Why We Must Recognize the Humanity of People in the Adult Film Industry
A review of ‘The Porn Star’s Daughter’ by Kay Stephens
After my daughter was assaulted at school, the resource officer said something odd. I insisted on conducting the interview by phone because I was so angry I didn’t trust myself to do it in person. “I checked your daughter’s record,” the officer said, “she hasn’t been in any trouble.”
The statement bothered me on many levels. Why did he have to check my daughter’s record? She was the victim here. Why did he say “she hadn’t been in trouble” when the truth was exactly the opposite? My daughter has been awarded “student of the month” on multiple occasions. What about the boy who had attacked her? What did his record say? Why weren’t we discussing that?
But then I remembered instances from my own life and how you’re never really given credit for good behavior. It doesn’t matter how many days you go without breaking a rule, the second there’s even a suggestion that you’re involved in something inappropriate they’re on you like maggots on meat.
We live in society that so titillated by the concept of punishment that everyone’s perpetually in search of a crime. The overzealous quest to identify wrongdoing leads to widespread disregard for the more important need to…
