College . 03/25/2008 02:02 AM . Elisabeth Long

“Pornography.” The word effectively thwarted my attempts to tune out the TV, blaring according to the boss’ preferred volume, as I sat at my desk several weeks ago. Suddenly paying attention, I listened as The O’Reilly Factor announced that this year’s “Sex Week” at Yale University would feature – gasp! – a debate about porn.

Porn-star legend Ron Jeremy and Vivid girl Monique Alexander would face-off against pastor Craig Gross and ex-porn-producer-turned-Christian Donny Pauling. Martin Bashir from ABC’s Nightline was slated to moderate the debate that would pack out LoRicco Ballroom located near the Ivy League campus.

Bashir, O’Reilly’s guest, quickly launched into the expected slew of porn facts:

The pornography industry turns over $14 billion a year. It employs over 100,000 people. There are 40 million page-views a day of pornographic materials.

And as for access, to no one’s particular surprise, “The internet has become the source for many young people for sexual education. For example, one study showed that the largest cohort of people looking at pornography are boys aged 12 to 17,” Bashir informed O’Reilly.

But I was stunned when he commented on the general feeling of the Yale audience toward pornography: “We recorded brief interviews with everyone before we did the debate, and I would say 90 percent of the people were pro-pornography before the debate started.”

Students at Yale University – the upcoming intellectual elite, who have shelled out large amounts of (someone’s) cash to become equipped for the heights of power and influence – an estimated 90 percent of these students would call themselves, “pro” porn?

Stop. Suspend judgment. I had to tell myself. Somehow, I had failed to realize that porn was indeed regulated and legal. I realized this debate deserved an intellectual response.

That Yale would handle this topic with reason and delicacy became doubtful as I scanned the campus’ news. The Yale Daily News posed several provocative/explicit questions and promised that Yalies will find out “everything [they’ve] always wanted to know about sex (and sex toys!)”

No, really, The Daily News assured the reader, Sex Week is about much more than sex, despite the scheduled visit from the Vivid Girls and a showing of an X-rated film with its director.

“If we called it Sexual Awareness Week and didn’t invite porn stars, not nearly as many people would be coming to the events,” Sex Week’s director said. “Sometimes that does mean having a gap between what we advertise and what the week is really all about.”

Sex Week’s foundational premise is not to promote sex, so they claim, but to provoke debate and provide a forum for tough questions.

But, “I really came to see Ron Jeremy,” admitted student Ben Simon. Jeremy has starred in over 2,000 porn movies over the course of his career, and is known as one of the few male adult porn stars to “transition” to prominence in the public entertainment industry.

The advertising “gap” was working well, but was the deeper purpose of the Week served?

No doubt. Now that participants have attended the festivities, they have not only discerned the higher purpose of the debate under its provocative shell (sex), but are also thankful to have been intellectually enriched by the educational opportunity.

Nevermind that “discussion” may or may not lead you to truth or the answers. The important thing is to be able to ask, right?

Debate Night

Nightline began with Bashir’s smooth-yet-commanding voice: an element indicating a serious debate was on the night’s agenda. Then the evangelical pastor walked out.

Angular features complimented emo-inspired dark hair. Ice-blue eyes set off a sparkling smile. Craig Gross, founder of XXX Church, bore a passable resemblance to the Smallville version of Superman, with under-emphasized plugs.

“Jesus loves porn stars,” is the motto of his ministry and website.

Before launching into his points, he offered a caveat: “My belief is not to take away your right to see porn. If you want to watch it – go ahead. I’m just here to help those that want to get out.”

Gross also clarified that though porn-star Jeremy was his opponent, he is also a personal friend. They have traveled together and debated this issue before.

After the pre-game, Gross laid out four reasons why he believed America is addicted to porn, and why it’s “such a big deal.”

Porn is a harmful fantasy, he said. It’s not real. He went on to explain that the depiction of sex in a porn film builds up unrealistic expectations and is detrimental to any current or future relationships.

Second, porn is not consenting adults performing for consenting adults. The industry may have adults as their target audience, but Gross highlighted that 76 percent of porn is viewed alone and the majority of viewers are underage.

Third, porn is degrading to women.

Finally, Gross claimed there is no such thing as responsible porn watching. Watching porn desensitizes you, he said.

Ron Jeremy, the startlingly unattractive ex-porn star, responded by admitting porn can be addictive, but the whole industry should not be blamed for the fault of a few people with problems. “We cater to people who are over 18. We want you to be a mature person when you see porn,” he said later.

Jeremy’s take: if the product is viewed correctly, it can be a great sexual aid for mature couples, but you can’t blame us if it’s misused.

Jeremy declared that all Gross’ statistics from the Meese Commission were bogus. Attorney General Edwin Meese founded the Commission in 1985. It compiled a 1,016 page report on the negative social effects of pornography.

Commission member James Dobson of Focus on the Family accused the porn industry of depicting “rape, incest, masturbation, mutilation, defecation, urination, molestation.”

“What the hell planet does this guy live on?” Jeremy said.

Some adult films may deal with subjects listed above or “kinky fantasies,” as Jeremy calls them, “but they are not the majority of the business! …The boys aren’t raped… We cannot [because of obscenity laws] and don’t depict people as minors engaging in sex… So, James Dobson is an¬ idiot!”

With fat rings, a fat physique, and balding, but with a mustache to compensate, it was difficult to see how Ron Jeremy had succeeded in the industry.

The Nixon-Johnson committee in America, the Williams Committee in England, and others, found no correlation between viewing adult material and committing heinous acts, insisted Jeremy.

For all their discussion and interesting points, the debate between Gross and Jeremy felt like an overly rehearsed performance with just enough good-natured antagonism and shocking language to cover up mechanical responses:

“You’re wrong.”
“No. You’re wrong.”
“No. Your information is wrong.”
“No, it isn’t. I have hundreds of personal testimonies!”
“Well, I have a hundred for every one of your hundred!”

Donny Pauling and Monique Alexander served as sidekicks for the debate, but their remarks were often far more poignant than that of their more verbose – and experienced – counterparts.

Pauling, a former porn producer, pointed out that “though freedom of expression is great, just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we should.”

Porn causes pain, he noted. Some girls who modeled for him in college cannot find employment. He knows of girls who have lost jobs with Fortune 500 companies because someone found out what they did working for him.

I couldn’t handle the guilt,” Pauling said. “I made a great deal of money, and had a great lifestyle, and it came with cost to the people I was putting in front of the camera.”

He recruited over 500 models in his nine year career, but has not had one come back happy with their work. Dozens and dozens have asked to have their content removed.

The easy response is to hate porn producers, but they could not make money unless the demand existed. The broken lives that result from this are all of our faults, Pauling said.

“You don’t see between takes, models curled in the fetal position, sucking their thumbs,” he said. “You don’t see them puking… A lot end up hating men.”

Pauling read excerpts from a letter written by a former model who only did softcore porn. She related how she was about to get married and her fiancé found her pictures on the internet. He was hurt and shocked. She turned suicidal, started throwing up, and stopped sleeping. She said she never would have thought this would happen.

“I know I did those pictures, and I know it’s my fault,” she writes, “but I want them off the internet. Is there anything possible that we can do? I’ll pay you money. Whatever it takes. This will and is ruining my life…. It’s my fault, but it was a long time ago. I was single and needed the money.”

Pauling said he would warn them and make them sign a five page contract, “but you can’t tell a college kid anything.”

“The point is,” said Pauling, “Porn is not as harmless and fun as everyone makes it to be.”

Gorgeous, blonde, and making millions, Monique Alexander, Jeremy’s co-debater, spoke as a poster girl for the porn industry without an ounce of regret about her career choice.

She acknowledged that there are some girls who are victimized in the porn industry, but said it comes down to choice. It’s about the way you get into porn.

“It’s their own fault,” Alexander said. “I have no sympathy for these girls. You make a choice in life. And I made the choice to do it the right way. It’s not my fault or the industry’s fault that these girls chose to do it the wrong way.”

“I make a lot of money,” she said, “but the girls who do not have contracts make ten times more, because they work ten times more. They make a choice to work longer and on dirtier movies. This is why they are crying in the corner and throwing up,” she explained.

“When I got in [the industry], all I did was girl-girl stuff and softcore stuff because I wasn’t ready to do boy-girl. And then I took a chance to get to know the industry, get to know the people, get to know what is right and wrong.”

Before moving to boy-girl porn, Alexander considered the implications. She plans to have a family and children, but decided this was something she wanted to do.

“I’m going to try to be the best I possibly can, and try to be a good person so that people can see that we are not that bad of people,” she said.

For Alexander, the solution is to let adults do what they want in the porn business. If something goes wrong, too bad for them.

Alexander’s analysis makes logical sense. Cold, hard sense. The thing is, though, a world where people are left to make poor decisions, claim responsibility, and bear the consequences, is a very cold world. Where sheer merit and luck rule, there is no room for love, compassion, or kindness.

Hers is a selfish position. As long as nothing jeopardizes her fame and comfort, who cares if others struggle?

Pauling cannot remain as aloof. He has seen and experienced porn star horror stories; porn destroyed his marriage. He doesn’t want to see people suffer as a result of their ignorance.

Upon the night’s conclusion, each had fueled the spectacle – er, the “debate” – and served their own particular purpose. Jeremy was vulgar and belligerent. Alexander was cute and selfish. Pauling was humble, but at times pathetic. All failed to answer the tough questions – the ones that hadn’t been posed – to any intellectual kritik’s satisfaction.

It was the pastor, Gross, who owned the response that left me the most unsatisfied.

Bashir asked what Gross had to say about all the pastors that have spoken out against sexual acts such as pornography or homosexuality, but months, if not weeks later, were found out to have a shameful secret.

“Talking about pastors that have fallen, or have spoken out about these things, there have been a lot of horrible spokespersons that represent the gospel or Jesus,” Gross said. “And yeah, before you know it, they fall into these same things. The only thing I can say to that is, I’m sorry, I can’t defend that by any means, and hopefully you heard what Ron said at the beginning, that he doesn’t believe I’m a hypocrite, and I’m not going to be one of those guys that fall into this.”

“… I’m not going to be one of those guys that fall into this.”

I winced.

What made him so invulnerable? Throughout the debate, Gross had spoken un-condemningly, but with conviction. He struck the exact balance between the unswerving, uncompromising Christian who comes across as a jerk, and the politically-correct nice-guy with no substance. He was too smooth, dripping with arrogance, and left me feeling sick to my stomach.

The debate was over, I realized, and despite all the talk, nothing had been said. There were no new solutions; no new information, even. Just a night of fully-functioning stereotypes. The plastic pastor and the penitent producer. The porn king and the pin-up.

I was slightly challenged to mull over the questions posed by the moderator and the audience. Some were decent, though the answers offered by the “experts” begged to be improved. But primarily, I sat taking in the spectacle, watching the actors act and pastor preach, wondering why this debate was necessary – at Yale, no less.

My best guess? Everyone came to see Ron Jeremy.

Elisabeth Long is a student and an intern in Washington D.C. She does not find Ron Jeremy attractive.


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