Porn and Fashion

I've noted before that the porn industry does not treat new technology with the same disdain that Hollywood does. I've often thought one of the reasons is the difficulty they have in enforcing their copyrights. You have never seen a porn executive testifying in front of congress about the need to clamp down on illegal copying. And, other than this Perfect 10 idiot, and the occasional Playboy cease and desist letter, you never hear the industry complain about piracy. It should be noted these are both "soft core".

Maybe the porn industry is more like the fashion industry? Marginal Revolution has a nice post with some links on the problems of innovation and imitation in the fashion industry.

I really think the connection has to do with the nature of demand. Porn strikes me as something that experiences much shorter cycles of interest, then on to the next new thing. That's similar to fashion, but different than Hollywood. I'm sure there is something on the supply side as well. Hollywood is dominated by a few very profitable releases, whereas porn has many smaller profit releases.

Obviously I need to think about this much more.

Welcome Back

Welcome back Larry. We sure did miss you. I think the world is better served with you as an academic then with you as an administrator.

For those that haven't heard Larry Summers is resigning as President of Harvard and returning to his academic post. How long before he goes somewhere else? MIT? Berkeley? I can't imagine he'll want to hang around Harvard too long, unless he finds a nice home in women's studies.

Printer's Alley

It looks like Nashville's famous (or should I say infamous?) Printer's Alley has been the target of the moral conservatives. According to this article:

Wednesday night's agenda for the board listed nearly 200 entertainment permits. All those dancers were approved in the first wave of permits considered by the board. The permits issued represent the majority of adult performers in Metro. A lobbyist for the industry says many performers find the new system dehumanizing.

The 3-foot rule is being challenged by the operators of the very narrow Brass Stables. Club attorney George Barrett told News 2 that the Printer's Alley club will be in federal court on Tuesday to defend the practices of its entertainers. An employee of one of the dance clubs in Nashville told News 2 up to half their performers have left the business or left town since the new regulations were announced.

I would like to see the Supreme Court hear a challenge to buffer zones. I really think they'll find them unconstitutional. Although it has been found constitutional by the "liberal" 9th circuit in COLACURCIO v CITY OF KENT , so I'm definitely not too optimistic.

I mean only an idiot could think the whisper of "I Love You" into someone's ear carries the same meaning and same speech content as someone yelling it across a crowded bar. I wonder what the politicians would say if in the interest of public health they were prevented from holding babies and shaking hands during an election?

Listen up judges. The speech is intimacy, and there is no intimacy at a distance. And yes, I'm not talking about sex, I'm talking about intimacy.

Keywords: Stripping, Intimacy