[lbo-talk] Re: Hustling the Left (Some Background)

Anthony J. Kennerson anthonyk_6319 at charter.net
Wed Dec 14 20:25:47 PST 2005


Ahhh, Yoshie....don't be so sure that the bulk of viewers of Larry Flynt's flagship zine are merely illiterate, leering, ogling construction workers who have nothing to do with their lives than harrass women....like Playboy with their occasional interest in jazz and high art and Penthouse with their more libertarian conservative politics, HUSTLER has always offered some political and non-sexual content. Indeed, most adult print mags have to offer some non-sexual content in order to avoid prosecution under the obscenity laws.

Actually, the original orgin of the Hustling the Left site was a major controversy involving Larry Flynt discovering progressive politics and attempting to give some support to an antiwar protest group called Not In My Name last year. A news reader/antiporn feminist at KPFK/Pacifica LA Radio named Aura Bogado took real umbrage to that, and launched amongst her sister antiporn activists a bitter public campaign against Flynt and his mag, citing all the usual cries of racism, misogyny, and even pedophilia (one of Hustler's cartoonists was once charged and convicted of abusing his daughter

though the conviction was dropped on appeal). Later, Ms. Bogado decided to make her "ordeal" very public by launching some articles which turned up in such outlets as AlterNet and Z-Net, where she blasted both critics of her beliefs and some prominent sex radicals and intellectuals (including Susie Bright, Amy Goodman, and Greg Palast) whom had appeared on the pages of Hustler, as traitors, "White elitists" selling out "people of color" (Bogado is a Latina), and enablers of evil patriarchy and racist violence.

Now, I do acknowledge the basic fact that Hustler is no feminist or Leftist utopia by any means, and they have indeed on occasion stooped to some of the worst caricatures of race and gender...not even this Leftist will deny that.

BUT....to label them as the center of all oppression simply because they feature people engaging in sex or showing their sex organs off is not only blatant falsehood, it is utter stupidity justified simply by latent Puritanism and ignorance. It's one thing to be critical of Hustler for its content and themes; it's quite another altogether to throw stink bombs and rotten eggs at any progressive who merely dares to attempt to sway their audience. In my view, what the people who are leading that HustlingTheLeft site is doing is far, far worse and far more destructive than anything that Larry Flynt or any of Hustler's models have ever done.

BTW..shameless plug insert: I have a complete file of much of the entire controversy involving Hustler, porn, and feminism from my perspective (and that of Nina Hartley, who has been a frequent target and human pinata of the antiporn crusaders) over at my Red Garter Club Yahoo! group. If you want the full scoop from a unique perspective, there is a good place to go.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RedGarterClub

Nice to see that the debate is still continuing...and thanks to Ms Bitch for watching my back through all this.


:)

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