Kink at the Armory

The San Francisco Chronicle reported back in January that porn company Kink.com bought the abandoned SF Armory building, and now, thanks to the visceral pleasure I'm sure reporters get from typing out the word "Kink," everyone knows about the purchase and is aghast.

I'd avoided writing about this (something about not adding fuel to fire), but discussion has dragged on long enough that I can no longer hold my silence.

Plus, a Chroncile editorial from Thursday really got me steamed. Purports the editorial staff:

So, we'll simply point out that it's a bad idea to have a massive pornography filming company so close to schools, senior housing and young people who are in need of guidance...

They go on to quote one their resident expert:

"I can speak for the young men that I'm dealing with and tell you that this is going to hurt their behavioral health," said Dr. Kyra Bobinet, who works with incarcerated and high-risk young people at a neighborhood organization called Vision Youthz. "They already have a lot of confusion around seeing women as objects, and having this in their neighborhood is going to color their sense of normal."

What is it everyone is imagining will happen? That naked women will be strolling around the neighborhood? That porn will get flung out the windows on an hourly basis? That the day's footage will be projected on the side of the building?

The fact of the matter is that there are plenty of porn sets in close proximity to schools, churches, even the reader's own home--they're everywhere! In this age of Internet porn ubiquity, suburban porn sets are everywhere. While the kids are at school, while the neighbors are at church, while everyone goes about their daily lives, beieve it or not, porn is getting made. But we'd never know because porn companies can be just as discreet as anyone. In fact, they tend to be excessively private because they know how much they have to lose. 

And you know what? It doesn't hurt anybod, least of all the neighbors. If it weren't for the excessive media coverage, no one would even know about the intended use of the SF Armory building. And if people would tap into their rational selves, they wouldn't care.