The mainstream media is filled with stories these days about how, while most people are sheltering in place and practicing social distancing while they're out, several adult websites are, in their words, "raking in the cash" as bored stay-at-homers are feasting their eyes on clips, and adult performers who used to do much of their work on movie sets have turned to camming to support themselves during the crisis.
But the sad truth is that all of the major adult movie producers have stopped production completely rather than subject talent and crews (not to mention office staff) to the possibility of becoming infected with COVID-19 just from being close together for several hours. The result: Any "new" movies currently being advertised were shot weeks if not months ago—and when they've all been released over the next month or two, there'll be no new features until it's decided that this virus is no longer a threat.
Of course, the question on just about everyone's mind is, when will the coronavirus cease to be a threat so everyone can go about their regular businesses again?
Now, by and large, adult industry members follow a "live and let live" philosophy, and they generally trust that somehow, the government and its advisors will do their best to bring this pandemic (or at least the U.S. part of it) under control as soon as possible—and that they'll do that through medical science, despite the obvious cluelessness being exhibited by government officials from Trump on down.
Generally speaking, however, the Very Religious, especially evangelicals, aren't big fans of science. After all, they believe the earth was created by a supreme being about 6,000 years ago (when it's actually 4.5 billion years old), that this supreme being gets testy every once in a while, such as when he (it's almost always "he") decided to flood the planet and only allow as many species to survive as Noah could fit on his ark. And the Very Religious are convinced that it's because people "sin" that these catastrophes are "visited upon us" periodically, but that those who are "saved" don't really have to worry about the plagues, earthquakes, pandemics, etc., because if they die, they'll be going to heaven for the rest of eternity—and won't that be nice?
For instance, according to a report by Salon's Matthew Rozsa, "Christian evangelist Franklin Graham told Judge Jeannine Pirro on Fox News that the coronavirus pandemic happened because the world 'has turned its back on God.'"
"Well, I don’t think it’s God’s plan for this to happen," Graham told Pirro after she asked Saturday why God would allow a pandemic to occur. "It’s because of the sin that’s in the world, judge. Man has turned his back on God, we have sinned against him and we need to ask for God’s forgiveness... And this pandemic—this is the result of a fallen world. A world that has turned its back on God."
"Christians spend their entire lives fantasizing about what happens after they die," noted commentator Terry Firma on the FriendlyAtheist blog. "They tell each other that the wages of sin is death. The evangelical ones like to share their belief that the Christian God will one day burn heretics and blasphemers in lakes of fire."
But it's this "faith" that church- (and synagogue- and mosque-) goers are "saved" that's allowed certain clergymembers to put their parishioners squarely in harm's way with stunts like the one pulled by Pastor Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge, who was charged with violating an executive order that bans churches from holding large gatherings, but showed his defiance last Tuesday by holding a service that was attended by over 1,000 people.
And then there's Florida Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne of The River Church of Tampa, who was being arrested for holding church services on March 29 and for stating that he wouldn't close the doors of his megachurch "until the End Times begin."
Both Spell and Howard-Browne are represented by Mat Staver, an attorney with Liberty Counsel, the group that's defended a bevy of right-wing religious nutjobs—and Staver's taking his defense of congregations congregating very seriously.
"Sadly, during this national emergency many officials are using fear to justify illegal and unconstitutional actions," Staver wrote in an email to supporters on April 8. "And unfortunately, anti-Christian and anti-Jewish forces are pushing back hard on Governor Ron DeSantis, pressuring him to close every single Florida church and house of worship before Easter Day." (Emphasis in original)
(BTW, the company that insures Howard-Browne's church just cancelled its policy after the pastor insisted that he would continue to fight against "government tyranny.")
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UPDATE: The clueless Spell, according to The Hill newspaper, "says his church near Baton Rouge is expecting a crowd of 2,000 or more despite federal coronavirus guidance advising social distancing."
“Satan and a virus will not stop us,” Rev. Tony Spell told Reuters. “God will shield us from all harm and sickness. We are not afraid. We are called by God to stand against the Antichrist creeping into America’s borders. We will spread the Gospel.”
ASSHOLE!
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Plenty of officials have taken Staver's statements (or similar ones) to heart. After all, there are currently seven states—Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming—that have issued no stay-at-home/social distancing orders and have no plans to do so, even though the coronavirus is responsible for dozens of deaths in those states.
And then there are the ones who have issued such orders but can't wait to repeal them.
"Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, an anti-abortion Republican who is popular with the Christian Right, has called for an end to social distancing—even if people in his state die as a result," reported Alex Henderson on Alternet.com.
Patrick asserted, "My message is: let’s get back to work. Those of us who are 70-plus, we’ll take care of ourselves, but don’t sacrifice the country. Don’t do that. Don’t ruin this great American Dream."
And it's not just clergy and their representatives who want to make it easier for people, particularly churchgoers, to gather. For instance, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers did issue a stay-at-home order—but members of the State Assembly are urging him to cancel the order, at least as it applies to churches.
"It is more important than ever that we allow Wisconsinites to observe their individual faiths," Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and the other members of the Assembly GOP caucus wrote in an April 3 letter to Evers. "To that end, we ask that you work with Wisconsin churches and temples to allow them to hold Easter or Passover services, even if it’s outside."
And of course, for right-wing insanity, one doesn't have to look much further than failed talkshow host Glenn Beck.
"I would rather have my children stay home and all of us who are over 50 go in and keep this economy going and working," Beck told listeners. "Even if we all get sick, I would rather die than kill the country. Because it’s not the economy that’s dying, it’s the country."
Most recently giving the country a chance to continue dying is Rev. Patrick Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, who stated that he would today hold a Good Friday service under a 15-foot cross displayed at the Capitol Building. No word yet on how many showed up for that.
The point is, as long as these jackasses insist on treating the coronavirus as if it were "a hoax" and/or no more dangerous than a case of the flu, and who insist that people getting together—close together—in buildings to express their religious beliefs when they could just as easily pray alone in their "inner rooms" (as Jesus reportedly counseled) which some have interpreted to mean "closet," this pandemic will continue to ruin the lives of ordinary citizens—and kill a bunch of them as well, while keeping the world's economy in the crapper.
So while it might make those pre-infected, suicidal parishioners happy that it's in part because of them that no new porn movies will be made for the foreseeable future, the adult industry and its supporters don't have to be happy about it—and they damn well aren't!
Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
