Journal – 🧙‍♂️🤝🇺🇸

The Porn Industry Changed…

The Porn Industry Has Changed…

They say the oldest profession in existence to this day is sexual intercourse for monetary gain; also known as prostitution. A lot has changed since the medieval times where goats were exchanged for woman as property. Now with the advancements of technology and evolution of humanity we have attempted to add a sense of prestige to prostitution with a change of name, “pornography”, and a change of title, “adult performer”. In this essay I will be sharing a brief history of pornography, problems within the industry, and where the industry is going from here.

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In 1972 one of the most popular adult films to hit theatres was released; Deep Throat by Gerard Damiano’s. It was a high value production with a complex storyline, cinema quality cameras, and they had to have studio time. Fast forward to today the production has changed from that, to random joes with a cellphone making porn. The point is anyone and everyone is making porn, and anyone and everyone is watching porn. In fact, according to a study done by Nielson Company reports that more than 21 million people accessed porn on work computers in March 2010 alone (Montopoli, 2010). That’s 29% of working adults. I don’t even feel comfortable checking my messages on my phone without worrying that my boss will see. I can’t imagine how 21 million people are comfortable watching pornography with their boss in the same building.

Life working in the industry as an adult performer can be polarizing. At one instance a performer named Carly Rae said that porn has “given me independence and self-esteem” (Knight, 2018). In the opposite spectrum a porn star by the name of August Ames committed suicide after receiving a barrage of negative remarks on her twitter post where she shared that she would not have sex with a performer who previously worked in gay porn as a “crossover performer” (Horn, 2018). They called her homophobic, discriminatory and in the end, Ames could not take the criticism and hanged herself. Her husband Moore believes that cyberbullying was what pushed her into despair. Ever since her death became public the adult industry has been doing more to address the mental health of their performers.

Adult Performer Advocacy Committee (APAC) is one of the few organizations that support adult performers and provide resources such as physicians, attorneys, therapists, and other professional support. Moore, August Ames husband, plans on establishing the August Project, a suicide prevention hotline staffed with people who understand the situations adult performers go through. APAC has a model bill of rights on their website that offers new performers, and existing performers, a code of ethics that “helps guide moral and to maintain a general positive experience in their careers” (2018).

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The changes in technology have allowed us to be ever more connected with expanding networks of friends, acquaintances, and “followers”. As well as the advancements in camera technology we no longer need a high budget to create quality porn. Videos created on mobile phones are getting just as many views as a video from a film production company making it less enticing to spend the unnecessary money. Furthermore, the performers are finding themselves needing different ways to make money and since more people are getting into the industry the competition is fierce. Sex will never die because it is essential to life and if we want to thrive we innately, subconsciously, and genetically need to reproduce. The money will follow.

References

APAC. (2018). “Model Bill of Rights”. Retrieved from http://www.apac-usa.com/model-bill-of-rights

Horn, T. (2018). “How August Ames’ Suicide is Changing the Porn Industry”. Retrieved from

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/how-august-ames-suicide-is-changing-the-porn-industry-123654/

Knight, K. (2018). “Student-turned porn star: My job has ‘changed my life for the better’”.

Retrieved from https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/student-turned-porn-star-my-job-has-changed-my-life-for-the-better

Montopoli, B.(2010). “29% Accessed Porn on Work Computers Last Month”. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/29-accessed-porn-on-work-computers-last-month/

My Heart…

My Heart…

My heart is like fire with its flames surrounding the valves. Cooking my soul unto an object of manifestation.

Creating two entities: the body and the soul.

My heart is like fire for it burns after every sin, every heartbreak, every failure.

It burns to create energy for the continuation of its existence.

Ethos-credibility;

Pathos-emotion;

Logos-logic.

iamAgency University Capstone Project.

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Do YOU have agency, or control, over your actions? If I told you I knew for a fact you didn’t, would you believe me?

If you believe, continue to read.

Can you believe that you have control? Do you believe that you can develop agency over any situation with training?

If so, continue to read.

You do have agency over your body, your mind, and your emotion.

That fact that you continue to read the words in this blog means you can make a conscience decision to empower yourself. It’s empowering isn’t it.

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Look around are you safe? Safe, comfortable, calm, attentive, receptive, open, ready.

If so, continue to read:

In the coming days and weeks, your thoughts will often turn to the consideration of important decisions you have to make, and important problems for which you have as yet found no solution. Even when you are not consciously thinking about these topics, your mind will continue to deal with them so that, when your attention returns to them once more, you are going to be surprised and delighted at how many potentially useful ideas you are able to come up with; and some of these ideas are even likely to catch you by surprise at times, emerging into your awareness while you are thinking of something else.

They might even enter your dreams at night, or you might wake up with some of these new ideas in mind; but regardless of how they make their appearance, they are going to be very helpful and beneficial to you. Of course, You will always try to make sure that you have sufficient information on which to base any final decisions, and you will always want to check out these new ideas to make sure that they are practical, just as you would check out information from any other source.

You will also continue to be aware that sometimes the best decision is a decision to wait or to secure additional information before acting. But nevertheless, you are going to be surprised and pleased at how much more clearly and creatively you are going to be able to think, and at how much more confidently and effectively you will be able to deal with the issues and problems which lie before you.

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This Suggestion was provided by Don E. Gibbons, Ph.D. Suggestions to Facilitate Problem Solving. Handbook of Hypnotic Suggestions and Metaphors (p. 130). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.

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If Superhero’s were Real…

If I had to choose a superhero to save me it would have to be Superman. It would be Superman because he is my favorite superhero. I remember being a little kid and buying VHS tapes of the Superman cartoon from the 99 cent store and binge watching him “leap tall buildings” in a single bound, or “look, in the sky! It’s a bird, It’s a plan, no. It’s Superman!”

Christopher Reeves playing Superman was my jam as a young-in. In Superman III when the lady gets sucked into the computer I was so freaked out I had nightmares for days.

“Look, in the sky! It’s a bird, It’s a plane! No, It’s Superman!”
-Citizen of Metropolis.

It would be Superman because he can fly, shoot lasers through his eyes, see through people’s disguise; x-ray, blow ice through his mouth, and still hook up with Lois Lane even though he’s shy.

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If I were to be real with you, I don’t think Superman could ever exist. Someone who is more likely to exist is Batman. Therefore, Batman would be the one to save me if I were in peril. But, let’s be real; No one’s saving me. Batman could give two fucks about saving me. I mean, who the fuck am I?

He’d probably be too busy buying stocks or arguing with his investor about capital then taking the time to drive around in the bat-mobile picking up chicks until he gets pulled over by the cops where his alibi is that he was “fighting crime.” I mean, how can you have a butler named Alfred doing chores for you while you save the world? Priorities Mr. Wayne. You have to prioritize.

Thank You for Your Time 8)

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The Problem of Cults and a Probable Solution

June 09, 2020

A belief is an affirmation of one’s existence. It gives humanity a reason to suffer, a reason to do good, and a reason not to kill someone just because they accidentally stepped on your brand new blue suede shoes. But, how do we know when these beliefs, that we learn from others, are genuine or if they have hidden agendas? Religion is a major source of our beliefs in civilization; so much that we based our laws on governing bodies on the teachings of the Bible. Even our dollar bill has, “In God We Trust”. In this essay, I will be exploiting the issue‘s of organizations that exploit peoples beliefs for personal gain; in specific, a cult.

In the documentary Holy Hell, by Will Allen, it shares a true account of a “spiritual leader” who had devoted followers that gave everything to feel “closer to god”. Closer to god as in the freedom to feel safe with who one is, what one has, where they are in life, and who they associate with. This cult started in California in the 80’s, and was led by a man named Michel. Michel was an aspiring actor who had become certified in hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy is a form of therapy that uses language to control the recipient during a relaxed state of mind. It is meant to bypass the critical thinking part of the brain and transmit directly to the minds processing system; short and long-term memory.

Michel used this as a tool to manipulate his follower by increasing the chemicals in the brain, such as dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, oxytocin, etc., with the use of language and attached those feelings to the experiences they shared with him. This in turn created an association of happiness with spending time with Michel. Tolhuizen’s specifies certain techniques for intensifying relationships that Michel took advantage of. Increased contact; Michel would have sexual relations with his followers during “counseling sessions”, verbal expressions of affection; the key theme was love for life, love for brethren, and love for Michel, and behavioral adaptation; Michel convinced his followers to donate a majority of their earnings from employment to supporting the cult (Guerrero et al., p. 121).

This support could be as small as buying groceries, to as big as paying for the construction of a theatre for live play’s. The best way to prevent this materialistic, psychological/emotional, and physical exploitation of a person is to understand the source. The source is the communication the Michel used to convince his followers that he was more than human. This intensifying of relationships through sexual relations; often in secret, and manipulation of beliefs; often through the use of hypnotherapy. In the Bible it states that there should be only one God that is true, and the mistake that these people made was believing in idols or other forms of worship; in this case it was Michel.

To prevent people from losing sense of self during these times is to be able to separate or avoid oneself physically from the source (Guerrero et al., p. 125). Michel, or the Master, made it a point to have his followers live every single moment with him. They moved in, and some even quit their jobs to spend more time with the Master. Another way to combat this from happening is to remember, or to be able to reflect on one’s past and apply it to the present. If someone feels like they need other’s to be normal it is a warning sign of dependence. Once we become dependent on others we give them power over us.

Therefore, in this essay I defined the issue of manipulation, and exploitation of beliefs. Relationships can be detrimental to one’s health and status when they become overdependent on others. In order to prevent this from happening it is necessary to avoid, and separate oneself from those they are attached to in order to be able to reflect on oneself. It is not selfish to care for oneself, but a necessity.

Journal Ten: A Free-write

Journal Ten: Unfiltered Free-write

I recommend everyone have a journal or diary that they can write their emotions and feelings in. Freewriting is just one style that allows one to write their emotions without being too critical of oneself. I find that when I over analyze myself I end up not writing anything worth remembering.

It helps to release inhibition and let thoughts flow. It helps to be mindful.

Bed pull the thrills legs come and chill red blood and guts don’t forget love remember love butt anal people create trauma to the soul as insanity flows pen mold creation of life sold to the world government owned cereal flake piece of cake Marilyn Monroe Charles Manson bill Kennedy Freddy Krueger spit a lugar at boot camp drill instructor recruiter tranced in boot her pants come foot her dudes bleed red in the head Afghanistan saves the den leg deadhead lost in dread space time continuum bed closing eyes cloud nine rhyming lines freestyle mind communication prime mental diamonds cut lungs trying to quit lying to my shits dying coughing brian crying lying dying from sighing writing till dying. dead.
Reynaldo Rivera Jr. (2009)

I wrote this free-write in 2009 when I was in the Marine Corps. I have a bunch of journals that I have been trying to write into a book, but I’ve been hypercritical in how I want it to look in the end, which in turn has made me put off completing all the entries. This is a little snippet of one journal entry; journal ten.

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Social Media for Communicators Blog for Week One

What I learned after Week one in Social Media for Communicators is that blog stands for . . . uhh. OMG I forgot! (a quick Google search later). It stands for “Web Log“. Cool huh?! Well, I think it’s cool. I love Google. Anyway …

How you first used social media, and how you use it now.

When I first used social media it was in the form of instant messaging. It was called AOL Instant Messenger and my friends and I would text each other at home after school on it. This was around the time DSL internet became the new Dial Up; the way of accessing the internet. When dial up was popular we would just call people to say hi. We didn’t text. Three way phone calls was the cool new technology. What’s a three way phone call you ask? It’s when you call a friend, put that friend on hold and listen for a ringtone, call another friend, and return to the call on hold to have all friends connected at one time. That was our social media!

Right. Soo, we had instant messenger and would text each other once in a while, and try to find new ways to text strangers. When ICQ came out I learned we could talk to random people. IM and ICQ where messaging platforms that were used to talk to friends, colleagues, and strangers. If I remember correctly they had a roulette feature where you could click a button and have a random person show up in the text. I tried it once in a while, but even back then I knew to be aware of fake profiles and fake people. I was a teenager after all.

Any positive and/or negative aspects of social media use that you have noticed arise in your personal or professional life.

There is one negative experience I remember from using social media that arose in my personal life and it relates to my posts on Yahoo Answers. Back in 2010 Yahoo Answers was super cool to me, because I could talk to people through questions or answers and find categories that matched my interests. I had just got out of the military and had a falling out when it came to sustaining relationships; basically, I had literally no friends, and so Yahoo Answers was my way of communicating with people.

I don’t remember what the post was entirely about, but I think it was related to flatulence. Any guy knows fart jokes are a classic conversation piece. Well, I posted about the amount of times I would use the restroom in a day; about 2 or 3. Oh, I forgot to mention that every answer that was posted could have a thumbs up or a thumbs down. The post with the most thumbs up would be highlighted next to the question as the best answer.

My post had the most thumbs down, and to this day I don’t know why it was so hated. Maybe I had a sarcastic/cynical undertone that was making people thumbs down my post? Looking back in hindsight 2 or 3 times a day to use the pooper is a lot. Ultimately, I don’t know what created the community to hate on my answer so much. Yahoo Answers still exists today as well as ICQ messenger. Here are the links if you wish to check them out:

ICQ Chat https://icq.com/icqchat/

Yahoo Answers https://answers.yahoo.com/

Anything that surprised/excited/alarmed you from the data included in the Pew Research and Internet Trends reports.

What surprised me about the data included in the Internet Trends report: https://www.bondcap.com/pdf/Internet_Trends_2019.pdf

Is that America has the freest, as in least restricted, internet access in the world. It makes sense now, but it was a surprise. It makes sense now, because I know America is all about transparency, truth, and freedom! Like I always say, “America is the land of the free, home of the Whopper.” 🙂

What aspects of social media you are interested in exploring further after consuming the Week One content.

I’m not sure what aspects of social media im interested in exploring further. I kind of want to get my certification in Google Analytics. I think it’s free to learn and get certified, but don’t quote me. I know Google Analytics is super expensive to use, but to become certified may be free. Someone fact check that and post it in the comments. What else . . . Oh yea! I want to learn more about gaming and how that platform is playing a pivotal role in social medias expansion.

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FTC Endorsement Guide Link

I thought this was important, and wanted to remember it, so I linked it to my blog. If it will help me, it might help you. I learned of this from my Media Law course at Communications@Syracuse.

Basically, it’s a link that sends you to the Federal Trade Commission website with a bunch of common questions that are answered about accepting endorsements, products, and all kinds of free stuff and the necessary disclosure procedures that need to be disclosed when accepting such goods and services.

I thought this was important, and wanted to remember it, so I linked it to my blog. If it will help me, it might help you. I learned of this from my Media Law course at Communications@Syracuse.

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So … here it is:

https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking

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Mother Superior Shot the Gun.

Mother Superior Shot the Gun.

She pulled the trigger and let it run. In the veins it ran its course.

What can I do?

Pain has no remorse. Death is selfish, I can’t just go.

My family loves me, that I know. Doctor’s can’t help me, Medical or Medicare.

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I have given up hope; Not a care, not a care.

Despair, despair, this isn’t fair. I can’t cope, I send a prayer.

I pray to the Holy Trinity

All is One and One is All.

Should I live, should I die, who am I?

My mind plays trickery, it fed me lies.

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Where’s my mind, I cannot find the tranquility I had in memories past.

I know I can, I know I can, I know I can.

I can, indeed. I repeat, I can indeed.

For by my side you ought not, deep inside the stars at night, and in sunrise, you are all light.

With Love,

~~Hypodermic Mom~~ ^mn Mother Nature

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