The Nevada Sagebrush

Michael Higdon

I want a little sticker on my porno that tells me no porn stars were harmed, treated unethically, forced to perform acts against their will or drugged during the production of said media (kind of like the stamp for free-range chicken eggs at the store).

While talking to some women about this on the airplane back from Las Vegas, I found out that they would feel more comfortable buying porno if they knew the actors worked in happy environments. We thought maybe porn would be better if the actors were allowed to roam a mansion freely and just happened to have sex from time to time while being videotaped. But perhaps that’s impractical.

The seal-of-approval process would be run by a voluntary organization that sets guidelines for ethical treatment and standards. Not unlike the Motion Picture Association of America’s movie-rating service, receiving the stamp is not required, just suggested. Those who receive the stamp would likely see higher sales, giving an incentive to others to clean up their act.

Some of those ethics include treating actors fairly and professionally, like you’d expect to be treated working for McDonald’s or Bank of America. If someone is not comfortable doing something, you can’t coerce them. If someone has their period on stage, don’t ridicule them. Don’t degrade staff and actors unless it’s in the script. Sanitary sets and props are absolutely required at all times.

I also want more transparency in porn. I want to be able to hold producers and actors accountable the same way readers hold newspapers accountable. In order to do that, I need to know what’s going on in and around the company. Kink.com has employed its own news service and bloggers, and also interviews and debriefs actors in each video. Why can’t everyone else do that?

What’s more, on the back of most DVDs you see tiny thumbnails of various scenes. I don’t really see the purpose of that. The thumbnails tell me, “Yes, this is in fact porn. There will be nudity and probably gratuitous sex scenes.”Thanks, duh.

Why can’t porn companies take a cue from mainstream movies? Tell me what actors are in it. What are the special features: behind the scenes, how-to guides, deleted scenes, bloopers? What activities should I expect: missionary, water sports, bukkake, missionary midgets with bukkake water sports?

If we enact these reforms, it’ll go a long way in making porn family friendly. Well, maybe not family friendly, but it at least might help alleviate negative (and untrue) stigmas and stereotypes about the practices of porn companies. A little voluntary regulation and transparency never hurt anyone and probably will help viewers and participants feel safer and better about America’s favorite vice.

Michael Higdon is a columnist for The Nevada Sagebrush. He can be reached at mikeman@nevadasagebrush.com.

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