Video games worse than porn? Yeah right

Here's something I've been meaning to mention for a while but never got around to. Ron Jeremy, one of two porn stars many people are likely to have heard of (Jenna Jameson being the other), was apparently at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month talking smack about video games.

According to news reports, Jeremy (also known as the Hedgehog, or the "hardest working man") took part in a CES session called "The Great Porn Debate," where he argued against anti-porn media activist Craig Gross. Jeremy said that porn shouldn't get such a bad rap because studies have "found that violent video games are a much bigger negative influence on kids."

Jeremy also advocated using a number of software tools, such as those offered on InternetSafety.com, that let parents prevent their kids from accessing porn online.

Okay, so first off - yes, I am ashamed of myself that there was a porn-related panel discussion at CES that I was not even aware of (hey organizers, where was my personalized invitation?!?). And secondly, being an avid gamer, Jeremy's comments also get my panties in a bunch. I've blabbed on before about violence in video games and his comments are ignorant - apparently others agree with me, according to a BBC report.

Where I call serious horse-caca, though, is in regards to how Jeremy talked about all the steps the porn industry is taking to prevent minors from accessing their content online. "We don't want kids to watch porn but yes we recognize that it happens. We are not in favour of that," he said.

Yeah right. That's a line I heard over and over while doing my research, but porn companies are doing exactly the opposite. Head on over to Vivid or Playboy (I wouldn't advise doing so at work) and you'll get instant access to fully nude photos and hardcore movie trailers. Oh, but don't forget to click the button that says you're 18.

In reality, minors' access to porn couldn't be easier. It would be easy enough for the sites themselves to voluntarily put some clothes on their home pages, with the full goods shown once the visitor can really prove they're an adult. It would be equally as easy to enact some laws that prevent easy access to such content - yet neither is happening. I'm certainly no advocate of censorship but I'm honestly bamboozled as to how this is allowed to go on.

Shadier companies would find ways around such rules or fight them, but the legitimate ones such as Vivid and Playboy - realizing they don't have a leg to stand on - would likely comply. In the meantime, Jeremy should probably stick to what he does best, which is earning more nicknames.