ORIGINAL

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

BY
C. EVERETT KOOP, M.D,
SURGEON GENERAL
U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

PRESENTED TO THE PARENTS’ MUSIC RESOURCE CENTER SYMPOSIUM
"RAISED ON ROCK ‘N ROLL -- THE SOUND AND THE FURY”

WASHINGTON, D.C,
OCTOBER 26, 1987
(GREETINGS TO HOSTS, GUESTS, FRIENDS, ETC.)

I WANT TO CONGRATULATE THE ORGANIZERS OF THIS CONFERENCE.
THE PARENTS’ MUSIC RESOURCE CENTER, IN COOPERATION WITH THE
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, THE NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH
ASSOCIATION, THE NATIONAL YOUTH SUICIDE CENTER AND THE AMERICAN
ACADEMY OF CHILD PSYCHIATRY, FOR TAKING THE INITIATIVE TO
ORGANIZE THIS EFFORT TO EXAMINE ADVERSE ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA
MESSAGES IN TODAY’S POPULAR YOUTH CULTURE AND CONSIDER HOW WE
MIGHT COUNTERACT THEM,

THE EFFORTS OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS AND THEIR STAFFS HAVE
PROVIDED YOU WITH A PACKED AGENDA FOR TODAY. BUT THAT, MY
FRIENDS, IS A VERY DISTRESSING PIECE OF INFORMATION. IN AN IDEAL
WORLD, WE SHOULDN’T HAVE THAT MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THESE MATTERS,
THERE OUGHT NOT TO BE ENOUGH GOING ON IN THIS SUBJECT TO FILL THE
AGENDA OF EVEN ONE DAY.
TODAY, WE ARE CONFRONTING A NUMBER OF ISSUES WHICH ARE A
TEST OF OUR FAITH...OUR FAITH AS CITIZENS...OUR FAITH AS
CONCERNED PROFESSIONALS...AND OUR FAITH AS HUMAN BEINGS,

PORNOGRAPHY IS ONE OF THESE,

WE PERCEIVE THAT PORNOGRAPHY IS A DESTRUCTIVE PHENOMENON,
WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE ANYTHING TO SOCIETY
BUT, RATHER, TAKES AWAY FROM AND DIMINISHES WHAT WE REGARD AS
SOCIALLY GOOD,
CERTAINLY ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT ASPECTS OF OUR CONCERN
WITH PORNOGRAPHY WAS EXPRESSED BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, MR, EDWIN
MEESE, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL SAID...

"IT IS ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT WITH PORNOGRAPHY WE ARE NOT
DEALING WITH ONE PASSING INCIDENT -- ONE MAGAZINE, ONE PLAY, OR
ONE FILM. WE ARE DEALING WITH A GENERAL TENDENCY THAT IS
PERVADING OUR ENTIRE CULTURE -- INCLUDING THE CULTURE KNOWN TO
VERY YOUNG CHILDREN.”

THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT OBSERVATION, IN THE PAST, WE'VE
BEEN CONCERNED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY WITH THE BOOK STORES AND THE
MOVIE THEATERS THAT HAVE SPECIALIZED IN PORNOGRAPHY. BUT IT’S NO
LONGER QUITE THAT SIMPLE. NOW WE HAVE ROCK VIDEOS WITHOUT
CONTROL AND FREQUENTLY VIEWED WITHOUT PARENT’S EVEN BEING
AWARE, MANY THAT I HAVE SEEN ARE SENSELESS VIOLENCE WITH
SENSELESS PORNOGRAPHY TO THE BEAT OF ROCK MUSIC.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL ASKED ME TO PREPARE A REPORT ON THE
HEALTH EFFECTS OF PORNOGRAPHY ON CHILDREN. THE CONCLUSIONS OF MY
PANEL OF EXPERTS WERE:

FIRST -- QUOTE -- CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WHO PARTICIPATE
IN THE PRODUCTION OF PORNOGRAPHY EXPERIENCE ADVERSE. ENDURING
EFFECTS -- UNQUOTE.

THIS KIND OF THING WAS REGARDED BY THE PARTICIPANTS AS
SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE, “PURE AND SIMPLE.” THEY
NOTED, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CONNECTION BETWEEN INVOLVEMENT IN THE
PRODUCTION OF PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIALS AND SUBSEQUENT INVOLVEMENT
IN CHILD PROSTITUTION.
SECOND, THE PARTICIPANTS AGREED THAT -- QUOTE -- PROLONGED
USE OF PORNOGRAPHY INCREASES BELIEFS THAT LESS COMMON SEXUAL
PRACTICES ARE MORE COMMON -- UNQUOTE.

THIS SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE, SINCE THE CONCLUSION IS THE
SAME THAT OCCURS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT VIOLENCE AND OTHER ANTI-
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES: REPEATED EXPOSURE TO THEM -- VIA TELEVISION,
FOR EXAMPLE, OR MOVIES SUCH AS THE SO-CALLED “SLASHER FILMS” --
TENDS TO BUILD UP THE IMPRESSION THAT PEOPLE ARE CARRYING OUT
SUCH ANTI-SOCIAL ACTIVITIES MORE OFTEN THAN IS ACTUALLY THE CASE.
THIRD, -- QUOTE PORNOGRAPHY THAT PORTRAYS SEXUAL AGGRESSION
AS PLEASURABLE FOR THE VICTIM INCREASES THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE USE
OF COERCION IN SEXUAL RELATIONS -- UNQUOTE.

I'M CERTAIN THAT THIS KIND OF PORNOGRAPHY IS THE CAUSE FOR
MUCH OF THE RAPE THAT OCCURS TODAY. IMPRESSIONABLE MEN -- MANY
OF THEM STILL IN ADOLESCENCE -- SEE THIS STUFF AND GET THE
IMPRESSION THAT WOMEN LIKE TO BE HURT, TO BE HUMILITATED, TO BE
FORCED TO DO THINGS THEY DON’T WANT TO DO OR APPEAR TO BE FORCED
TO DO THINGS THEY REALLY DO WANT TO DO. IT’S ANOTHER FALSE
STEREOTYPE. ..ANOTHER VICIOUS KIND OF MYTHOLOGY...BUT THIS ONE
ALMOST CERTAINLY LEADS TO THE PAIN AND EVEN DEATH OF VICTIMIZED
WOMEN.
FOURTH -- QUOTE -- ACCEPTANCE OF COERCIVE SEXUALITY APPEARS
TO BE RELATED TO SEXUAL AGGRESSION -- UNQUOTE.

THIS CONSENSUS STATEMENT, ALONG WITH THE PREVIOUS ONE,
COMPLETES THE CIRCLE OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE. IN OTHER WORDS, IF A
MAN SEES A STEADY STREAM OF SEXUALLY VIOLENT MATERIAL IN WHICH
THE VICTIM SEEMS TO BE LIKING IT, HE BEGINS TO GET THE IDEA THAT
COERCION AND VIOLENCE ARE ACCEPTABLE IN SEXUAL RELATIONS,

BUT THEN. SAID THE WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS, HE WILL VERY
LIKELY TAKE THE NEXT STEP. HE WILL CONVERT THIS ATTITUDE INTO
HIS OWN BEHAVIOR. IN OTHER WORDS, HE WILL BECOME THE PERPETRATOR
HE HAS BEEN READING ABOUT OR WATCHING IN PORNOGRAPHIC FILMS AND
VIDEOS,
ELETH AND FINALLY, -- QUOTE -- IN LABORATORY STUDIES
MEASURING SHORT-TERM EFFECTS, EXPOSURE TO VIOLENT PORNOGRAPHY
INCREASES PUNITIVE BEHAVIOR TOWARD WOMEN -- UNQUOTE.

THIS IS OBVIOUSLY IMPOSSIBLE TO PROVE BY CONTROLLED
EXPERIMENTS. IT’S DIFFICULT TO ACCUMULATE HARD DATA ON
PORNOGRAPHY BECAUSE OF THE OVERRIDING ETHIC THAT PREVENTS US FROM
DOING HARM TO HUMAN SUBJECTS IN RESEARCH, NEVERTHELESS, THIS
FIFTH CONCLUSION IS SAFE ENOUGH TO DRAW FROM THE FEW EXPERIMENTS
THAT HAVE BEEN DONE.
I THINK IT IS FAIR TO SAY, BASED ON THESE CONSENSUS
STATEMENTS, THAT PORNOGRAPHY DOES STIMULATE ATTITUDES AND
BEHAVIOR THAT HAVE GRAVELY NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES FOR INDIVIDUALS
AND FOR SOCIETY. THOSE OUTCOMES IMPAIR THE MENTAL. EMOTIONAL,
AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS -- THAT’S CLEAR ENOUGH
-- ANY MANY THUS CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE MORBIDITY BURDEN
IN OUR SOCIETY.

BUT LEAVING PORNOGRAPHY ASIDE, THERE IS ON TV AND IN THE
MOVIES A LOT OF SEX WITHOUT RESPONSIBILITY AND WITHOUT MORALITY.
10

WE FUNDED SOME RESEARCH RECENTLY THAT WAS DONE ON THIS
MATTER BY MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, THE RESEARCHERS FOUND, FOR
EXAMPLE, THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF STH- AND LOTH-GRADE GIRLS WATCH
BETWEEN 1 AND 2 HOURS OF SOAP OPERAS EVERY DAY AFTER SCHOOL.

AND WHAT ARE THEY VIEWING? THE RESEARCHERS REPORT THAT,
AMONG OTHER THINGS, SEXUAL INTERCOURSE BETWEEN UNMARRIED PARTNERS
WAS SHOWN OR DISCUSSED ON MID-DAY SOAP OPERAS ON AN AVERAGE OF
1,56 TIMES AN HOUR. THE WORST OFFENDER WAS ALL MY CHILDREN.
I]

IN THE EVENING, A LARGER NUMBER OF 9TH- AND 1OTH-GRADE GIRLS
ARE JOINED BY THEIR BROTHERS TO WATCH 3 TO 4 HOURS OF
TELEVISION. ON THOSE PRIME-TIME EVENING SHOWS, ACTS OF UNMARRIED
INTERCOURSE ARE SHOWN OR DISCUSSED ON AN AVERAGE OF ONCE AN
HOUR, AND THE WORST OFFENDER BY FAR IS DYNASTY.

THESE ARE NOT MY OPINIONS, BUT THOSE OF THE RESEARCHERS AT
MICHIGAN STATE.
12

THE SAME RESEARCHERS ALSO FOUND THAT OVER 60 TO 70 PERCENT
OF THOSE SAME STH- AND 1OTH-GRADERS SAW THE TOP 5 “R” RATED
FILMS, IN WHICH SEXUAL INTERCOURSE BETWEEN UNMARRIED PARTNERS
OCCURRED ON THE AVERAGE OF 8 TIMES PER FILM, THE WORST OFFENDERS
-- WITH 15 SUCH ACTS PER FILM -- WERE PORKY’S I] AND FAST TIMES
AT RIDGEMONT HIGH, A MOVIE SO POPULAR AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE THAT IT
HAS BEEN TURNED INTO A TELEVISION SERIES. AGAIN, NOT MY OPINION,
BUT THE RESEARCHERS!

OUR CHILDREN DON’T LIVE IN A VACUUM, AS WE ALL KNOW. THEY
LIVE IN A REAL WORLD OF PLEASURE AND DANGER, ALONG WITH THE REST
OF US. BUT WE HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE WITH IT AND SOME SENSE OF HOW
TO SURVIVE IN IT WITH OUR LIVES AND OUR VALUES INTACT, AND I
BELIEVE, THEREFORE, THAT EACH OF US -- IN OUR HOMES OR IN OUR
SCHOOLS -- HAS THE MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO PASS THAT INFORMATION
ON TO OUR CHILDREN,
13

I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE GOVERNMENT -- THE U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH
SERVICE IN PARTICULAR -- IS PLEDGED TO HELP IN THIS EFFORT TO THE
EXTENT THAT IT CAN. AS THE SURGEON GENERAL. I HAVE 10 TAKE THE ©
LEAD POSITION AND THAT’S WHAT I’VE DONE.

AS YOU KNOW MUCH OF MY TIME OVER THE LAST YEAR HAS BEEN
DEALING WITH THE ISSUE OF AIDS. I HAVE OFTEN SAID THAT MORALITY
AND SCIENCE GO HAND-IN-HAND IN THE PREVENTION OF AIDS. A MAJOR
CONCERN HAS BEEN SEX AND AIDS EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN, MY
EXPERIENCE WITH THE MEDIA HAS BEEN A POSITIVE ONE. LET ME TELL
YOU ABOUT IT.
14

FOR MANY OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY 1S
THE PRIMARY SEX EDUCATOR. THE STORIES AND CHARACTERS INFLUENCE
THEIR SEXUAL ATTITUDES, VALUES AND BEHAVIOR.

THE COUNTRY NEEDS THE ASSISTANCE OF THE ENTERTAINMENT
INDUSTRY. WITHOUT IT WE CANNOT WIN THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS.

1 TOOK MYSELF OUT TO HOLLYWOOD 10 MEET WITH REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE TELEVISION ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. IN PREPARATION, I
REVIEWED THE SHOWS "AN EARLY FROST”, "AN ENEMY AMONG US" AND
EPISODES OF "L.A. LAW” AND “ST. ELSEWHERE”. 11 WAS CLEARLY
DEMONSTRATED THAT TELEVISION HAS THE ABILITY TO PRESENT AIDS
ISSUES IN AN INFORMING, MOVING AND SENSITIVE WAY.
15

THE TELEVISION INDUSTRY HAS DONE A SUPERB JOB GETTING THE
BASIC FACTS OF AIDS OUT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THE
ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY HAS EDUCATED WITH FACTS IN THE CONTEXT OF
REAL LIFE SITUATIONS THAT PEOPLE CAN RELATE TO. AND THAT HASN‘T
BEEN EASY TO DO, GIVEN THE SUBJECT...AND GIVEN THE USUAL BRIEF
ATTENTION SPAN OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THEY HAVE BEEN
OUTSTANDING IN THE VARIETY OF APPROACHES AND FORMATS THEY USED TO
DO THIS COMPLICATED JOB OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.

IN FACT, THEY’VE DONE SUCH A GOOD JOB, ALONG WITH THEIR
COLLEAGUES IN THE PRINT MEDIA, THAT A GROUP OF RESEARCHERS AT
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY FOUND THAT:
16

QUOTE -- "BETWEEN JUNE 1983 AND AUGUST 1986, THE PERCENTAGE
OF THE POPULATION WHO SAID THAT THEY HAD HEARD OR READ ABOUT AIDS
INCREASED FROM 77 PERCENT TO 99 PERCENT.” -- UNQUOTE.

AND THEY GO ON TO SAY -- QUOTE -- “THERE ARE VIRTUALLY NO
DIFFERENCES AMONG DEMOGRAPHIC CATEGORIES IN THE PERCENTAGE OF
THOSE AWARE OF AIDS...MEDIA COVERAGE APPEARS TO HAVE OBLITERATED
THE ‘AWARENESS GAP’ BETWEEN POPULATION SUBGROUPS.” -- UNQUOTE.

THE RESEARCHERS LOOKED AT THE JOINT SURVEYS DONE BY A.B.C.

AND THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS AND THE WASHINGTON POST. BY C.B.S,
AND THE NEW YORK TIMES. AND BY N.B.C. AND THE WALL STREET
JOURNAL, AS WELL AS SURVEYS DONE BY ROPER. LOU HARRIS, GALLUP,

AND OTHERS.
17

AS A PLAIN CITIZEN. AS WELL AS YOUR SURGEON GENERAL, I VALUE
WHAT ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION HAS DONE FOR POPULAR UNDERSTANDING
OF THE DISEASE OF AIDS. 1 AM PLEASED TO HAVE READ IN THE
NEWSPAPERS THAT WRITERS AND PRODUCERS ARE TAKING THE SEXUAL
CONTENT OF THEIR PROGRAMS INTO CONSIDERATION RELATIVE T0 AIDS. 1
UNDERSTAND THAT MOVIE AND T.V,. CHARACTERS WILL BE RESPONDING TO
THE AIDS ISSUE, ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION CAN BRING THESE ISSUES
TO THE PUBLIC IN WAYS WHICH GOVERNMENT NEVER CAN,

SURVEYS HERE AND THERE INDICATE A MARKED SWING AWAY FROM
FREQUENT CASUAL SEX WITH MANY DIFFERENT PARTNERS FOR BOTH
HETEROSEXUALS AND HOMOSEXUALS, AND TOWARD LOW RISK SEXUAL
RELATIONS WITH ONE PARTNER. ..MONOGAMY,
18

WHAT MUST BE LEARNED OR RE-LEARNED -- AND CHILDREN ARE NOT
TOO YOUNG TO LEARN IT -- AND WHAT WE NEED TO REINFORCE AMONG THE
POPULATION IN GENERAL--IS THAT THERE’S MUCH MORE TO HUMAN
RELATIONSHIPS THAN JUST "GOOD SEX”, SEXUALITY IS JUST ONE ASPECT
OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS. IT’S SOMETHING...BUT IT’S NOT
EVERYTHING.
19

BUT IF YOU BELIEVE OTHERWISE, THEN YOU OUGHT TO PREPARE
YOURSELF FOR THE WORST, BECAUSE THE MOST DEVASTATING, FATAL
DISEASE IN RECENT TIMES--AIDS--IS NOW BEING TRANSMITTED FROM ONE
PERSON TO ANOTHER MAINLY THROUGH SEX...THAT IS, HETEROSEXUAL
RELATIONSHIPS AS WELL AS HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS,

THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
WHO ARE ENTERING A PERIOD IN THEIR LIVES MARKED BY GREAT
CURIOSITY AND SOME EXPERIMENTATION.
20

THE STD’S - GONORRHEA, SYPHILIS AND CHLAMIDIA ARE ON THE
RISE IN YOUNG PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY AMONG BLACKS AND HISPANICS, AND
WE HAVE A MEASURE OF THEIR SEXUAL ACTIVITY IN THE MORE THAN
1,000,000 UNPLANNED PREGNANCIES IN TEENAGERS LAST YEAR,

AND, IN THE PAST, IF ANY OF THEM HAD A MISADVERTURE ALONG
THE WAY--SHORT OF PREGNANCY ITSELF--WE HAD A NUMBER OF ANTIBIOTIC
THERAPIES TO BRING THEM BACK TO FULL HEALTH,

BUT A MISADVENTURE THAT PRODUCES AN AIDS INFECTION IS STILL
BEYOND THE CONTROL OF MODERN MEDICINE.
21

WE HAVE NO VACCINE TO STOP IT...AND WE WON’T HAVE ONE FOR
MANY YEARS,

WE HAVE NO MIRACLE DRUGS,..AND NONE IS ON THE HORIZON,

RIGHT NOW, THE VERY BEST WE CAN HOPE FOR IS THAT PEOPLE WHO
ARE--OR ARE BECOMING--SEXUALLY ACTIVE WILL HAVE A HEIGHTENED
AWARENESS OF WHO THEY ARE...HOW THEY CARE ABOUT THEMSELVES... AND
HOW THEY CARE ABOUT OTHERS. YOU CAN ILLUSTRATE THIS BY HAVING TV
AND MOVING CHARACTERS TALK OPENLY ABOUT SEX IN LOVING, CARING,
KIND AND CONSIDERATE WAYS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FAMILY.
22

"SEXUALITY" IN THIS “AGE OF AIDS” CAN BE BOTH LIFE-
GIVING... AND DEATH-GIVING,

BUT WE MUST "CHOOSE LIFE”. AND I WOULD ARGUE THAT “LIFE” IS
MORE LIKELY TO BE FOUND IN AN EQUITABLE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO
PEOPLE WHO ARE MUTUALLY RESPECTFUL AND THOUGHTFUL...LOVING AND
CARING,
23

IN SUCH RELATIONSHIPS THERE MOST DEFINITELY WILL BE SEX,
BUT IT IS SEX WITHOUT EXPLOITATION,

IT’S SEX WITHOUT FEAR AND DOMINATION.

IT’S SEX WITHOUT SYPHILIS, GONORRHEA AND GUILT.

AND IT'S SEX WITHOUT AIDS,

I’M TELLING YOU ALL THIS IN MY LANGUAGE,

BUT I KNOW THE INDUSTRY CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT...BECAUSE
THEY ALREADY HAVE,
24

I'VE SEEN THOUGHTFUL. CARING RELATIONSHIPS BUILT RIGHT INTO
SHOWS LIKE THE COSBY SHOW, CAGNEY AND LACEY AND THE GOLDEN GIRLS.
AND THEY’RE IN FILMS LIKE ROXANNE. LA BAMBA AND THE LIVING
DAYLIGHTS. THE BEST SHOW ON AIDS I HAVE SEEN ON AIDS IS A RECENT
EPISODE OF C.B.S’S "DESIGNING WOMEN”. IT COVERS ALL THE AIDS
ISSUES IN A SENSITIVE AND EFFECTIVE WAY. SOME MESSAGES YOU’LL
LIKE; OTHERS YOU MIGHT NOT. THE POINT IS THAT THERE IS A MESSAGE
FOR EVERYONE -- WHEREVER HE STANDS -- IT IS A MODEL OF QUALITY
AND PUBLIC SERVICE FOR OTHERS TO EMULATE.

ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION HAS BEEN PROACTIVE AND
RESPONSIBLE. FOR EXAMPLE AMONG OTHERS HERE ARE A FEW OF THEIR
RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES:
25

RECOGNIZE SEX AS A HEALTHY AND NATURAL PART OF LIFE
REQUIRING RESPONSIBILITY TO ONESELF AND PARTNER,

ENCOURAGE PARENT AND CHILD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SEX WHICH
INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT PREVENTING SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED
DISEASES.

RECOGNIZE THAT ALL SEGMENTS OF SOCIETY ARE AT POTENTIAL
RISK OF AIDS. CHARACTERS WITH AIDS SHOULD NOT ONLY BE
DEPICTED AS HOMOSEXUALS, INTRAVENOUS DRUG USERS AND
WHITES,

CONSEQUENCES OF UNPROTECTED SEX SHOULD BE INDICATED.
26

AND I’M TOLD THAT THE FILMS WITH A LESSENED EMPHASIS ON SEX
ARE ALSO "DOING GOOD BUSINESS", AS THEY SAY IN THE INDUSTRY.
APPARENTLY THE PUBLIC--AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR--ARE HAPPY
TO RECEIVE. ..AND TO PAY FOR... THIS KIND OF RICHER AND MORE
REALISTIC MESSAGE...A MESSAGE THAT, RIGHT NOW IS OUR BEST AND
ONLY PROTECTION AGAINST THE FATAL, SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE
OF AIDS,

THIS IS THE AREA WHERE ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION CAN EXCEL.
IT BRINGS INTO OUR LIVING ROOMS AND THEATERS CHARACTERS THAT
PROVIDE ROLE MODELS FOR OUR CHILDREN. CHARACTERS THAT COULD
DEMONSTRATE THE KIND OF SEXUAL RESPONSIBILITY. RESPECT FOR SELF
AND OTHERS THAT WILL STOP AIDS AND OTHER STD’S, UNWANTED
PREGNANCIES AND PRODUCE A GENERATION OF WELL-ADJUSTED ADULTS.
2/

ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS UNLIKELY THAT THERE WILL BE AN EXPLOSIVE
EPIDEMIC IN THE HETEROSEXUAL POPULATION, AS THERE WAS AMONG
HOMOSEXUAL AND BI-SEXUAL MEN, THAT DOES NOT REDUCE THE INDIVIDUAL
RISK TO THOSE WHO PRACTICE HIGH RISK SEXUAL BEHAVIOR,

SO, I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY, A FEW YEARS HENCE, WHEN I
MIGHT THANK THE ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION INDUSTRY AGAIN. BUT
THEN IT WILL BE FOR THE JOB THEY HAVE DONE IN ILLUMINATING THE
FULL EXPERIENCE OF HUMAN SEXUALITY AND HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS AND
FOR THEIR ROLE IN HELPING TO RE-COMMIT OUR SINGLE AND SINGULAR
NATION TO THE PRINCIPLES OF COMPASSION AND JUSTICE IN THE FACE OF
A DEADLY EPIDEMIC. TELEVISION PROGRAMMING, SERIES, MOVIES OF THE
WEEK AND DRAMATIC PRODUCTIONS CAN DO A LOT TO RESTORE THE SEXUAL
AND MORAL HEALTH OF THIS NATION,
28

I HAD ORIGINALLY PLANNED THIS SPEECH TO DEAL ONLY WITH
PORNOGRAPHY. BUT YOU ALREADY KNOW WHERE I STAND ON
PORNOGRAPHY, MANY OF YOU HAVE READ THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE
SURGEON GENERAL’S WORKSHOP ON PORNOGRAPHY.

I WANTED TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE ENTERTAINMENT
MEDIA, CONCERNING AIDS. I WANTED TO LEAVE YOU A MESSAGE OF HOPE
AND TO LET YOU KNOW THAT CHANGES ARE BEING MADE. THAT POSITIVE
MESSAGES TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE CAN BE INCORPORATED THROUGH THE
MEDIA INTO THE YOUTH CULTURE.
23

YOU KNOW THAT 1 AM NOT A POLLYANNA, IN FACT I’M OFTEN THE
GRIM PROPHET. BUT I SAY THAT, GIVEN THE PROPER LEADERSHIP AND
INCENTIVES, OUR SOCIETY CAN BE CHANGED AND I WILL JOIN WITH YOU
TO DO THAT.

AND, AS THE POET SAYS, “LET THE WORLD BE A BETTER PLACE. AND
LET IT START WITH ME.”

THANK YOU,