I have been in the video industry since 1985. Your closeout might not really be a closeout. Please email me before you seal the deal and I will give you some details.
You will probably be shocked
posted on August 12, 2001 12:56:04 PM new
jumpinjacko
Would you say that rap music has more of a detrimental effect on society than say "hard core rock" music that promotes nihilism, deicide, patricide, drug use, violence, occultism, etc?
posted on August 12, 2001 01:28:40 PM new
I don't think any music, video game or movie has a negative effect on society. I believe PARENTS have failed their children. Is it parents fault, yes and no. Social and economical factors have created a society where both parents work just to get by. That burden puts stress on the marriage and leads to higher divorce rates, fights, etc. Preoccupied parents, no guidance or morals taught to their kids. And don't say we need the 10 commandments and prayer in school and everyone will be good little boys and girls. Bull%&$@. I wasn't raised in a religious enviroment, but I had a mother who was a stay at home mom until I was 8 or 9 yrs old. Adn I have never killed anyone. And I play violent video games and watch violent action flicks! I ranted, I feel better.
As far as selling porn, if you don't want to.. don't. If ya do, do.
posted on August 12, 2001 03:28:36 PM new
Just thought you folks would like to know that I am barred from viewing adult material on eBay. Why am I barred?. I have to register my credit card to trade. To get a credit card I have to be over 18 in UK. This is not my trading name
posted on August 12, 2001 05:21:21 PM new
Nothing wrong with selling XXX DVDs, as long as they are good quality. I bought a batch of them off eBay and the picture quality wasn't any better than my old VHS tapes.
posted on August 12, 2001 09:42:06 PM new
Immorality can be found in every act we regular citizens do, even in positive actions. It is therefore impossible to be more moral. The best thing to do then is allow everyone to do whatever they choose even if it means letting loose a mass murder. After all, if you don't like mass murders, build a fortress around your house! See, since we are all selfish it is easier for us to set certain standards and force others to obey those.
Our society is such a farce. Why do moralists pat themselves on the back for being selfish?
posted on August 13, 2001 01:56:04 AM new
As you all know, for many years I owned a very large video store. With over 12,000 titles it was considered a superstore. As an Independent Video Retailer one of the most profitable sections of the store was the adult movie rentals. With the downturn of the industry adult is what keeps many of the stores alive.
When I decided to add the adult section I wanted to become knowledgeable about the industry. I needed to know the truth - were the women abused, did they feel degraded, how do they feel about themselves. I went to the trade show and spent about 1 1/2 hours talking to Nina Hartley (of Debbie Does Dallas, etc) fame. She assured me that in the adult industry it is the women who decide what goes on - what they do - and when they stop. They can at any time say no. It is also the women who make the big bucks in this industry - not the men. When I asked her how the women felt about themselves, she said that the smiles were genuine - and that they were very happy to be doing what they are doing.
It is surprising to know what made the adult film industry explode. It was AIDS. People are afraid. You can't get AIDS watching someone on TV. Young single men who rented the movies said it is because they are really scared. Casual sex can cost you your life, and that is not a chance many of them are willing to take.
As for hurting marriages, many of my customers were couples who came in and rented movies together. They have told me that they learned about the art of love from the movies. Of course, you can only learn technique by watching a movie - you have to have the right person to turn it into love.
I personally have a great love life - and I can thank the adult industry to a point for that. By choosing not to sleep around before I was married I did not have the experiences to learn from. Once I decided to learn more about the art of making love our marriage improved dramatically. After all, if there is an art to master, what better one than making love?
I have sold my video store and adult video rentals have not been a part of my life for nearly a year. I will be opening a new rental store shortly and there will not be adult video rentals there. Not that I have anything against them, they just do not fit into the new business plan.
There is a unique twist to the tale of my store ... each year since I have been open they have had to add one additional classroom to the elementary school here. This is with the population steadily declining as more and more people move out of the area to obtain jobs. Maybe my store did have a positive effect on the community after all
BECKY
I am sorry to anyone who does not agree, it is just my opinion. I also choose not to sell adult video on eBay.
posted on August 13, 2001 06:47:46 PM new BECKY MY EBABE
“I am sorry to anyone who does not agree, it is just my opinion”
NEVER......APOLOGIZE .....FOR THE VIEW FROM YOUR WINDOW
Great story and testimonial from Nina......I agree with you that the adult
video rental section kept many Ma & Pa shops open......I was told that some
of the video store who stocked these tapes would realize 50% of their revenue
with only 10% of their stock being adult videos......Do the math......
I’m like you babe.....I have decided not to sell them NOT because
I think they are harmful....but because of my own person values that
I have set for my self , by my self ..
posted on August 13, 2001 10:18:08 PM new
>>>"Do you let morals values get in the way of profit...?"<<<
logically, if a person claims to have morals in the "traditional" sense and sells porn to make a profit, he or she is a hypocrit. You probably don't use drugs, but if they were legal, would you sell them?
Yes moral values would sometimes get in the way of making a profit.
Anyone who doesn't think that Porn has a negative impact on society doesn't have a very good grasp on reality.
[ edited by outoftheblue on Aug 13, 2001 10:20 PM ]
[ edited by outoftheblue on Aug 13, 2001 10:44 PM ]
posted on August 13, 2001 10:28:18 PM new
"Anyone who doesn't think that Porn has a negative impact on society doesn't have a very good grasp on reality."
Cars have a negative impact (and positive) on society too, but I bet it hasn't stopped you from driving one, right? Porn also has a positive imact on society, and I believe a more positive impact than negative.
posted on August 13, 2001 10:50:55 PM new
"Porn also has a positive imact on society, and I believe a more positive impact than negative."
The same reasoning could be used for prostitution. It gives poor lonely men something to do. Drugs and alcohol make depressed people forget their problems. Don't worry about what it does to their lives in the process. Suicide helps desperate people get out of bad situations.
I guess it's all in the way you look at it.
[ edited by outoftheblue on Aug 13, 2001 10:53 PM ]
posted on August 14, 2001 12:38:10 AM new
My Mother once opened a new video store. A man started alot of problems about it. Mom ended up on the ABC news. Guess what? He went into the adult room of her other store. It took him an hour and a half to decide it disgusted him.
There was a town meeting about the store. The most vocal people against her had members of their immediate family who were frequent adult video renters.
Personally, I find guns and wrestling much more harmful than adult videos. When was the last time someone got killed watching an adult video?
This is definately an arguement that will go on forever, much like the NRA. There will be people who love - and hate each.
It goes back to the fundamental freedom of choice. The freedoms so many men have died for, so many have fought for.
You can choose to watch pro wrestling - or not. I choose not to.
posted on August 14, 2001 01:34:30 AM new
You know I'm sick and tired of hearing how porn or rock music etc turns people into raving psychos. The anti-(fill in the blank) crowd sits around and absolutely makes up statistics and "facts". But as in most things there are real "facts"
Contrary to what these people say EVERY study has shown that societies with easier access to porn have LESS rape and violence against women. The "exploited" women in the business mostly run their own companies and can make 6 figures and more.
Currently the new buzzword is "child porn". My friend owns the oldest video store in NJ. In all this time, no distributor has ever approached us to sell or even ever heard of instances of child porn. The internet is full of it right??? You've all read the headlines. My question is where???? I've never seen it.
The world is full of these little chestnuts. Like government justifies the expending of huge sums to inforce archaic speed limits "to save lives", when it's just a means to raise revenue.
After 20 years of video retailing, I can tell you the REAL thing that eats at the goody-two-shoes is that the people renting/buying porn are the millions of John (and Jane!) Q. Publics out there, not legions of deviates.
So there's no difference whether you sell porn or twinkies if there is a legal market for them.
posted on August 14, 2001 02:11:04 AM newPersonally, I find guns and wrestling much more harmful than adult videos. When was the last time someone got killed watching an adult video?
Uh, moderators, how far can I prove MrsSantaClaus is not far off from her asumptions?? Kinda dwells in the S&M lifestyle abit...maybe with some Necrophilia and Gynophilia...
:\\\\\\\"Crystalline Sliver cannot be the target of spells or abilities.
posted on August 14, 2001 05:58:25 AM new
I'm not sure if I can see how our soldiers fought and died for the freedom to sell and view porn and at the same time swing at the NRA and the Second Amendment. But soldiers did fight and die so we can express such opinions no matter how far out. And to protect the 2nd Amendment (and all the rest) Even if they did use guns to do so.
posted on August 14, 2001 06:03:30 AM new
I wonder, if you are unsure as to your comfort level with adult materials, why did you aquire them?
To me, if you are uncomfortable, or worried what people will think, then pass on them. It is your choice, nobody elses.
And when you do, remember that if our country didn't have the Bill of Rights and Supreme Court, your freedom to make this choice would be foreclosed by those who would limit your freedoms.
Adult materials are watched by the vast majority of Americans sometime in their adult life. I too have sold and rented videos and dvds and make no apology for it. I think the real problem in the industry is the boring and formulaic material itself. Most videos are about as interesting to watch as a ten minute close-up of a piston engine pumping away.
I have sold adult on ebay and I got instant payment from the buyers and only had one or two non paying bidders in several hundred transactions. Contrast that to the "family" stuff I sold with its 27% deadbeat ratio.
The problem with selling on ebay is that they do not like "graphic" pictures and descriptions, and it is difficult to do a useful listing without some specificity. I have had auctions ended for using the words "extreme" in one ad and "hardcore" in another (to differentiate from the softcore videos I also was auctioning.)
But that is another battle.
[ edited by litlux on Aug 14, 2001 06:07 AM ]
posted on August 14, 2001 11:57:44 AM new
The correlation between the freedoms men have fought for was brought to my attention by several veterans in separate incidents. They feel that they risked their lives for the freedom we enjoy and no one has the right to take any away from them, and that includes the right to watch adult videos if they want to.
I am totally comfortable with adult videos. I would carry them in my new store but the business plan is totally unique and unfortunately adult video cannot be a part of the mix. Business decisions had to be made and in this instance having adult video in the store would greatly limit its growth.
I guess I should have said "killed by an adult video" and not "killed while watching an adult video". Bondage is illegal in PA so I never even thought about that.
As for kiddie porn, if I were ever approached with it I would make sure the proper authorities were contacted.
Adult videos and the NRA are at about the same level of controversy.
I have rented adult videos to doctors, lawyers, businessmen, housewives, and even priests. Rich and poor alike. I think the idea here is that chances are most of the people you know have had at some time viewed an item that would be considered pornographic. They just choose not to tell.
posted on August 14, 2001 01:51:21 PM new
I don't see how freedom has anything to do with the question: "Do you let moral values get in the way of profit...?"
The question is: Would someone who claims to have "moral values" let those values get in the way of making a profit?
If you say that you wouldn't watch XXX videos yourself or let your children watch them (because of your moral values) but you would sell them to someone else and profit from it. That would be hypocritical.
My oppinion is that pornography is the product of a morally bankrupt society.
posted on August 15, 2001 01:54:27 AM newMy oppinion is that pornography is the product of a morally bankrupt society.
Then again, I don't want someone else telling me what I can and cannot watch, hear, read, taste, touch, finger, probe, throw, punch, smack, and every other bodily function my brain can do and tell my body(Within the confines of common law).
You may claim your moral, but pass the threashold of intrusion, or harassment, or trespass, and it's not a moral act. Nor are you moral anymore.
:\\\\\\\"Crystalline Sliver cannot be the target of spells or abilities.
posted on August 15, 2001 03:36:11 AM newThe freedoms so many men have died for, so many have fought for.
Excuse me, but nobody fought for your right to watch porn. American freedoms are based on democracy, not anarchy. That means that we establish laws as a society.
As a society, we HAVE established laws regarding pornography. So please stop waving the flag, all you porn sellers.
Nudity has always been found in art because the human body is beautiful. That does not mean that hardcore porn is an art form by any stretch of the imagination.
I don't have a bee in my bonnet about porn. I only hope that it won't be placed so that people who DON'T want to see it won't be forced to trip over it.
posted on August 15, 2001 08:33:15 AM new
We are not a democracy. We are a republic. That's why we have laws like prohibition and motorcycle helmet laws. The squeaky wheel gets the most grease. So a politician gets his name in the paper, puts a law through and as long as it doesn't interfere with the majority, and we all sit around and go about our daily lives. Government gets bigger and bigger and all of those people sit around thinking of new things to do to help us out.
Does everybody realize a guy just got sent away because he wrote disgusting kiddie porn fantasies in his own private journal???
As to "laws" about porn, how many people have been convicted (where the charges were upheld in a higher court)? Considering the 2 people in E. Podunk, KS that were busted compared to the millions of tapes, etc., I think the message is clear. The majority of people do not want interference with their ability to choose.
posted on August 15, 2001 09:42:53 AM newI don't have a bee in my bonnet about porn. I only hope that it won't be placed so that people who DON'T want to see it won't be forced to trip over it.
Oh dear, I was wondering when someone would bring this up...
Everytime I see some "moralist" preaching that smut should be stricten from yadda store, and holding said offended material, and advocating that the subject matter is pure smut or would demoralize the fabric of society!!
Gee, I have heard this same arguement by moralists with a whole host of Literarry classics, from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to 1984.
Also, it's always about the children sometimes...I say, #*!@ the Children. Their gonna "learn" regardless.
I'm all for some PC, but as of late, this is getting to be too much!!
As much as I'm offended by someone not even reading the darn material their condemning (taking the "word" of others...hmmm, that tactic sounds awfully familiar...Salem Witch Hunts ring a bell??), i'm even more offended when people believe them, and they do the same act, by not reading the darn material and listening to the words of others!!
As for eBay, as much as their a private business and "venue," shouldn't a business adhear to the voices of the majority than the minority? Just like Yahoo! when they caved in to the "Moral Minority" when they announced plans to up their revenue and stock rating by selling porn. I've heard many people in the porn industry litterarly bash eBay about their actions, alongside Yahoo! and their choices.
Now, if you excuse me, I'm gonna play my 2 Live Crew CD's now...Banned in the USA sounds about right, right now...
:\\\\\\\"Crystalline Sliver cannot be the target of spells or abilities.
posted on August 15, 2001 10:20:09 AM new
Sorry, but the people who were waving the flag about their right to watch adult videos - were those who had fought to defend the flag - and their freedoms, including the right to watch adult videos. Their descriptions of what they had lived thru and what they had seen to defend everyone's rights were quite graphic.
I do agree that the internet has gotten out of hand. My children are extremely limited on where they can go. Basically barbie.com and pollypocket.com along with nickjr.com is their web
I have searched eBay for items - and came across full nudity pictures for sale. That was the only time I sent anything to Safeharbor. Those I felt belonged in the adult section, which is where they were moved.
If you had ever come into my store you certainly wouldn't have tripped over the tapes. In fact, if you didn't ask you probably would not have even known the room was here.
posted on August 15, 2001 10:34:22 AM new
If you define it as porn yourself then I guess that says it all. Why not get a little herd to pimp and make some real monmey?
posted on August 15, 2001 11:20:57 AM newAs much as I'm offended by someone not even reading the darn material their condemning (taking the "word" of others...hmmm, that tactic sounds awfully familiar...Salem Witch Hunts ring a bell??)...
When I see an ad that starts out, Asian Schoolgirls XXX BARELY LEGAL!! I really don't need to read any further to make a judgement call.
posted on August 15, 2001 12:31:45 PM new
So you would never have anything to do with pornography? In some places, the police may not agree with you...
posted on August 15, 2001 06:03:45 PM new
I rent a couple of porno movies every week. My only complaint is that minors have easy access to some really disgusting material on the internet. I'm afraid we will have some kids with some very warped views about romance, relationships, and sex.
Yahoo is not the biggest offender but they have really made a mess of Yahoo Clubs. They eliminated the adult categories to appease the anti-porn wackos, so now the porn clubs are listed under "Culture", "Community", "Romance", etc.
posted on August 15, 2001 09:49:23 PM newWhen I see an ad that starts out, Asian Schoolgirls XXX BARELY LEGAL!! I really don't need to read any further to make a judgement call.
Apperances can be decieving...or, in some cases, it is the real deal. I'm Japanese, so trust me on that one.
But, that's not the norm i'm talking about...i'm talking about people who don't even bother to read books, and condemn them all because of the words of a few parents or others. This is why many school districts and teachers are under fire for their reading programs.
When I was young, the school board decided to ban 1984 and Animal Farm because it would lead to "unrest with the students." Also, they banned The Great Gatsby for "overt sexual references."
After maybe a year, they recended their descion, after it was pointed out a parent got offended and caused a stink all because one of her children read a part of 1984 she felt was "disturbing" (I think it was when Winston had sex with a Prole Prosititue, thought their are certain rferences to Winston and Julia having sexual romps every so often in the book).
And gravid, if that comment was towards me, edit that comment, it's offensive and in bad taste.
:\\\\\\\"Crystalline Sliver cannot be the target of spells or abilities.
[ edited by jumpinjacko on Aug 12, 2001 06:36 PM ]