Turning a Blind Eye
Noteable as this news cycle winds down ( “Craigslist Pwns McMaster,” “Pandering Has Its Price,” “Craigslist 1, McMaster 0,” “McMaster’s Final Humiliation” ) has been the absolute disinterest shown by politicians and journalists in hardcore sex-for-money ads featured in journalistic media, no matter how numerous or graphic they may be.
Here are a few out of tens of thousands of “escort ads” featured on backpage.com adult classifieds owned by Village Voice Media, publisher of a chain of weekly newspapers. (WARNING - EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT):
- I am a nasty freaky girl who loves sucking cock (Chicago)
- An Irish blowjob and a cum showering rainbow (New York)
- Cum lay your hotdog on my bun for memorial day (Dallas)
- Doing men 18 to 65 with trucker parking (Toledo)
- Three holes anything goes $90 - GREEK included (New Jersey)
- Can u fuck my tight pussy hard ask for alexis - age 18 (Atlanta)
- Thick meaty transexual treat (Philadelphia)
- I luv 2 suk n fuk - age 18 (Phoenix)
- Deep throating full service freak (Orlando)
- I gotta big a$$ fat pu$$y big boobs need I say more (St Louis)
- Enjoy multiple orgasms with “Flavor” (Myrtle Beach, SC)
- Let me put you to bed backdoor available $80 (Columbia, SC)
- Ebony slut will blow u away wet n ready 4 u gfe (Greenville, SC)
UPDATE - Now deleted ads included photos of sex acts, and price quotes for: “GFE, BBBJ, CIM, greek, swallow, DATY, 69, facials, golden showers, anal”
UPDATE - Screenshot of ad cited above (CAUTION, EXPLICIT SEXUALITY)
These examples were “featured” ads for which Village Voice charged extra, such that this content presumably fell well within their guidelines.
It’s worth noting that these ads’ TITLES ALONE contain more explicit content than you will find in all craigslist adult service ads combined.
Could the blessing of politicos on voluminous pornographic sex-for-money ads in journalistic media have anything to do with the need for positive coverage and campaign endorsements from said media?
As for journalists, is it possible that criticizing craigslist is more career-friendly than taking their own employers (or publishing peers) to task?
May 22nd, 2009 at 3:26 pm
If Craigslist is charged with anything involving prostitution, the government of South Carolina should also be charged for allowing the internet to be used in their state along with allowing their roads to be used for the act of prostitution. They are accomplices also. Why not charge Ford because some guy drove a Ford to go have sex? Ford is therefore complicite as well. What about the cable company that allows the internet to get to peopls homes? They’re complicite as well. You can get paid to use your body all kinds of ways except for sex. Why don’t these states and governments go after real criminals instead of people who just want some sex?
May 22nd, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I think it is becoming obvious that cl is up against some very powerful puppet masters. Best luck. Many have fallen. Realize what you are up against.
May 23rd, 2009 at 4:58 am
Hellooooo-kids are reading your blog…..
May 23rd, 2009 at 5:39 am
Wow! I thought Buckmaster was Defendant McMaster’s #1 nemesis but it turns out Michael Arrington is truly defendant the defendant’s worst enemy! Make sure you click the first link in Jim’s post above to read the TechCrunch article (Defendant McMaster’s Final Humiliation). It is a masterful point by point dismantling of this arrogant blowhard.
As far as xxx ads in print media, Jim your post has opened up one helluva can of worms!
If these AG’s thought you would simply comply meekly and in silence, I guess they were massively mistaken.
Thankfully now that you are throwing punches like a true rebel, other sections of craigslist will remain intact and the destruction of our beloved website will extend only to the erotic section.
May 23rd, 2009 at 8:20 am
These Bush-era throwbacks like McMaster and that dolt Sheriff that harassed Mike Phelps are rapidly decaying. They’re just lashing out in all directions in their desperation.
Glad to see you stand and fight. That’s what prompted me to come to this site for the first time today. Keep fighting and you’ll win.
Regards,
May 23rd, 2009 at 11:56 am
This whole thing isn’t about sex, as strange as that may sound. It’s about culture. Large portions of South Carolina are being forcibly dragged into the 21st century right now, and lots of them are cranky and resentful about it. McMasters is counting on using this significant block of voters to land himself the job of governor.
And if there’s one thing that conservative, white, Christian, rural-minded people are unified against, it’s anything having to do with casual sex in its various forms.
For most of these folks, few things are more frightening than the idea that there are prostitutes in their city. They know it on some level, of course, but they willfully ignore it. The fact that there are gay people having sex, or married couples who maybe want to swing, or single people who are just looking to meet someone for a quick NSA bedroom romp — maybe right down the street! — is beyond horrifying.
But they’re afraid of far more than that. They’re terrified of anything new, basically. They’re terrified of the internet, of kids, of multiculturalism, of gay people existing at all, of open conversation, of other religions, of having to pay taxes and any number of other things that the rest of the country has long since moved on with. But those things can be abstract, and explicit images aren’t.
So, you can see why craigslist is an easy target. It represents a new, mostly open culture that exists in direct opposition to the repressive one they’ve grown up with. The sex ads are just the most obvious example of this.
And this is also why it’s even more important that craigslist take the McMasters to the mat over this. He needs to be shown for exactly what he is, and South Carolina needs to stop listening to a repressive, highly visible minority that want to quash anyone with different personal morals from their own.
May 23rd, 2009 at 1:00 pm
In response to: Frankie C Says: Hellooooo-kids are reading your blog…..
I am a conservative mother…
It is not Jim’s responsibility to monitor what your kids look at, it is yours!
May 23rd, 2009 at 2:39 pm
I could give a rats ass about your troubles with the AG, what you need to be concentrating on is fixing your obviously broken flagging system. Letting people flag shit just to flag it is bull shit. And CL not letting you know why your post got flagged is also total bull shit. You guys are big enough now that you can hire some indian person to sit and go through any flagged posting to see if it is a legit flag. Keep it up and I can easily start a smaller version to siphon off visits to your sites.
May 23rd, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Can someone express themselves as an adult without cussing? It’s like I’m back in grade school. Michael your idea of constructive criticism is skewed…and if you’re so smart I would love to see you start your own CL and see how well you do…heck I’ll be the first to click your link!
Anyway…the real reason I wanted to comment is to say that throughout my adult life I have had much luck with finding things I needed on CL and I’m very grateful…here I found my very first apt with a wonderful landlord, here I found a lawyer charging a reasonable fee to file divorce (not a bright spot in my life but sadly it’s the case for a large population today)… when I got remarried here and had my first child with my now hubby here is where I found the most wonderful children’s items for a small fee, here is where I find focus groups that give me that extra income I need to make ends meet…so CL I want to say THANK YOU and I can’t understand why we have the need to find an escape goat for our societal short comings…I suppose it’s easier to blame someone else than take the responsibility of breeding the crooked!!! CL don’t give up ever…because you have meant so much to so many and I will always be grateful to this website for as long as I live!!!!
May 23rd, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Great posting Irene. I feel the same way…CL is such a social icon. It’s help so many people around the world. I think CL should just shut down there services in the states where AG’s have made suit against them and show them who needs who.
May 24th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Danny: Speaking as someone who lives in South Carolina, my take is the opposite. craigslist shouldn’t shut down anything just because some yahoo, blowhard AG thinks they should. If they stand up to him in court, he’ll lose and lose big. His bid for governor will suffer a significant blow. To shut down any part of craigslist will not only give this repressive tool exactly what he wants, but it’ll also cut off tons of people in South Carolina from a valuable service.
McMasters needs to lose. He needs to be shown that he’s not the arbiter of morality in South Carolina. And the culture here in South Carolina DESPERATELY needs craiglist and other things like it to help pull us out of this cultural tar pit we’re stuck in. And, stragetically speaking, it’s best if craigslist not back down from stupid challenges like this, because each one will nibble away at their services.
May 24th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Also, tons of prostitutes use Blogger — owned by Google — to sell their wares. I haven’t heard McMasters say anything about taking on the big G.
Here’s just one example from right here in Spartanburg, S.C. …
http://feelrealgoodinc.blogspot.com/?zx=a51289a5e4f904e0
May 24th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Political appearances seem to be completely negating any real changes today. Ratings and polling results rule almost every word and action taken. There seems to be almost total disregard to the results, if the constituents perceive something is being done about “The Problem” the right action or words have been taken. Children are exposed to more hours of pornography on prime time TV exponentially compared to Craigs List. Why attack Craigs List when the local (nationally owned) papers are packed with listings and the TV is over flowing? Craigs List is not an outstanding local community member in the public’s eye - it is new and easy to demonize. Unlike the national news media it really can’t turn on a politician and destroy their reputation or damage fund raising. With the diminishing classified ad revenues in traditional media it would not surprise me to find support for attacking Craigs List from that area. Bottom Line, with this type of attitude the War on Craig’s List will be equally successful as the War on Drugs, the exploitation of children will increase, and the politicians happily win their next elections having done nothing whatsoever to protect the innocent.
May 25th, 2009 at 8:05 am
CL should be thanking the AG for millions of dollars of free publicity and even more interest in their adult services.
May 26th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
No one cares about your little ‘tiff with McMaster anymore.
It’s over.
You lost.
Get over it.
Next?
May 26th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Dontcha think that porn is porn no matter where it’s at? Do or do you not promote it. And why, how, where, when, who, etc the rationalizations. Is C List for porn? As free speech or what? How is porn free speech. And what degrees separate it from being publicized in any form or manner. I don’t think prudence matters here but legality and so where does this leave this issue at. I got to think that porn is porn and not in the best interest of society. Got nothing to do with gay rights or free sex. If something is illegal it’s illegal. Dancing around thngs does not change what is illegal. If you ain’t doing something that’s illegal, then, what is the problem!
May 26th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Why is Craig List now pointing the finger at other media offering erotic service instead of pointing at the AG that wants to restrict free speech. As a result, it seems that places like backpage.com are reacting by censuring those ads. Not only CL weakened everyone’s free speech by caving in to the pressure, but now you are yourself part of the pressure to censure some speech.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:37 am
Can we please put a stop to the internet as soon as possible. It is clearly a bad influence on society.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:52 am
OK, why haven’t you stopped the internet yet? this is getting ridiculous.
May 28th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Dan, I completely agree. Craigslist should have stood their ground and continued to sue them. This would have communicated the core (IMO) of their argument: free speech. Instead, they’ve obeyed, confirming their failure, and made it worse by pointing out others who are ‘doing something wrong’, too.
CRAIGSLIST, YOUR A BIG WUSS!!!
May 28th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
I agree with the CEO of Craig’s List!! There are PLENTY of sites that list worse things than the Adult Section on Craig’s List. Why are the cops and Attorney Generals NOT going after EROS GUIDE.COM, ESCORTS SEX GUIDE.COM, TBD ESCORTS CHICAGO.COM and LAT in NC????? Check theses sites out and they make Craig’s List look good.
What about the girl killed in TX last week??? It had NOTHING to do with Craig’s List.
LEAVE CRAIG’S LIST ALONE.
Fight Back for Craig’s List.!!!!!
JOYCE
May 30th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
[…] real smut was on other sites that were being ignored by the South Carolina Attorney General. If you really want hard core porn and prostitution, Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster pointed out, check out Village […]
June 4th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Ok, although I have plenty of other comments to make the thing that is striking me the most right now is what the hell is “greek”? I’m totally intrigued now.
June 4th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
What is the difference between a whore and a prostitute. About a hundred bucks. As long as guys have penises we will always be looking for sexual gratification. Prostitution should have been legalized eons ago. Sure would be a peaceful world if all men got a nut. I speak for the single men out there looking for it. It is evil for the married ones who are fortunate enough to find a bitch to put up with his shit and put out for his ass. I hate infidelity. Married men ruin it for us single guys. Leave the working girls alone. It is cheaper to cut out the middle man. I should know as a soldier overseas. What the fuck do you god fearing mother fuckers want the soldiers to do. Rape. You married bastards get it by force anyways physically and financially. I exclude the dinner, dance, jewelry, flowers, chocolates and movies that your wives whore themselves out for. Yeah you were in my shoes once and you want to deny me what you get as a married man. I despise hypocrites. That goes across the board to you married politicians, clergy, judges, lawyers, officers in the military etcetera. You married men are the true culprits in adultery. I speak from experience with a cheating father. Life is a meaningless fucking joke where you need to make sense out of it for your sake. Just stay the fuck out of mine. If I want to solicit a woman without being tied down to a relationship don’t condemn me. Examine and live your fucking life until you turn to maggot meat. Just stay the fuck out of mine and allow me to attain sex anyway I can consensually. I am for ridding the world of porn if women would be allowed to put out for money. Most of us do not have the George Clooney, Brad Pitt looks or have money like Bill Gates to attain the attractive women or just women period. Life is a bitch for us until we die or get married………….John
June 6th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Amazing..it still amazes me….
A natural act…sex..
that almost EVERYONE on earth does..in one form or another..
and when between consenting adults..can at times be a “crime”..
Crazy….
Why, oh why do people react so??
And the naked body…you come into this world with it…and leave with it…but show a ladies nipple on national tv…even with a pasty…for a split second…and we (I don’t want to be included in that “we” statement…sorry) go berserk?? Worry about something that really matters!
While there are crimes that destroy lives, livelihoods, property, etc….
barely get a second look.
How backward.
I am ashamed…..at our government…
I am ashamed at us…for letting it got to this point.
I am even ashamed to say “our”. When did we lose control..
and now they seem to control us?
June 10th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Wow! John is my name, what a powerful post! No sugar coating there. You are bitch slapping us with the unvarnished truth. I feel you bro. I’m sure there will be some to disagree with your brutal frankness but as they say, the truth shall set you free.
It’s a shame that even with all that craigslist has already done, the politicians are still looking for more ways to force their beliefs on others. Now they are demanding that craigslist show proof of how the new security measures are being implemented. This despite the fact that across the board, ads in almost all cities are down by staggering percentages.
Now they are threatening to bring the same scrutiny to the casual section.
Despite those who disagree with Jim Buckmaster for exposing the hypocrisy of singling out craigslist while ignoring equal or worse instances in mainstream media, the strategy was effective.
Blumenthal and al have been forced to answer why it is illegal for craigslist but apparently ok for other media across the country.
Unfortunately this seems like a problem that will only get finally resolved all the way up to the supreme court. I am glad of the news reports that craigslist revenues continue to expand and I pray that the executives are amassing the required funds to sustain the fight all the way.
Meanwhile despite the bluster and hustle, absolutely nothing has changed. Women continue to sell it because men continue to buy it.
craigslist is an open and free forum in the purest form of the internet. At no time at all is anyone forced to any section of craigslist that they do not wish to visit.
In your house Mr Blumenthal and Mr Dart and Ms Madigan and Mr Cuomo, feel free to block all the sites you wish to block for you and your family.
In my house, allow me to make that decision for myself.
June 11th, 2009 at 1:04 am
Can we please put a stop to the internet as soon as possible. It is clearly a bad influence on society. So..whats going on ???
June 19th, 2009 at 8:19 am
You should be ashamed of yourself! You were too afraid to stand up to unreasonable demands and a media outcry, now you are bashing a competitor who saw a market opportunity and took it. I hope they wind up taking business away from you, just as you took away business from the established local newspapers.
Instead of fighting the illegal attempts to close down the Erotic Services section you capitulated to some blowhard state attorney generals and bowed to their outrageous demands. You have gone a long way to diminishing the credibility of Craigslist.
If you had stuck to your guns you would have won in court and gotten community support, instead you took the easy way out and gave in without a fight. The law was on your side and you know it.
I have lost what little respect that I had for Craigslist by the way you are conducting yourselves. I think you will find in the end that you have made the wrong decision, and in the process you have diminished our freedom and rights.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:44 pm
And so, begins the demise of one of the greatest websites. Craigslist was not only a commercial engine and resource, it was the mantra for societal change. Well, Rome did not fall in a day, neither will ebay nor Craigslist. But now, there is room at the top again. Hopefully someone will rise to the opportunity. Regulating the internet and it’s contents is like regulating creativity and freedom. And so here we are once again. Libertarianism is what everyone wants and has been proven time and time again successful. But no one wants to admit it.
June 24th, 2009 at 11:21 am
men will always seek erotic services…. Married, professional men! Get over it!
July 6th, 2009 at 10:33 am
craigslist has become the modern day everything. pennysaver, la xpress, the recycler, auto buys, wordpress blog style, all in one. 310 357 1391
regarding thge erotic services, i wonder if the powers that hate, thought that the site’s ananymity is what also kept the girls safe. i have talke to a few, and they do feel at a loss, and have simply chosen other, similar, yet solely dedicated to adult entertainment.
July 6th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Escorts are illegal, yea, and, BP has the same stuff, but CL is getting the hit. I hate the escorts, and they are all over CL posting more details then I am able to post with a legal Phone Sex Ad. But, I do have to say, once I finally fight and get an ad up, it does pay off.
I wish all the uptight goverment idiots would worry about something else more important, umm, like the unemploment rate, or the lack of decent health care for working families, or wait, how about the recession we are in…just some ideas for ya there.
Get off adult entertainers back and let us earn a living! CL, keep fighting, I don’t like the high price I have to pay now for an ad, but keep fighting…I love to hate CL lol
July 17th, 2009 at 8:17 am
I am a huge fan of CL - and have found Jobs, homes, cars etc. however, I was disappointed in your need to display the sex ad examples. Your point could have been made without doing so. Over the years I have never clicked on your “adult” ads because I am not interested in reading that filth and as I read your blog, there it was in my face. Should care more about offending your audience. Not cool.
July 25th, 2009 at 9:39 am
“keep fighting”?
CL was an advocate for a free web and free speech, until it came time to actually stand up for those principles.
Then they caved. Pretty quickly.
Despite having the legal grounds AND the resources to fight back.
So NOW that CL has opened the door to censorship, restrictions on speech and expression, they (and a surprising number of you!) are surprised that more concessions are being demanded?
I look forward to the day when people start realizing that if CL takes responsibility for what’s posted in ONE section, they must take responsibility for whats posted in ALL sections, whether it’s a free or a paid for ad.
Bought a used car off of a CL post, and it croaked after a week? Well, CL should’ve done a thorough mechanical inspection to make sure it was in good shape before allowing the post.
Hooked up for a date with someone from the CL free personals and got date-raped? Well, no question there; CL allowed that person to post without first doing a proper criminal background check, psych evaluation and calling them to find out what their intentions were.
Responded to one of those job postings that promised USPS jobs were now open in your area? Spent the money to get the materials and tests from the poster that you could’ve obtained for free? Pretty obvious scam to most of us maybe, but then why oh why did CL allow the post?
August 5th, 2009 at 5:40 am
Seems the police are trying to imply posting on craigslist is illegal.. Is it? The police are storming into private homes arresting under the premise of ‘assignation for prostitution’ or making date to have sex for money… when the girl neither agrees to anything they suggest AND never talk or take money.. also set up sting in hotels doing the same thing, all you have to do is walk through the door and you will be arrested, this is happening to girls that post and guys that reply to the post also.. they will offer the girl a deal to work with them to turn in drug dealers pimps and if you dont do drugs and know no pimp, they suggest the girl to work with them to set up clients.. this is a bunch of BS.. they should focus on arresting people doing real crime, if there is someone posting that is a potential danger to themself or someone else or robing or hurting people.. 99% of people posting are hurting NOONE.. appears they think this a way for them to get revenue.. Honestly, there NEEDS to be policing of the police.. Theyare THE BIGGEST THUGS. oh and did i mention the cop even get naked lay on bed then the police bust thru the door. the girl said nothing did nothing took nothing, still arrested… we must stand up for our rights, IT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO POST ON CARAIGSLIST, MUCH LESS IN THE PAPERS OR BACKPAGE ETC… SO WTF IS UP WITH THEM WASTING TAX DOOLARS AND POLICE MAN HOURS ON SOMETHING THEY JUST APPEAR TO GET AN ADRENELIN RUSH OFF OF?
August 11th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Hear hear!
August 13th, 2009 at 3:09 am
I haven’t been keeping up but I am sure that this is a corporate/political inside job designed to destroy CL because it is a threat to corporate monopolies. As the culture gets sicker and sicker of mainstream garbage offered in every venue, they will seek quality in places less traveled. I was just on the Strictly Platonic section and its unusable because its all porno spam now. This is being paid for by an insider operation design to make CL fall. Its time to DESTROY the mainstream political/corporate machine by utterly ignoring everything that comes out of Washington and Madison Avenue. No more TV, no more comments about these fools. Throw them in the trash!
August 13th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
HELLO!!! I’ll tell you why the politicians went after CL a little person known as the Craigslist Killer!!!! If that idiot had used Backpage to find his victims that would have brought backpage to the forefront of the news. As it stands none of those politicians have probably ever heard of backpage.com. Just like they probably had never heard of craigslist before him. The travesty is that CL is being punished for something they could never have controlled.
August 30th, 2009 at 10:17 am
FREEDOM. CONTROL. One requires individual responsibility inherit with choice. The other relieves us of such for we are only responsible for one thing: Obedience without grievance or debate.
Sadly, most Americans have difficulty untangling Freedom from Personal Preference. Personally, I DO NOT PREFER the human body with tattoos and body piercings, particularly mine. BUT!! I will fight till death for the FREEDOM of CHOICE for those who DO PREFER otherwise.
I’ve strongly & deeply disagreed, been offended and utterly repulsed by some of the material in Larry Flint’s Hustler Magazine, particularly parody of Jesus Christ. BUT!! I defend & support his freedom to do so. And so would Jesus Himself, I believe.
Evil lurks not so easily in Light of Freedom, but kills, steals & destroys in Darkness of Control. Human history couldn’t illustrate that more clearly. Yet, human history also illustrates our never-endng tendencies to lose balance & fall for the beauty & innocense of evil, only to battle again for Freedom after its skillful deception & ugly intent become unmasked, revealing so clearly its cold and clammy clutch of Control.
Lee is FREE…which doesn’t mean sex with me is also - unless I choose otherwise. You get the point.
Lee
September 29th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
CL can get the politicians and corporate media off their backs by accepting advertisements from pharmaceutical and financial services companies. Also the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Those are the people who control the politicians and media.
Think of the lobbying Craigslist could do just from the profits of Viagra ads in the personals section!!! HAHAHA
January 9th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I enjoy seeing websites that understand the value of providing a prime resource for free. I truly loved reading your post. Thanks!