by Ben Shapiro
The president and CEO of Carl’s Jr. parent company CKE, Andy Puzder, justified the Hefner commercial to shareholders, writing: “Who better to deliver the message of variety than Hugh Hefner? We’re appealing to an audience of young, hungry guys who expect a quality product, but want to have something different from time to time . . . As a pop-icon, Hefner appeals to our target audience and credibly communicates our message of variety.”49
Fellow porn enthusiasts like Larry Flynt have also been enshrined in the popular culture. Flynt, who ran for California governor during the Gray Davis recall, was also deified by Hollywood in The People vs. Larry Flynt. Woody Harrelson played the porn magnate, a fun-loving, free speech–pushing dude. It’s no wonder that Jaz cites Flynt as one of his personal heroes.
The court system has ensured that people like Flynt and Hefner are seen not as dirty old men but as purveyors of free speech, implying that our founders laid down life, liberty, and property for the sake of naked pictures. The latest decision to support the pornographers concerned Internet porn, in Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union (where porn is in danger, the ACLU is just a phone call away!). The Supreme Court ruled on June 29, 2004 that a law created to punish pornographers who push their wares to web-surfing children is probably unconstitutional. The Child Online Protection Act was passed in 1998, signed by President Clinton, and backed by the Bush administration. It would have authorized fines of up to $50,000 for the crime of placing material “harmful to minors” within the easy reach of children on the Internet, and also would have required adults to use access codes and/or other registration means in order to see porn online.50
A 5–4 court decision upheld a lower court decision declaring the law a violation of the First Amendment. Justice Department officials derided the decision as a step in the wrong direction, but ACLU lawyers were happy as could be. As Ann Beeson, one of those righteous attorneys, told the Associated Press: “We’re very pleased with the decision. The status quo is still with us and the court made it safe for artists, sex educators, and web publishers to communicate with adults without risking jail time.”51
A whole new generation of porn icons is on the way up. In 2004, widely known (yes, that includes the biblical sense) porn star Jenna Jameson put out her memoir/advice book, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star. It immediately slept its way to the top of the bestseller lists. The Los Angeles Times characterized Jameson as an advocate for feminist ideals, explaining “Conventional forms of self-improvement will never catch on with some people, a fact that troubles many feminists, and this porn diva wants to remind them of it.”52 Publishers Weekly described the 577-page ode to porn as brimming with “wit,” noting “the book is dedicated to Onan.”53
Fifty years ago, masturbation was taboo. Nowadays, mention masturbation and receive literary praise for your wit. As Jameson’s website touts, “Jenna Jameson has made the transition from adult star to mainstream personality. . . Revolver magazine chose her at the 2003 “Girl of the Year” . . . recently the FOX News Networks carried three separate programs profiling Jenna in a space of four days . . . and Entertainment Tonight featured her in three back-to-back segments within a week’s time.”54
Jameson represents a new wave of porn hitting the bookshelves disguised as mainstream literature. In fall 2004 alone, the following titles had entered or were scheduled to enter bookstores across the country: XXX: 30 Porn-Star Portraits (with introduction by Gore Vidal), The Intimate History of the Orgasm (has the orgasm evolved over time? Pick up this book to find out!), Star (the fascinating life of Pamela Anderson’s breasts), as well as a history of prostitution and one of the porno film industry. As even the lusty, heavy-breathing New York Times was forced to note, “A wave of confessionals and self-help guides written by current or former stars of pornographic films is flooding bookstores this year, accompanied by erotic novels, racy sexual-instruction guides, histories of sexual particulars and photographic treatments of the world of pornography. . . rarely have [such] books been as prominently positioned as some of the current crop, which have been elbowing their way onto display tables at the front of the major chain bookstores.”55
Generation Porn
Porn serves to desensitize, to rev up the sexual instinct for no real purpose, to separate sex from love and spirituality. There’s absolutely nothing spiritual or loving about logging on to jennajameson.com and downloading videos of Jameson’s “cum shots.” And for today’s generation, porn has become just another perfectly acceptable portion of the public square.
So where is all the condemnation? Many of those on the side of traditional morality ignore the problem of porn, hoping that it will go away. We let those who degrade and destroy the concept of spirituality within sexual relationships win. Unless we’re willing to throw away our computers, televisions, and library cards for the sake of raising children in a safe and healthy environment, we can’t afford to let the porn-pushers win. As Professor James B. Weaver of Virginia Tech told a Senate subcommittee, “We’re so afraid to talk about sex in our society that we really give carte blanche to the people who are producing this kind of material.”56
Others are simply afraid of frank talk—not about sex, but about morality in general. Morality is passé in today’s society. Even if you oppose pornography, you’re not supposed to take a stand against it. As Paige Messec, a twenty-four-year-old Harvard Law student, explained, “There are plenty of things about pornography that make me uncomfortable, but I would be much more uncomfortable with those things being prohibited.” 57
Standing up for morality means facing loud derision, especially for children of the porn generation. Those of my age group may hold a quiet admiration for the sexually moral among us, but it’s hidden beneath a façade of cynicism. We grew up in an age of Hugh Hefners and Jenna Jamesons who no longer have to fight the moral establishment, but are instead hailed as heroes. We grew up in an age where acquiring pornographic material doesn’t involve anything more strenuous than a few keystrokes at your laptop. We’ve been told there’s nothing wrong with homosexuality and premarital sex—so what’s so bad about checking out a few dirty pictures? Or visiting the local strip club? Or even signing a release to appear in the new Girls Gone Wild: Mardi Gras video?
Our parents’ generation smoked grass and listened to psychedelic rock while making love, not war. We’re not doing anything nearly that drastic—we’re only watching two girls get it on. So what’s the problem? As Amber Madison, formerly of Tufts University (and star of The Real Cancun) explained in her Sex and the City-style column, “I’ve come to the conclusion that maybe porn isn’t that bad after all . . . Nudy [sic] flicks may not be your thing—they’re not mine either—but they’re also not the downfall of healthy sexual relations.”58
Hugh Hefner would agree. Ted Bundy wouldn’t. Neither would his victims.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
TAKING A STAND
“No period of history has ever been great or ever can be that does not act on some sort of high, idealistic motives, and idealism in our time has been shoved aside, and we are paying the penalty for it.”
ALFRED NORTH WHITEHEAD
After looking at the social breakdown of the porn generation, we are left to wonder: Where does America go from here?
Reversing the tide of our “live and let live” culture won’t be easy. I know. I’m twenty-one years old, a heterosexual red-blooded American male, a graduate of University of California at Los Angeles, a student at Harvard Law School, a nationally syndicated columnist, a bestselling author... and a virgin. And I’m proud of it.
I am proud of my choice, a decision that the amoral political Left ridicules and cannot understand. I’m not a virgin for lack of easy girls—in college, they aren’t hard to find. I’m not a virgin because I lack a sex drive, either. I’m a virgin because according to Jewish law (halacha), men and women must remain virgins until marriage.
The amoral Left and our oversexed culture cannot comprehend abstinence as a choice. If you
’re a post-teenage virgin in the porn generation, you’re weird at least, and probably demented. There’s a high probability that you’re deformed, either mentally or physically, because dude, you couldn’t “get any.” Virginity is a barrier to knowledge, according to the sexual activity advocates, and only those who are sexually active are bestowed with ultimate wisdom—which is, of course, why gigolos and prostitutes are among civilization’s leading thinkers.
Because of my vocal advocacy of abstinence until marriage, I’ve been reviled by leftists and labeled “The Virgin Ben.” The Internet is riddled with writing like this: “In [Ben’s] case it is helpful to remember that some people choose celibacy, while others have it thrust upon them. Poor Ben. He no more chose abstinence than Clarence Thomas chose to be black.”1 “The Virgin Ben also apparently has never had a really great Saturday night.”2 “The Virgin Ben judges college-age fornicators. Who could have guessed this was coming?”3 “The Virgin Ben, indeed. This guy’s ‘interview’ so completely reeks of repression that I almost feel violated having read it. Like I stepped into someone else’s wet dream. It’s freakin’ eerie, man.”4 “You know I’m starting to feel sorry for this kid. I look into his future and I can see that not once is he ever going to get to have really good hot sweaty sex with Miss Scarlet in the parlor with a bottle of lube. That kind of sex may not approach godliness, but for a few brief moments and a lifetime of memories it sure feels like it.”5
Whether these Internet denizens recognize it or not, they are representative of a larger anti-virtue demographic. My own experience is representative of what many members of the porn generation endure in their own high schools and on their college campuses every day. We’re forced to undergo this experience because, in the twisted view of the sex-obsessed moral relativists, abstinence before marriage is a demented way of life, and virginity itself is seen as some sort of strange plague. In a world where deviance is praised, purity is the new sin.
So the question of where we go from here—for those who care about their future, the future of their children, and the future of our country— becomes a simple one to answer. We must recognize how bad things have truly become, and act in response to it.
In order to prevent the porn generation from plunging into the cultural abyss, we need to strengthen ourselves, our families, and our children. Parents must stop and pay attention to what’s going on in our culture. They must equip their children with the moral compass that will guide them through life as a member of the porn generation. And strong young men and women must be prepared to stand up to the cultural intimidation and peer pressure of an oversexed society.
By rebuilding a culture founded on strong moral standards, we can heal the porn generation from within. Ultimately, our generation will not be led by the oversexed pop stars, the sex educators, the celebrities, or the blind followers of “live and let live”—it will be led by those brave enough and dedicated enough to climb their way out of the morass, to return our country to the ultimate truth of its moral heritage—to a place that honors and cherishes all that once was good, and can be again.
Solving the problem
Laws and regulations cannot, by themselves, stem the tide of societal amorality. When a society is absolutely determined to poison itself, mere legislation cannot stop it. So the first job is to raise the level of personal adherence to traditional morality. Parents must teach their children traditional standards, and they must live by those same standards themselves. Sometimes this means turning off the television, throwing out the CDs and DVDs, and canceling subscriptions to teen magazines. Sometimes it just means talking to your kids.
But this isn’t enough. Libertarians and social liberals would have us believe that as long as those of us who adhere to traditional morality do so, we should allow opponents of traditional morality to live life their way, without consequences. This ignores the fact that these actions are social, not individual. The direction of our culture has ramifications for society. Tolerance of all behavior leads to societal immorality, and societal approval of immoral personal behavior has vast externalities. Just as a manufacturing plant that produces toxic waste may affect others by poisoning a river, so too may the immoral among us affect others by poisoning the culture.
This means that we should not hesitate to move forward in protecting our culture collectively. Here, then, are some collective, practical solutions we should enact in order to protect our culture from further anti-traditional assault:• Abstinence-only education: We must tell our elected representatives to make abstinence-only education the primary course across America. We know that the comprehensive sex education has failed miserably in curbing teen sexual voraciousness—it’s time to try a path that actually values chastity.
• Faith-based initiatives: We must adopt faith-based community initiatives to revitalize traditional values among students. Abstinence-only education can only be truly successful in the context of a full set of values, taught by parents and religious communities. Thankfully, the Bush administration is dedicated to slowing the indoctrination of children into the lifestyle of sexual permissiveness and moral relativism. This goal is well within reach.
• School vouchers: It’s time to take our schools back. We can do this by pushing for school vouchers, allowing parents to make informed decisions about the values they wish schools to teach to their children. Competitive pressure can only help move public schools away from teaching amorality.
• Dress codes: Public schools should begin (and have begun) instituting dress codes. Permissiveness in dress is an early and important step toward permissiveness in values.
• Single-sex dorms or living at home for college students: In higher education, parents should demand that their children live in single-sex dorms (or at least in dorms with single-sex bathrooms) or get apartments. Sending young adults to local universities is also a good move—at eighteen, teenagers aren’t ready to face the pressures they will encounter at a college hundreds of miles from home. Even religious teenagers may be converted by the temptations they see on university campuses and the ridicule they encounter there.
• Monitoring alumni funding for universities: Alumni and donors should consider directing their funding to universities where traditional values are still part of the curriculum. In my first book, Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America’s Youth, I advocate what I call “start-up universities.”6 Conservatives should begin a movement to open politically balanced universities. Competition is the ultimate equalizer.
• Using the Federal Communications Commission: The Federal Communications Commission has some authority to control obscenity and indecency. The FCC requires written complaints from viewers in order to invoke its powers. To that end, here is the contact information for the FCC:FCC
Enforcement Bureau, Investigations and Hearings Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554
EMAIL: [email protected]
TELEPHONE: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) or
1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322)
Still, the FCC doesn’t have enough power to limit obscenity, pornography, or indecency. Considering the overwhelming saturation of cable and satellite TV, its current power should be extended to cable channels as well as networks.
• Governmental censorship: As Robert Bork puts it, “Without censorship, it has proved impossible to maintain any standards of decency.”7 We must press for government to use the force of the law against pornography, obscenity, and indecency across the board, from Howard Stern to Larry Flynt, from TV to radio to the Internet, from music to movies. To do this, we must first address the issue of the judiciary, which has removed the ability of communities to set social standards against the mainstreaming of pornography, an area that should not fall under the protection of the First Amendment.
• Reining in the judiciary: Several interesting suggestions have been voiced with regard to reining in an overreaching judiciary. Judge Bork has proposed “a constitutio
nal amendment making any federal or state court decision subject to being overruled by a majority vote of each House of Congress.”8 Mark Levin, in Men in Black, proposes amending the Constitution to “limit judges to fixed terms of office,” or alternatively, “a constitutional amendment limiting the Supreme Court’s judicial review power by establishing a legislative veto over court decisions—perhaps a two-thirds vote of both houses.”9 Paul Carrington and Roger Cramton suggest appointing one justice or chief justice per term of Congress, allowing each appointee to serve approximately eighteen years, and creating a regular rotation of justices far more responsive to the American people.10 Each of these proposals would work wonders over the current system.
• Non-governmental censorship of film: There’s plenty we can do to re-infuse society with traditional morality, even aside from government action. All it takes is coordination to build public and financial pressure on propagators of moral relativism and social immorality. The Hays Code of the 1930s, ’40s, ’50s and early ’60s was brought about solely through public pressure. Similar public pressure should be created through active and organized boycotts of movies we know to be obscene or indecent. The website screenit.com does a wonderful job of evaluating the content of today’s films.
