: "Wrapping Profit in the Flag"

Stan Goff (ex-soldier, lefty and pro-feminist man) responded swiftly to Hartley's attack on Chyng Sun. And so the debate continues.

John Borowski Article: "Pimping the First Amendment" posted by D. A. Clarke

"Columbia Pictures, who plans to release an 80- minute cartoon about a nine-year old pimp, should feel your wrath. Does our society have a place for kids reveling in LilPimp T shirts or playing out fantasies on a pimp board game? Don't buy into the perverted spin that casts debasement be it in song or video as free speech. Call it for what it is: pawning children for profit, no matter the cost." A teacher takes a hard look at the impact of "pimp/ho chic" on school age kids.

Shauna Swartz Article: "Triple-X Offender"

"The realest thing about humilitainment porn is the way it buttresses long-held assumptions of women's inherent inferiority, even if that's not foremost on the minds of those who get off on it." A quick overview of current trends in "reality porn" online. Unreality pretendiing to be real, or reality pretending to be unreal?

Bob Jensen: "A Cruel Edge"

Jensen discusses how "market forces" have motivated porn producers to ratchet up the degree of aggression and cruelty towards women in their product over the last several decades.

Bob Jensen: "Just A John? Pornography and Men's Choices"

Jensen: " If throughout this discussion you have been thinking, "Well, that's not me -- I never pay for it," don't be so sure. It's not just about who pays for it and who doesn't. It's about the fundamental nature of the relationship between men and women, and how that plays out in sex and intimacy."