The New York tabloids have never been ones to shy away from a salacious sex story, so naturally they were all over the tale of a regular middle-aged joe, who was nearly accidentally strangled to death at a bondage club in midtown Manhattan. He didn’t die, thankfully, despite the scare, but even though no crime was committed and no charges are being filed, the New York Post felt it was perfectly appropriate to publish the man’s name, address, and profession on Page One, and even decided to call his wife themselves to break the news. Now today, they’re patting themselves on the back for interviewing the man in the hospital (while he was still groggy after three days in a coma) and getting him to renounce his BDSM “addiction.”
A few other media outlets are rightfully a little peeved about outing a private citizen for no other reason than to shame him for his legal, consensual and private sex life. “The Post will happily name every adult caught in a dog collar,” says a spokesman, which sounds like a good policy … provided they also name any NY Post/News Corp. employees who might also indulge in a little collar wearing on the side. Since editor-in-chief Col Allan is himself a noted fan of international strip clubs, maybe that would be a good place to start?
As our buddy Dan Savage points out, this is all part of a larger trend of the media preying on the public’s moral outrage about sex, while simultaneously spoonfeeding them the kinky smut they supposedly abhor so much. Like the Mississippi news station that tried to trap a sex shop in an illegal dildo sale, before turning them into a police department that could not have cared less. (By the way, Dan also recommends you ship that TV reporter your used sex toys since she seems so eager to get them off the street.)
· HANGY SPANKY + THEY BEAT IT OUT OF ME (nypost.com)
· Sexual Vigilanteism at the ‘New York Post’ (portfolio.com)
· “The Post will happily name every adult caught in a dog collar.” + “3 on Your Side” (thestranger.com)
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