Today the massive electronic brain to which I write this digital diary proclaimed that GooTube has de-listed thirty thousand files which breach copyrights in Japan.
Everyone saw this coming. YouTube is popular mainly because it’s the world’s Tivo. Anything worth watching makes it to YouTube and we all get to see what we need to.
Technically, most of what YouTube’s famous for is illegal, since the DCMA became law in America the original idea of copyright has been subsumed by corporate lawyers wildest fantasies about royalties. Now Google’s in charge people know there’s a company worth suing in control and the copyright abuse has to stop – or appear to – before the legal system catches up. Google are moving as fast as they can to clean their system.
(Of course YouTube without material under copyright is just kids and hippies uploading clips and far less interesting than it is as a global broadcast media repository.)
The porn world should be watching.
When Paul Cambria analyzed the stuff American juries lock people up for, mixing BDSM and sex was high on the list. The problem was making consent clear. How can someone object to something if they’re prevented from making themselves heard as part of the ‘game’. Safe-words might work at home but tied to a machine called ‘The Back Beaker’ with a ball-gag in your mouth, a hood on and an electric probe in your ass how exactly are you supposed to say slow-down?
Pornsters have conveniently forgotten this. They think the point is to show sex games which look abusive are consented to beforehand – the idea of a change of consent during sex has evaporated.
So they’ve started taking risks. Mixing sex and BDSM and posting a ‘Happy Shot’ at the end of every set (because if it’s shown last it must have happened last). The Happy Shot is apparently a picture of post-coital relief, happiness and bonding. It’s supposed to convince us, and potential jurors, no abuse of consent occured.
Is it? On sites which state:
“At one point she completely bites through a ball gag from being caned on her nipples.”
I can’t be sure.
Given a relieved, well paid performer who then points out she got a lot more than she consented to and brings a rape charge will a ‘Happy Shot’ do? The industry seems set to find out.
Popularity: 53% [?]
The brunette would be perfect if she had dark nipples.
Gee sam, isn’t this becoming kind of a standard business model? Do something illegal, hope it’s popularity will increase to the point that you can make offers to become semi legit… That is exactly what GUBA did, your main sponsor.
In some instances it works, in others it doesn’t. Will it work for BDSM? I don’t know, I do know a good amount of people that wish there were more real bdsm videos available, and a lot of people that are dissapointed that porn is too shy to show much real bondage with sex, as most people that play in the bdsm world to enjoy the two together. With increased access to bdsm materials online, there could become a much more widespread acceptance, adn the chances of a jury convicting someone on a charge for it would be less and less.
By the way, there can be a fine line between what is really consensual and what is not. The example you mentioned above may have very well crossed that line, however people that are really into the bdsm scene know that in situations where the ‘bottom’ is gagged, you need to rely on another sign for a safe word. Sure you can’t say “red” with a ball gag in the mouth, but you could give the ‘bottom’ player a ball to put in his/her hand, and let her know if it goes too far, drop the ball and it all stops.
Of course if the “become popular even though it is illegal today, perhaps it won’t be tomorrow” business model has not worked for marijuana, cocaine, or heroin, but then again, there would be more money lost for drug dealers and drug punishers if it was, so perhaps that business model could never work under those conditions. There are several palces in the US that have made weed legal, or at least put to the bottom of the cops’ priority lists. Perhaps bdsm will be notched down and not show up on cambria’s list in 2008.
Jay Wiseman suggests that 1in 5 people in the US explore some form of BDSM (I think that is his number, I could be wrong – it’s been a while sionce I read his stuff). With that kind of acceptance you’d think it would never be an issue. Unfortunately I don’t think most people know what bdsm means, or realize that thier handcuff fantasy puts them into another category of freaks that are quickly prosecuted alongside scat eaters and beast fuckers as cambria’s list makes it seem.
I personally don’t care too much for bdsm videos because you can’t really tell by watching a film what kind of things are really going on. But I do find it kind of funny that bdsm can be thought of as “too risque’” for film, yet we have movies like SAW and other horror flicks that are often enjoyed by children. What is it that makes a movie just a movie?
I think what they are doing at sexandsubmission.com is cool because they are showing more ignorant people what really goes on before and after a well done bdsm scene, but it is kind of lame that they have to do that in order to be less risque’. There are many people in the bdsm world who are quite well aware of safety, and limits, and how much is too much. They know different people have different limits. Yet you have some moron out there that kills someone and the family tries to sue porn companies and make new laws forbidding bdsm porn (England right?) If someone watches a SAW movie and then kills someone, will they be trying to ban horror movies?
Perhaps more education is needed, maybe that’s the answer. But then again, MTV puts a disclaimer about not trying to do stupid things before playing the jackass videos, but we all know there are dumbasses out there doing jackass things. It almost seems like education just becomes preaching to the choir.
I had considered doing a few bdsm videos, and offering bonus tracks that show how things are done with safety in mind, how the people involved have experience with each other and know subtle signs to look for, show the extra equipment, etc etc.. but do it as bonus tracks for the dvd, so that real bdsm folks can watch a movie that they can enjoy a fantasy with.
Any production company out there that is doing bdsm without the proper knowledge and equipment should be boycotted by everyone in the industry. If there are people out there pushing over the limits of performers with bdsm or even straight sex, they should be blacklisted from affiliates and distributors.