Rant #2,720: Jeremy

We do live in a very strange world.
 
What was OK to do just a year ago, or at least permissible, is not OK now.
 
It could be the slightest thing, like shaking someone’s hand.
 
You really can’t do that today because of the panic environment that has been created by the pandemic.
 
It even goes to more lascivious stuff, and you can’t even be a porn star anymore without people accusing you of sexual assault.
 
But that is exactly what is happening today to the so-called “King of Porn,” Ron Jeremy, who lived the so-called life of a porn star—even promoted through legit movies and him, with his becoming something of a cultural icon—but now, his world is clearly in danger of collapsing all over him.
 
The 67-year-old Jeremy--who starred in thousands of porn films over probably a nearly 50-year period, and who also appeared in a number of legit films too--has been indicted on more than 30 sexual assault counts involving 21 victims dating back to 1996, or a quarter-century ago.
 
The alleged victims were said to range in age from 15 to 51.
 
Yesterday, he pleased not guilty to the charges in a court in Los Angeles, but the charges are pretty virulent.
 
They include 12 counts of forcible rape; and several other heinous charges, including one count of committing a lewd act upon a child.
 
The porn star is due in court for a pretrial conference on Oct. 12, and he has not been able to post bail of $6.6 million, so he remains in jail.
 
How in the heck did perhaps the number-one male porn star in the world find himself in the position he is in now?
 
I can’t figure it out myself, but I have some thoughts on it.
 
In his world, everything seems to be permissible, as long as it is being filmed for mass consumption.
 
The men and women who work in this part of the entertainment business know full well what they are getting into when they agree to participate in these films, and whatever gratification it gives them—monetary or otherwise—they do what they have to do, and like the rest of us, when the workday is up, they go home, watch some TV, and go to sleep.
 
But I think that Jeremy probably got so enraptured by the porn star thing that in his world, probably fantasy and reality kind of got all mixed up, jumbled into one.
 
He made thousands of personal appearances around the country to promote his movies and to promote himself, and he kind of forgot that even in the porn trade, what goes on on screen and what goes on in real life are not one and the same.
 
I don’t know too much about the allegations against him, but I will bet that he used his porn star persona to “get to know” several women outside of the business, if you know what I mean, and, well, maybe he got to know them too well, again if you know what I mean.
 
And in today’s world, you can cry “foul!”—and worse words—10, 20, 30, 40, and even 50 and 60 years after the fact.
 
Just ask Bill Cosby about that. And while you do that, speak to Bob Dylan, too.
 
Perhaps Jeremy simply went too far with some women, and he should have known better, that the real world is not the porn world.
 
But like with the Cosby case(s) in particular, I think you also have to wonder why and how the women involved put themselves in such situations; aren’t they somewhat culpable, too, for their actions?
 
I mean, they had to have known that this guy was a porn star … what benefit would they have to get to know him so well, if you know what I mean? How did they think that situation would play out? What did they think they would get out of this?
 
And again, why did some not say a word for a quarter centaury?
 
The alleged situation with the child is another thing. How would a child of such a young age get so close to a porn star, and even know who he is?

 
I am not defending Jeremy in the least. He is a true questionable person to be honest with you, never setting any boundaries for himself off screen, which I think even people in his field have to do.

Why he put himself in such situations, and in particular, with a teenager, is beyond my comprehension.
 
And times have changed. You can’t even look at someone else without them getting hysterical, and evidently, Jeremy didn’t just look.

A while back, on a legitimate talk show, there were two women guests, both porn stars of some renown. They both said they did what they did on screen, but off screen, they did not like to be, let's say, put in awkward situations, and held those accountable for doing what they did off screen.

They went into more graphic detail, which I won't get into here, but I guess it went beyond handshakes.
 
Jeremy has had an interesting life, no doubt about that.
 
He started out as a New York City school teacher, and somehow got into another line of work that made him somewhat famous.
 
His attraction was that he was an everyday guy who was able to do what he did, and I think that attracted both men and women viewers to him, never feeling threatened by him but almost envious of what he could do.
 
And now he is in jail and facing charges for doing things and being in situations that he should have known better about.
 
I am sure he will get his, one way or the other, but his reputation has been sullied … as if he had any reputation at all to sully after 50 years doing what he did for a living.
 
Yes, this is a strange world we live in now, a very strange world indeed.