The Porn King with a Heart of Gold

[Trigger warning for sexual coercion, exploitation, dehumanization.]

HistGeek_1 emails (which I am publishing with his permission):

I just found this article and it made me wretch and I thought this was something that the brilliant minds of Shakesville should discuss. In effect, Nadya Suleman (disappeared as "Octomom" in the title) may see her mortgage sold to "porn kingpin" Steve Hirsch. Here's the really sick part: "Hirsch told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he's not trying to pressure Suleman into porn, but he would use her housing woes to start a conversation that brings her to work for Vivid."

Seriously, that is some fucked up shit right there.

For further perspective, Hirsch has already made repeated offers to Suleman, for as much as $1 million, to appear in one of his porn videos, and she has repeatedly declined. So this guy's already been harassing her to try to coerce her to do porn for him, and now he's trying to buy her mortgage for leverage.

Which, naturally, he denies: "There'd be no pressure on her. We're not looking to foreclose on the note, but if nothing else it would give us opportunity to meet with her. She's made it clear she doesn't want to do an adult movie. Maybe there are other things we could do that she would be interested in."

Sure. Just out of the goodness of the porn king's heart, I guess.

This is the culture in which we live: A woman is being publicly coerced to do pornography, and it's not a national outrage, but fodder for a casual wire item which culminates in a rehashing of her financial situation, thus implicitly suggesting the porn king is doing her a favor by offering her exploitative work she doesn't want in exchange for not foreclosing on her house.

Why, he's practically a hero.

[Commenting Guidelines: Nadya Suleman's reproductive choices are none of our business, not up for debate, and off-topic for this thread or any other.]