So, this dude- Matt Smith- at the SF Weekly, wrote an article about Kink.coms’ state funding for employee training. He basically said that Kink.com should not be eligible for funding because (take your seat!) they torture women! He used Melissa Farley’s rants as the foundation for this stance.
Let me state now that I don’t like Melissa Farley. She presumes to tell me how I feel because I’m in the adult industry. She also feels that she knows what is best for me in spite of how I feel. (A life devoid of documented nudity and sex for money.) That’s annoying.
So, I commented on Mr. Smiths’ article and left him a voice mail asking if he’d like to engage in a public debate or discussion on what he wrote.
Obviously, I have no interest in debating whether Kink.com deserves the money from the state, as it doesn’t impact me and I don’t have all the information.
I would, however, love to chat with Matt Smith about whether bdsm pornography depicts torture.
The gauntlet is thrown, but will he accept??
As Always
Mz B.
{ 2009 04 24 }
Jonathan | 24-Apr-09 at 2:08 pm | Permalink
He is an ass. There are tons of stupid people out there like that. Plus, you have to remember he is pushing his own agenda, so he will only find people that promote his side of the argument.
Vanilla people just don’t understand this lifestyle.
I hope he decides to go toe-to-toe with you.
Miss Maggie Mayhem | 24-Apr-09 at 8:38 pm | Permalink
I saw your comment up on his blog and I would absolutely love to see him accept. It was amazing to see how many models spoke up about their chosen careers.
Emrys | 26-Apr-09 at 7:33 pm | Permalink
Smith’s article clearly exposes an over-reactionary attitude towards BDSM pornography. And Farley apparently – but incorrectly – believes all women are like her.
The definition of torture should include the following three things:
(1) unbearable physical pain
(2) extreme mental distress
(3) emotional torment
(Source: wordnetweb.princeton.edu)
If the pain on-set isn’t “unbearable,” and the mental distress is not “extreme,” and the emotional charge can’t really be called “torment,” then BDSM is not torture. Some BDSM could just be called pretend torture, I guess, which doesn’t count as torture and definitely shouldn’t be treated like it. Shame on Mr. Smith.
If I were back in, say, K-8th grade and had heard about this, I might side with the “anti-torture” position, but I’m a lot more open-minded, freethinking, and liberal now, so I know nothing but good erotic entertainment can come from Kink.com.
SF Weekly Goes Jessie Helms On “Kink.com = Abu Ghraib” Meme (Or…Paging Melissa Fairley??) (Updated) | The SmackDog Chronicles (Ver. 2.6) | 26-Apr-09 at 11:33 pm | Permalink
[...] also posts from three former models at Kink.com who defend their work there: Mz. Berlin (whom has challenged Smith to a public debate on the issue of BDSM porn and Kink.com), Lilla Kat, and Mariah Sinclaire of Slut [...]