Frederick Lane III, author, attorney, and adult industry observer, was the featured guest on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Wednesday night. Lane and Stewart discussed Lane’s newest book, The Decency Wars: The Campaign to Cleanse American Culture.
With the cover of the provocative volume prominently displayed behind his desk, host Stewart quipped that the people of America clearly have spoken with their dollars, and “they likee the porn.” He and Lane continued bantering in what has become Stewart’s signature, irreverent style, with Stewart commenting at one point, “I’m sure the first thing Alexander Graham Bell said after inventing the telephone was ‘Can you hear me?’ followed by ‘What are you wearing?’”
Unlike some other previous Daily Show guests, Lane appeared relaxed and at ease as he made the point that his book discusses the topic of decency in America in great depth. He appeared to connect with the audience as he discussed how technology has been used to fulfill people’s desires. The episode will air again on Thursday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. EST.
The Decency Wars (Prometheus Books) explores the compelling history of decency in American popular culture, technology, religion, and politics. Lane is also the author of The Naked Employee: How Technology Is Compromising Workplace Privacy (Amacom 2003) and Obscene Profits: The Entrepreneurs of Pornography in the Cyber Age (Routledge 2000).
Eric J. White is the chief executive officer and chief scientist for Virtual Reality Innovations Inc.
