i'm just curious - how many people here know what the fsc does when they aren't dealing with an industry crisis like 2257?
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i'm just curious - how many people here know what the fsc does when they aren't dealing with an industry crisis like 2257?
I think anything that has to do with Free Speech, from what I've read they seem to get involved with legislation either passed or in the process of being passed.
i'm sure they are helping webmasters to fight about this 2257 but i guess it's too late.
The Free Speech Coalition has been fighting behind the scenes every day. They are a watch dog for the industry and when it's time to fight, they fight. They provide testimony at hearings at all levels of government, local, state and federal, as well as offer legal advice to members who find themselves in legal battles.
The thing that impresses me most about the FSC is that they have fought the battles of the adult industry basically by themselves. They haven't had their hand out begging for our support. They believe in the First Amendment and they fight like hell for it's preservation. They truly deserve our support. They have already worked for it.
I can honestly say i have not heard anything they have done as an organization to help the adult industry in the last, say 5 years, where there was a positive outcome that they directly affected.
It seems the only time 'we' (the adult industry) hears from them, is when the piggy bank is running low.
Regards,
Lee
I think I can shed some light here, the adult entertainment industry just found the Free Speech Coalition, not the other way around. They've been very active behind the scenes mostly lobbying congress and the california legislature. They also keep "track" of pending legislation, sort of like heads up, and what's on the horizon type memos in the members section. Also, there's alot of statistics and fact compilation which make for great reads, again, it's in the members area. They do alot of educating and also they teach how to educate stressing the importance of being armed with facts and figures that support the industry. Basically, they want you to be educated enough to be able to defend yourself in public or wherever you need to. They have "education" seminars to help members and keep them up to date.
These things don't make news. Only the huge court cases that they win make the news. But that's ok, because the FSC is known as the David against Goliath giant killer and has a tremendous track record and respect in the legal field. If you read some of the bios of the attorneys, they are all amazing minds who are first amendment "zealots" as they call themselves.
It's hard to appreciate the ground work they do because we always *think* that someone somewhere is lobbying for the adult industry. That's only been true in the last few years since the FSC has aggressively lobbied to get the attention of local, state and federal legislation, and sadly, it's own industry.
Winning supreme and court of appeals cases are the most important and visible work that the FSC does. However, it's grass roots effort to educate and inform our own industry seems to be the most difficult task that it faces. That doesn't say alot for this industry as a whole.
i wasn't actually asking what they do - i asked how many people KNOW what they do. after talking to a lot of people, most of the people i know either say they don't know or give a vague answer.
I understand that Basschick and it's just underscores the fact that the FSC needs it's members to educate and inform the industry as to what it does. The FSC doesn't do a good job of tooting it's own horn so I guess I'll have to toot for them. Members have an obligation to help in this area. I hope that I shed some light on the matter even if it didn't specifically answer your question.
i had a brief dialogue with them, suggesting that they get out into the community more or hire a liason person. they felt otherwise.
Well i have to admit, i know very little about what they do hell, most of us in the 'industry' had to find out second hand that they had even filed their injunction.
Likewise, most of us also had to find out second hand that it was being heard on the 23rd at 1:30pm.
Likewise no doubt, we'll have to find out second hand what the outcome of the injunction will be id imagine.
For an organization defending the industry, with recent team additions including a communications person, they still dont seem to be 'communicating' with the industry much.
I guess thats why people pay them money, so they can communicate this stuff for them, second hand ;)
Perhaps i should open a press release service where people pay me to submit their press releases and then go out and tell everyone about them for me LOL
Regards,
Lee
Well, I sense this feeling of entitlement and ingratitude that both sides of the industry share. The arrogance, the self preservationist at all cost attitude is something that I just don't believe in. I believe everyone has the right to their own opinion regardless of what I think but I'm also not going to change my belief system for this job or any other one for that matter. I simply do not have alot in common with other gay webmasters and it's hard to relate to my peers. It's time for a change and I look forward to that next chapter in my life.
I dunno, Lee. Seems you have some strange hostility towards the FSC. Perhaps your lack of awareness about what they do and how they operate is just that - your own lack of awareness. As opposed to any fault of their own.
Maybe you should take the time to request information from them, ask questions of them and become informed about what they do rather than run about your board making baseless assumptions about them and accusing them of not going out of their way to make you happy.
You seem too eager to hold them at fault for their not having won you over.
The FSC has been, for as long as I can remember, a solid supporter of the BDSM lifestyle.
Lee, you know I love you but I do have to make a bit of a stand here. You remind me of those people in the Spiderman comics where he saves them from the villan and their response is "Who are you, what do you want???". Not that the FSC are some kind of superheroes, but they have been around on the fringes of the adult webmaster community for years, even if they are not as directly involved. And now they see that we are in danger and they finally come in to help us. They have made our battle thier own, I don't think they really need to go around making friends. They are basically just saying, "Okay, we're here to help you. But we're gonna need some help as well".
But I am curious, why bite the hand that reaches out to help?
My 2 cents!
They answered every question I had about what is going on and made me feel that they are doing a great job for the adult Industry..what other organiztion is out there working for us? I do not see anyone else fighting!
Everytime I have seen them at a webmaster convention and had questions about something they always were there to support and answer the questions..FREE!
Maybe we should seriously think about putting together an organization of our own to fight for our rights! Not so much legally but lets say to get it out to media and to congressman. Let the public know what the fuck is going on. The goverment is using us to devert attention from the real issues in this country. The Christian goverment is out of control unless we really do something to stop them we are screwed!
Buck :juggle:
okay, since buck went that far...
years ago, gambling was thought of as really awful. then the people who were starting vegas decided to get some positive publicity out there, and now most people think of going to vegas and doing a little gambling as harmless family fun.
i very seriously think we as an industry need to put together some money and hire a big name corporate publicist. how many people outside of us know that our industry donated $50,000 to tsunami survivors? or that porn folks have held benefits and donated money to such programs as children of the night? what about programs like pattyecake's christmas angels that make sure needy kids get presents - from donating webmasters!
and some pornstars and webmasters are articulate, educated, and NOT what most people think about porn people. those people could be out there in the media, changing the dumb bimbo/drug victim image most people have of people in porn.
also 2257 articles right now make us look like lawbreakers and worse. but a publicist with a long history has relationships with a lot of media, and can help combat those articles. the only articles i've seen in mainstream media make it look like we all want cp, instead of the truth - that we already HAD laws to cover this, that were not being enforced (through no fault of ours), and that the new laws are burdensome not only on us but on any possible investigation process.
we can make ourselves seem less like the devil's workers to people and more like sort of naughty people instead. letting people realize the positive side of our industry in the right ways and places could really help.
i suppose the best way would be to form a non profit corporation, but maybe there's be a simpler and faster way to get the funds together to pay our own spin doctor.
any ideas?
I wrote an e mail to The Daily Show. They are my heros :love: when it comes to shining a light on the most stupid of political happenings.
good idea! have you heard back yet?
the catch is that the daily show is where thinking younger people get their news - the daily show viewers are already pretty open-minded. we need to address the rest of the public.
No not a peep - but then I really don't expect to. I gave them good links so if they were interested they could do their own research. Of course there is always the chance they find a idiot to interview - they really are skilled at that.Quote:
Originally Posted by basschick
Unfortunately I don't think this is a battle that can be one on the field of public perception and opinion.
Every single adult in the entire United States of America could be an avid fan of adult material and spend tons of money on it every year, but the majority or even a vocal enough minority would never unite behind a movement to protect the First Amendment rights of adult content producers to a degree that'd influence any politicians or anything of the sort.
What people do and what they declare themselves to do are two different things. Adult content is still a sensitive enough issue with most Americans that they'd sit idly by while the industry was regulated out of existence or even support such a move while secretly lamenting their loss of access to what they truly want and enjoy. That's just how people are.
This is a campaign that can only be won in the courts and that can only be waged between lawyers. It's judges that need convincing, not the public. Because public sentiment will never mobilize in favor of the freedom to produce adult content and thus will never translate in to legislation. People simply won't admit they like porn enough for that to happen.
Again, it's advocacy groups and special interest groups and their successes and failures with the judiciary that is our only hope here.
this is what most people say, but gambling used to be considered as bad as porn is considered. they didn't try to change the laws, they worked on public perception.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BDBionic
a friend of mine told me that Ron Jeremy was on Howard stern discussing this..I am hoping to get on next. I am doing everything I can to get on whatever show I can to voice my opinion, To let the people know what is going on.
It is true people thing pornograpers are stupid drug crazed idiots! We need to fix that!
At least let the public know then they can make their own dicision.
Basschick I have a call into a girl who was a publicist for years with a big record company she now works in adult so maybe she can help us!
Buck
Don thats my point though, they say they represent the online adult industry however, in the last 5 years, they havent done anything fo us that has resulted in a win in 'our' [the adult industrys] favor.Quote:
Originally Posted by WWC-DonMike
At least not that i could find.
Perhaps someone would be able to post a link or two about cases they won that directly affect the adult industry?
Id be more than happy to lend our financial support to the FSC as long thy are able of proving that our money is being used for online industry stuff and not zoning laws, which quite frankly, i couldnt care less about.
These people are asking for donations and membership from the online adult industry yet, they have nothing in their portfolio of cases that i can find that has ANYTHING to do with 'us'.
Regards,
Lee
Well, isn't any case won in the name of free speech to our benefit? I take a holistic view of this. A case protecting a magazine's right to publish photographs or a person's rights to show certain types of videos in their bar still affects our rights to publish certain types of web content on our websites, does it not? That's my personal opinion on the matter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BDBionic
Very true and very well put.
What the adult industry needs are not necessarily more "activist judges", but activists period! Lobbying groups, coalitions, advocacy groups etc. But I think that in this country especially, Americans tend to sit back and think "someone else will deal with this I'm sure" until and if it's too late and something terrible happens that finally mobilizes them into action.