Date rape is no joke, but when you have millions and a signed waiver, who's going to prove it?
Girls Gone Wild creator and celebrity-glommer Joe Francis has apparently let his extended 15 minutes of fame go straight from his head to his groin.…
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Article comments
126 - Miguel Ramirez
While many people may find this work of Joe Francis offensive as it may be, the bottom line is that personal responsibility for moral decisions lie with each person. No one is forced to remove their clothes in public and by doing so you give up your right to privacy.These women who allow themselves to be filmed are giving up their right to privacy. Except for minors, who should't be drinking alcohol anyway, these are adults who may or may not be making poor decisions for themselves and should not claim legal rights for those poor decisions. I've never watched a single one of these videos and personally do not condone such acts, but each woman "bit the bait" and must pay the consequence for their own decisions.
127 - grtgrfx
This is kinda late (and the very botom of the column), but I thought I'd add my 2ยข.
First, it's not like straight, sober girls are conned into drinking on the GGW bus. If they drink, it's often several hours before entering the bus, in whatever club they were attending. Further, in many cases girls come back day after day to film more shoots. They know what they're doing and desire to go even further.
Second, partipants have lots of time to opt out of filming. It's not much fun, or sexually exciting, to fill out several pages of release forms thick with legal language, while finding and showing your picture ID or birth certificate to a cameraman as a producer asks you questions about your age and whether you know what you're about to do. This process can take up to half an hour, and is done even BEFORE the girls start to take off their clothes.
Third, GGW hires private detectives who check out every single taped girl for their age and ID before they can be used in a video. If the girls call later and bow out, the video is scrapped. If they can't be positively ID'ed, their footage isn't used. If their parents complain, GGW settles (if they can) before the shows are aired.
Fourth, GGW camera guys are, in fact, extremely good-looking young men, and it's no surprise in this era of instant hookups that many college girls would want to have sex with them. While this may occur (what camera guy is going to refuse free sex?), it's not common; the staff never touch any of the participants on camera, and anything the girls do is entirely voluntary. What happens after...well, let's just say that lack of sleep and easy access to alcohol makes for tiring workdays for a bus crew person. Sex isn't always on their minds.
Finally, it's a business, and many girls won't do anything for the cameras...at least not for a t-shirt. The crews sometimes spend up to $500 apiece to shoot girls solo or together.
The idea that teens are exploited for free is encouraged by GGW to tittilate buyers, but there are plenty of "ringers" in every video box. These girls are no more exploited than Jenna Jameson is when she shoots a movie. In fact, a fair number of GGW girls have moved on to prominent roles in Vivid and other adult fare. It's what THEY want.
So yes, Joe is often a slobbering caveman who mistreats women and takes advantage of young girls. He even dates some of them, which for a small-town teenager is a pretty amazing opportunity to get into the Paris Hilton lifestyle. But, he found a market niche and is getting rich off it in the same way that Kellogg makes Count Chocula cereal which is horribly bad and markets it to children on TV, or General Motors sells Hummers to uncaring adults, heedless of the fact that gas-guzzlers are a direct financial benefit to militant Arab governments which abet terrorists in the world. We give the Joes of the world ammunition by taking our clothes off on camera, and we buy the end product, pulling the trigger on ourselves. Whose fault is it if it kills us?
128 - grtgrfx
Oh, by the way...for those of you who have never seen a video of Joe's...they are NOT about casual titty flashing anymore; that was so '90s. Current issue GGW video features solo and girl-girl masturbation, insertion of objects including dildos and vibrators, oral sex and fantasy play.
Nothing is left to the imagination, and trust me, the videos, if rated, would be NC-17 or XXX. When they say CENSORED in the TV ads, they are. Heavily. The real thing is a lot closer to amateur lesbo hardcore porn. And that's why I know participants WANT to do it; no faint-hearted girl would do what these coeds are willing to.
129 - PeteMcGuiness
Joe francis is a pimp with a vision, i salute you. Remember ladies being stupid is never an excuse, YOU JUST GOT PIMPED..rock on joe..rock on
130 - G W B
Well the publisher and blogger are totally going to Hell! Huge fucking hypocrit that thinks shes funny! Hahaha hes not going to hell but she is! RIP BITCH!
131 - cristal65
So the dude is a fricking pig thats nothing new in the world of today but.... keep the shit off the TV !!! My grandkids dont need to see this i cant even block the damn infomercials thru cable because they dont rate them !! I pay to watch tv and i dont have the right to block this as of now so my only option is to cancel cable or to start shit ! My option is to start shit by contacting all the stations that allow this trash on their stations. I have rights to not have to see this and I wish more people would stand up and contact these stations so we can get this off the our televisions. The only reason these are protected is because of a federal law from back in 1998. This has got to change.
132 - Your Mama
PhenomenON is singular; phenomenA is plural.
133 - ssherman68
It's too bad that girl didn't file charges against Francis for doing what he did. He's definitely a first class ass.
That notwithstanding, Dawn, you could have saved yourself a few hours by simply putting "Read This" and the link to the original LA times article. What was the purpose of rewriting it on this website? You don't present any new information.
134 - someone
This Joe Francis is a sick pig,no doubts...I am not a woman,but I really despise a 'man' like this bastard and so many other like him. But I must say that the girls involved are naive to the point that they are stupid,I mean,a bastard like that one pushes you around,how can one think 'wow,Joe's talking to me instead of these other girls'. That's just being a fool. I am sorry to see a pretty woman get humiliated,I really despise to see on the interned these photos of pretty woman with the mascara running down their eyes...what is this all about? What kind of 'men' are these? What the hell is this stuff? Can someone tell me? Do these women get paid to get humiliated like that? How does that work? This is crazy...
This world is really sick,I don't understand it,and I don't understand how these things circulate on the Net. I would love to make love to a beautiful woman or a pretty one,but I think I am,infact,just dreaming...the reality of this world is so different from dreams.
135 - The Truth
Joe Francis is not the issue.
Irrisponsible behavior is not the issue.
Anyone in Joe's position is going to be hated on by many.
Anyone who acts irresponsibly wil be hated on by many.
When someone gets Cancer, we don't just treat the symptoms. We try and find a cure.
136 - To Punky
As a 24 year old woman myself, I am disgusted by your opinion. You think that an intoxicated person has full control of what s/he is doing? How is a contract to be legally binding when one of the involved parties (due to intoxication) lacked the capacity to form a contract? That party should be considered incompetent.
I would also like to point out that in much of the legislation regarding rape, consent must be explicitly expressed ie. silence is not consent. A person being attacked may be so overcome with fear and intimidation that s/he cannot voice consent. We had a disturbing case, R. v. Ewanchuk, in which the defense of "implied consent," which was actually brought up by a judge, was ultimately shot down by the Supreme Court of Canada. Just imagine having an aggressive attacker who is physically stronger than you on top of you--would you not feel a little intimidated? Many people feel that if they are polite to the attacker, s/he will let him/her go. Many people lose control of their motor skills when they are subject to trauma. I realize that in the U.S. criminal law is divided by state (whereas in Canada we apply The Criminal Code to all provinces and territories), but I just thought I would respond to the poster who said that saying 'it hurts' is different from saying 'no'. In Canada we would find a lack of consent in both cases and would therefore find this sexual act to constitute rape. Check your state's legislation and case law (how that legislation has been interpreted) to find out what constitutes consent in your particular location.
For all those who say, 'if you can't handle your liquor, don't drink,' have you even considered the fact that many of these teens are consuming alcohol for the first time? They do not have any idea of the nature of the impairment that alcohol imposes on their judgement. And for those who claim that in their drunken experiences they could still remember everything they did, and make clear decisions about their actions, let me remind you that your experience is not universal. Alcohol affects each individual differently, and many people black out when they consume too much. People who have family histories of substance abuse have very different reactions to alcohol than those who do not--it's genetics.
But this is not even the issue, as once intoxicated (whoever you are), you are incapable of making fully informed decisions. Your brain cannot process information and apply logic in the same way as it can when you are sober.
I think it is pathetic that we live in times where it is still acceptable and even encouraged to blame victims. I rarely drink, and do not think it is a very wise decision to become intoxicated. However, when someone does make the decision to become intoxicated, that does not mean that this person is consenting to any activity that will result from his/her intoxication--and it certainly does not give me the right to take advantage of him/her. Blaming the victims and/or calling defenders of these victims including Dawn a 'whore' or 'slut' reveals a lot about your own character. You are just too afraid to confront your own lack of morals, and instead find it easier to blame victims for theirs. I also don't see how you consider calling Dawn or anyone else a 'slut' or 'whore' an intelligent remark. Please do not post; your filth is not worth reading.
I also hope that those who believe that "Joe Francis is a genius" seriously consider the implications of their statements. I cannot believe one of you has children and would love to see your right to parent forfeited.
137 - Judy
Excellent article. Well written and describes what a scumbag this guy is.. Isn't it wonderful making your fortune from naive, drunk young girls?
138 - John Smith
Joe Francis's butthole before jail = o
Joe francis's butthole after jail = O
139 - jaden
Several points are being ignored here:
Every guy knows that a girls first time is to be treated with significance, not rather by handing her a paper towel to wipe off her crotch after you rape her with the herpes that Paris Hilton gave you. Then telling her to get off the bus. This girl was RAPED as her first sexual experience. She could be a mother one day...this could be your mother. She was in pain during the encounter, because of her anatomy. Do you still think she deserved that? As a rule, no woman/child wants her virginity to be taken when she is drunk.
Secondly, men get totally sanctimonious that women who drink deserve rape. Men are constantly getting wasted and injuring themselves because they are egged on. Can you imagine if men were rape objects (outside of prison) how easy it would be to rape them when they drank? Or talk them into having a threesome with their friend that they couldn't live down? The only reason this doesn't occur is because women are sadistic and men aren't the gender of desire in society and get to walk around at 4 a.m. without looking over their backs.
Really, what is the answer for you guys to stop women from "raping themselves" as you call it. No more drinking for all women. You buy these GGW videos, and one day you'll know a woman who was raped that you care about.
None of these women on these videos have any chance of a career. Doesn't that say a lot about how men never respect a women who takes off her clothes in public? Yet, they'll fantasize about her rape scene (not acted) & cheer her on in the bars and wish they could be the guy who goes home with her (but secretly think that she's trash). Are you OK that they threw their lives away for a T-shirt? Men are the ones sending the mixed messages not the RAPE VICTIMS.
140 - lovergirl
I never cared about GGW. I figured, if those girls want to go wild, let them. But when I actually saw Joe Francis, I was shocked to see that the mastermind behind the popular series was in fact a closeted homosexual with a terrible nose job who hangs out with Paris Hilton (the biggest fag hag and lowest common denominator). And as much as I enjoyed an earlier post regarding him contracting herpes from her, he wouldn't sleep with her unless she had a penis, which, if not for her video and photos, I would think she did.
I'm not sure if seeing the girls in these videos as victims is not the very thing that victimizes them. Why shouldn't women be able to get drunk and horny? They should. But that creepy homo behind the camera makes it, well...creepy.
141 - Hugh Jorgan
So...EVERYTHING claimed by a drunken girl with a morning-after conscience is the gospel?
And what's claimed by members of a presumably sober film crew doing their job is bogus...
Which are you:
1. spiteful feminazi
2. lesbian raving against all things hetero
3. rejected by GGW
4. All of the above
142 - Lawrence
Naked
143 - Cindy
Dawn,
What an incredibly well-written article. I'll have to read you more.
To the general population: People who take advantage of drunk people are predators. The girls are blameless.
A moral person does not look for weakness and then prey upon it. That is what sociopaths do. A good question to ask oneself--if one blames drunk women for not being able to make good decisions and holds predators unaccountable--might be: "How sociopathic am I?"
There is a phrase called 'rolling a drunk'--look that up while you're at it.
I actually heard there are laws that prevent contracts from being valid if signed when under-the-influence of intoxicants. What happened to those? Then again, I don't put a lot of faith in laws.
(lol--talking to myself, but just had to let that out.)