Yeah, yeah, yeah - a bit harsh. Whatever.
Look, we've been through this before: no matter what you think about pornography or prostitution, it is inarguable that they are one and the same. The only - the very only, single - thing that separates the two is that one is filmed; they are the same act: receiving money in exchange for sex. And we have been through this before: I am not necessarily against either one, I just loathe the insult to my intelligence when the fat cats, performers, politicians, and fans try to convince me that one is different from the other. I also despise the industry and the people in it because they are exploitative (and the performers are exploited), and the government refuses to do anything about it because anyone who isn't making money off of porn "got what they deserve."
This is my entire point here:
Barbie is a frigging American institution! She has been a favorite toy of young girls for generations now and I, for one (perhaps the only one), would like to see that respected somewhat. I mean, it's fine to criticize Barbie as setting unrealistic standards for girls - it's good to do that and it's good that the toy generates such important discussion - and it's fine to satirize the whole thing and poke fun of it from time to time, but like I've said time and again, how in the world can you blame today's youth for being so angry, cynical, and disillusioned when we are selling-out everything good and decent right out from under them?
Porn, hard drug use (meth), sex is no big deal, you have every right to carry a gun, everyone's a winner -- I mean, we are telling these kids that they have every right to do just whatever the hell they want, then we have the nerve to punish them when they do! We are literally creating a prison-based society where doing time or getting busted is simply a rite of passage -- part of "growing up." They "got what they deserve," we "taught them a lesson," they should have "thought about that before they did it" and better "think about it next time."
UPDATE: This is known as "The Perfect Circle." - 2018
Whatever happened to acting like parents, role-models, and general effing adults?! Why not tell them, "Hey don't do that, or you may end-up facing some pretty serious consequences!?" Is this thing on? I mean, is it me? It's me, right?
No, when you are of a certain age, sex really isn't that big of a deal -- two consenting adults who are engaging in activities they find enjoyable -- but before you are emotionally mature enough to understand and handle that, sex really is a big deal! Meth, crack cocaine, heroin, heavy drinking, multiple sex partners -- these are big deals, no matter how old you are, and no, not everyone's doing it. Just because you have a right to carry a gun doesn't mean you should and if you feel you need to carry one for your own protection, no matter where you go, then that is a societal problem we need to deal with!
That this overpriced hooker vaguely resembles an American icon does not give her the right to assume that icon's name and promote herself under it -- AND THIS ONE LOOKS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LIKE BARBIE! (in fact, she calls herself ChinaBarbie) -- and those of us who are creators should be up in arms over this! I like porn just fine and I have met many, many women in that business and only bear grudges against a few dozen or so, but if any one of them were to call herself "Linda Carter, the Wonder Woman of porn," I would be all for DC suing her plastic tits off! And I would be damned mad if they didn't win!
Now, this becomes a completely different matter if a sketch comedy show did a skit in which this was the premise. That would be a satire and you can all but bet that the point behind that satirical skit would be exactly what I am saying here: the selling-out, not of American "values," but of American standards, of community standards, of things, ideas, people, and concepts which -- while maybe not "sacred" -- used to be sacrosanct (to some degree, at least). How can we tell young people that these things should be respected... you know unless you're a rapper, or a prostitute/porn "star," or a drug addict, or this or that or some other thing?
Didn't it used to be that poets and writers, artists and musicians were the ones who pushed the envelope and that was what they did? Nowadays, anyone who doodles a fricking flame on the bottom of their skateboard is an "artist." NO, THEY REALLY ARE NOT! Just because you draw your name in bubble letters on the waistband of your underwear doesn't make you a graphic designer and just because you can play Crazy Train on the acoustic (you know, just the verse, not anything else) doesn't make you a musician! And amongst those of us who really are these things, we know there are certain rules even we must follow -- such as not infringing upon trademarks!
It's all one big mixed message from modern American society. Punk rock openly mocked traditional values and popular notions and ideas - and that was great because there was a point. This porn "star" has no "point" to make -- she's just making money! And by bartering on a trademarked name, image, and concept, she's doing so illegally. And those of us who are creators should be mad as hell about it and call for her to take some other approach to her "career." And if she didn't know any better, well now she does. After all, that's how those porn people work when they get young "Actors" to sign those freaking contracts [which are illegal and unenforceable, except in Nevada]. So let me throw a little adage to the porn industry: "What's good for the goose..."
Get a more common porn name, chick!
Like "Bambi."
A rambling melange of pop-culture.
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