Posted on 12/05/2003 9:57:53 AM PST by presidio9
In the end, it was the hedgehog vs. the lesbian.
Porn king Ron Jeremy wasn't a master orator, but his name alone carried about the students in last night's 90-minute debate against author Susan Cole. Jeremy didn't have to speak - he had already won.
The debaters made short opening remarks and launched into questions from responsive audience members, who booed, screamed, laughed and jeered. About 825 students packed the Stamp Student Union's Colony Ballroom, and Student Entertainment Events security had to turn away about 200 students at the door, said Joi Freeman, SEE public relations coordinator.
Jessica Werner, a senior veterinary medicine major, got to the Student Union at 2 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. event. To pass the time, she made signs that read, "I Love Ron," and "Porn Rules."
"I thought there were going to be tons of people," she said. "I fantasize about him."
Ron Jeremy Hyatt, aka Ron Jeremy, fired off his remarks, often stumbling over the speed of his words, and leaned against the wall with his hands crossed during some of Cole's remarks. He was tired. It was all the sex, he joked. But from his stance, you could tell he is fighting a battle he has wonover and over again.
"We just want to be left alone," he said. "It's just junk entertainment. It's for entertainment. That's all it is."
About 26 years ago, his girlfriend (at the time) submitted his picture to Playgirl.
Somewhere around 1,800 adult films and 3,000-4,000 women later, Jeremy has a bit more baggage. He is unmarried, and finds little time for romance.
"That's the one drawback of porn - it's hard to keep a serious relationship because no one will take you seriously," he said. "But you know, you gotta know that on the way in, it's not a surprise. I mean, how many guys can go on the road and be rock and roll stars and expect that a girl's always gonna be there when you get home?"
But porn star status wasn't always Jeremy's dream. Porn was Plan C - a fallback from acting, and if that failed, teaching.
"I got a degree in theater, then as a safety got a bachelor's in education and a master's in special ed, just in case I failed as an actor," he said. "And then I quit school to do some theater, and saw the job market was horrendous. Then I went over to porn."
Jeremy's own background contrasted with Cole's assertion that porn was a graveyard for ex-cons and victims of abuse, who perpetuate the conditions they suffered through as children.
The audience took Cole's remarks with a grain of salt, often interrupting her speeches to make noisy comments on her arguments.
"My 15-year-old daughter is sexually active (audience claps), who is having sex in our house probably as we speak (more claps)," she said. "I come from Canada (boos). Was that [response] about us not sending troops to Iraq? (more boos) Is it about how we can smoke pot in Toronto? (claps, screams).
Cole, who openly admitted to being a lesbian, is the author of Pornography and the Sex Crisis and tours the country with Jeremy in debate forums.
The audience peppered Cole with serious questions, but directed most of its attention to Jeremy, asking him more about his experiences in the industry and less about his views on the current state of porn.
"We crack jokes, we f---, it's pretty simple." Jeremy later said in response to a male student's question: "How many times have I had sex in one day? I don't know. Ask your mom."
About an hour into the show, questions lost their focus, and the debate became less issue-oriented, prompting students to begin trickling out of the ballroom. After the show, fans lined up for Jeremy's signature, holding condoms, copies of The Cow Nipple, The Diamondback, Jeremy's new dvd, and dollar bills.
Freshman Carrie Fisher, a biology major, took off her bra for Jeremy to sign.
"I thought it was easier than lifting up my shirt," she said.
Backstage, Jeremy collected his things into a tote bag featuring the Powder-Puff girls, and double-knotted the handles. He said he wanted to reach a new plateau in the entertainment world - one where he didn't have to fall back on his penis - but "if that doesn't work out, I'll keep on f----ing."
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