Whereas I get tired of being labeled the cause of all that is morally wrong with the world, I have to agree there are detestable aspects to our Industry.
Oddly, most of the actions I find unacceptable have little to do with familiar subjects like exploitation and objectification. On the whole, if sober adults wish to do what is legal then I refuse to judge their actions. When it comes to content, there’s a lot I don’t like but as long as the talent is treated well, all the technicians are paid and the acts within the imagery are lawful then they can make any old damned content they want. My concerns center more on the ethical end of this business.
Is it ethical to do some of the things some adult webmasters do?
I’m not going to make a list of things that others do that bother me. For one, I don’t think it’s very smart and secondly it’s a pretty big list. I will say this. At some point you’re going to come across an opportunity to make money that is in direct contrast with your ethical standards.
These opportunities rear their ugly heads all the time in this business. Maybe someone offers you a great job with fabulous pay and benefits. They’ll treat you well and you’ll never have a more relaxed working relationship. The only problem is your potential new bosses do crappy stuff like cheat customers and affiliates. What will you do?
Imagine you take the job. Imagine that things go very well for you for a long time. Then one day, it all falls apart. Maybe your bosses get caught and exposed by their affiliates. Maybe they lose their processing because of their practices. Maybe the IRS shuts them down for not paying their taxes. What will happen to you?
Untitled Page
Remember that for a long time you were a representative of that company. You’ll carry the stigma of affinity with them for quite a while. When others consider you, they’ll consider whom you once worked for. Do you have the strength of character or caliber of talent it would take to override such guilt by association?
Another opportunity that can be an ethical challenge is dealing in or with content that’s technically legal but legally questionable. There are a lot of fine lines to cross in the porn industry. The non-nude model niche is one. Staged rape-fantasy is another. These types of niches make money but they’re very much under the radar of lawmakers. Are you positive that if these types of sites are deemed unlawful you’ll escape prosecution? If you do escape, will you be able to recover your losses with some new niche? Was your success based on your skills or choice of content?
At the moment so much of our business goes unregulated. Internet business is pretty unregulated in general. There are a lot of web companies -both adult and mainstream- doing things that are legal only because there’s no legislation covering their actions. We might have the CAN SPAM Act or the Truth in Domain Names Act but how long will it be before there’s a law against double billing or against browser hijacks?
Being an adult webmaster is no different than being the owner of any business. There will come a point where you’ll be faced with having to choose between money and ethics.
Some of you will go for the money and you won’t be alone. You’ll have plenty of company in the world of the righteously ambiguous. There are all kinds of companies and individuals who prey on the vulnerable and the gullible. From the flimflammers to the horn swagglers there’s always room for one more sucker.
Just do old Tit a favor. If someday they ask you why, don’t use porn as an excuse. Don’t think that this business is some sort of justification to be a greedy, scamming motherfucker. For the most part, adult entertainment is and always will be a legal, legitimate enterprise. When you make the decision to bypass your moral compass in order to achieve riches, try to find a better excuse than "porn made me do it".
Internet porn has enough problems.