The decision to invite flesh king Ron Jeremy to Simmons College this week to debate pornography is a “dreadful mistake,” charged one feminist whose criticism is backed by angry students who say his industry glorifies sexism.
Some Simmons College students and professors are outraged that Jeremy, a porn star past his prime who has starred in more than 1,000 adult movies and reportedly bedded more than 4,000 women, will debate author and feminist Susan Cole about the place of pornography in society [last] Tuesday.
Now that would have been something to ride the bus over to Boston for!
Of course, here's the obligatory $25,000-quote from Cloud Cuckoo Land:
Dr. Gail Dines, a Wheelock College professor who is one of the leading experts on pornography criticism, said Jeremy should not be included in the debate because he is not an academic on the issue but a paid industry participant.
“Under no circumstances would I debate him, no matter how much money they gave me,” she said. “It’s a dreadful mistake for any principled person to debate Ron Jeremy because he’s basically riding on their credentials. He comes only as a man with personal experience who has made a lot of money out of it. ”
I think Plato wrote a whole dialogue about this (maybe even two or three), but suffice it to say that Socrates probably would have felt pretty comfortable debating a porn star. Ron Jeremy is by no means an academic, but he's been in the adult film industry for longer than most current Simmons undergrads have been alive, so surely he must have something he could contribute to such a conversation.
Hmm. I wonder how it went?
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