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Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda's Thumb. He has written for such publications as The Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, spoken in front of many organizations and conferences, and appeared on nationally syndicated radio shows and on C-SPAN. Ed is also a Fellow with the Center for Independent Media and the host of Declaring Independence, a one hour weekly political talk show on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan.(static)

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We Don't Like It, So You Can't Enjoy It

Posted on: April 17, 2008 9:09 AM, by Ed Brayton

The moral ayatollahs at Focus on the Family are pressuring Marriott hotels to stop allowing guests to order adult movies in their rooms. A reasonable person confronted by the opportunity to order something they would not enjoy would simply decide not to order it. But these are not reasonable people, these are authoritarians; it's not enough for them to exercise their own right to watch it or not watch it, they have to interfere with anyone else's right to watch it too. Heil Dobson! Heil Perkins! Gott Mitt Uns indeed.

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From the article:

Wildmon said the move would cost Marriott millions of dollars in lost revenue, but the company can handle it.
"They're not a company that's hurting financially," he said.

This is coming from many of the same people who say we shouldn't do anything about global warming because it might temporarily make the oil industry slightly less profitable.

The actual difference, of course, is that while environmental degradation hurts us all, some schmuck watching porn in a private hotel room hurts no one.

Posted by: Wes | April 17, 2008 9:35 AM

Hey Wes! Who are you calling a schm... oh wait, maybe not.

Carry on.

Posted by: Matthew | April 17, 2008 9:43 AM

heh, it's alot less that they don't like/enjoy the smut themselves, it's that they have no self control and need controls imposed from outside... the common tale is that amount of smut ordered in-room goes up drastically when a religious right convention is in town...

They can't stop themselves from watching if it's available, so they figure the easiest way to stop their 'sinning' is to make it unavailable to all... then they'll never be able to find it!

Posted by: kate | April 17, 2008 10:05 AM

And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out. Matthew 18:9

We're waiting...

Posted by: Dr X | April 17, 2008 10:09 AM

Maybe it's actually a protest at the dire quality of hotel porn. No production values, scant characterisation, poor sound quality, unattractive cast, and not nearly enough genuine, proper filth. I mean, if you're going to provide grot then you should provide proper grot.

Otherwise it's hardly worth bothering.

Posted by: Matthew | April 17, 2008 10:28 AM

Does this strike anyone else as a very half-hearted attempt? Something to placate the rank and file? No threat of a boycott, just a letter, and an admission that the company would lose millions if they did as asked.

Posted by: Taz | April 17, 2008 10:31 AM

it is more likely that they do enjoy it and don't have enough faith that their sky friend can help them resist a temptation so readily available

Posted by: Kevin | April 17, 2008 10:35 AM

"They're not a company that's hurting financially," he said

This is coming on the same day as a financial report from Mariott saying that the impact of gas and airline prices have reduced the number of business travelers who make up 70% of their revenue, so they've had to announce profit losses for the quarter.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5708559.html

btw, those very business travelers are the ones who will purchase such ppv films.

Posted by: Joe Shelby | April 17, 2008 10:51 AM

To me this underscores a fundamental problem with religion. "We believe in god" becomes "we know what god wants from us" becomes "we know what god wants from YOU, and we're going to make sure you do it".

Posted by: Taz | April 17, 2008 10:54 AM

More to the point, why does God need the help of some pissant humans? If this is really important to her, let the smiting begin. A few headlines shouting "Porn-viewing pud-pullers found roasted" and the 'problem' is solved.

Posted by: chuck | April 17, 2008 11:21 AM

Most Marriott hotels are now offering either free broadband internet or unlimited access for $9.95 per day.

Something tells me that ditching the adult movie selection will have almost no effect on the amount on porn consumed by Marriott customers during their stay.

Posted by: tacitus | April 17, 2008 1:11 PM

Well, I haven't stayed at a Marriott since 1996, but when I did I noticed one thing - the cable tv offering was very small, but there were two pay per view porn channels that were not very well blocked and another channel for movie pay per view that was well blocked. At that time, it seemed Marriott wanted their guests to pay for their television entertainment, which is one reason I stayed at other chains. Still doesn't mean that old Don Wildmon can dictate what others do in the privacy of their hotel rooms, just an anecdote. I never have understood the fixation these people have on pornography, since it's pretty easy to avoid if you want to.

Posted by: BC | April 17, 2008 1:38 PM

Well as long as they have internet service in the room there is still a world of porn available. But serious, don't these dimwits even think about what the consequences of this would be? Let's think - who orders in room porn at Mariotts? Business travelers (mostly men, many married, traveling without their family or wife). So, of that group, what percentage might, if they can't get off on porn, go down to the bar or call the local escort service, or go to the local strip club? Is FotF going to take responsibility for all that? Maybe that would lead to more affairs, and hence more broken families! Don't you people see? Porn in Mariotts is *GOOD* for families!

-darth

Posted by: darth | April 17, 2008 3:45 PM

So, of that group, what percentage might, if they can't get off on porn, go down to the bar or call the local escort service, or go to the local strip club?

Darth, I made that exact comment on another blog that picked up on this inanity. But to the fundies, if there is no porn, none of the men will think about sex, right?

Even stranger, though, is why anyone would think this would work. The Marriott family is one of the leading Mormon families in the US (which is likely why Willard has stock in the company). Mormons are barred from drinking alcohol by their religion. Yet I have never seen a Marriott (and I mean the main hotels, not their discount chains) without a bar, including in dowtown Salt Lake (IIRC), and my company has a corporate rate with Marriott, so I stay there a lot. Clearly alcohol, like porn, is a big money-maker, and as I understand it, the Mormons believe your financial success is directly tied to your blessing by their god. No way in heck that they'll give up the revenue stream.

Posted by: CPT_Doom | April 17, 2008 5:02 PM

Most people that donate to Focus on the Family probably watch pornos. They will just not admit it. So not only do the judge others they cannot even live up to it themselves. Crazy!

Posted by: King of Ireland | April 17, 2008 6:25 PM

It's obvious the puritanical instinct is still among us(sigh).
Anne G

Posted by: Anne Gilbert | April 17, 2008 6:40 PM

darth:

You have to remember that Wildmon and his ilk are from Bizarro Earth, where happily married Christian men cannot resist the siren song of cheesy hotel porn and turn into rampaging philanderers (or even rapists!) after viewing it.

Posted by: Martian Buddy | April 17, 2008 7:39 PM

I sez "Rite on Woldmon" Porn rots yer...I ferget wut its called.

Posted by: wrpd | April 17, 2008 9:48 PM

If the Marriott folks have a sense of humor, they'll respond that they are replacing the porn with higher-grade fare, including "Inherit the Wind", "Saved", "God on my Side", "Biography: Charles Darwin", and "At Play in the Fields of the Lord".

Posted by: Bill Poser | April 17, 2008 10:51 PM

Mr. Poser, how could you possibly forget "The Last Temptation of Christ" on your list?

Posted by: daniel rotter | April 18, 2008 1:01 AM

Mr. Poser, how could you possibly forget "The Last Temptation of Christ" on your list?

It came to mind, but I couldn't remember exactly which denominations considered it offensive.

Posted by: Bill Poser | April 18, 2008 1:15 AM

Martian buddy wrote- "You have to remember that Wildmon and his ilk are from Bizarro Earth, where happily married Christian men cannot resist the siren song of cheesy hotel porn and turn into rampaging philanderers (or even rapists!) after viewing it."

This sounds exactly like the same Bizarro Earth where (male) homosexuality is viewed as repugnant and disgusting, yet so tantalizingly, seductively attractive that mammoth campaigns have to be organized to quash it, quench it, quell it. Lest some of those fine Christian men succumb.

Y'know. In airport toilets or something.

Posted by: Rick R | April 18, 2008 8:46 AM