I've been following Titus Low's case lately as it represents a clash of personal liberties and social engineering. How much freedom is too much? And if things are governed by consent of free individuals, is that enough to permit certain behaviors in the society?
Obviously, the answer to that question in the West would largely be "yes" - but not so in Singapore, of course.
In this case I lean on the side of social engineering, though, despite my general embrace of individual freedoms and personal independence.I think there's a fundamental difference between consenting to things that are largely private (like being in a homosexual relationship) and doing something that you promote or that may be accessed publicly, even if for a fee - or perhaps ESPECIALLY if it's for a fee.At that point it is no longer about interactions between consenting adults (creator and his subscribers) but is a career that becomes an option for other - typically young - people.
The effect is exacerbated by the media coverage of how much money quite a few creators - often random, regular people - are making. Titus himself admitted to bringing in 5-figures a month, easily - that's more than many with decades of experience earn in their 40s or 50s.
How many have been encouraged to at least try this avenue of making money instead of pursuing endeavors that are more beneficial to the society and the country as a whole, even if they require significantly more effort than pulling your pants down and produce a much lower paycheck?Personally I'm not opposed to pornography or the porn industry in general. But by its nature it provided certain barriers of entry - you had to find a job, apply, go through a certain recruitment process and so on.OnlyFans has reduced it to a webcam in your bedroom. And while it is a remarkable example of how consumer technology is revolutionizing yet another industry, I don't think this sort of "progress" is what we should all be happy about - or allow to exist in the public sphere.Not because these things are inherently immoral or evil but rather that it is not something we all collectively benefit from being promoted to our children.Extremely low barriers of entry coupled with the possibility of a high reward, make it especially alluring to the young who, as Titus, want to find a foothold in their early years of adult life.While it's easy for 20-somethings to use big words like "consent" they do not seem to possess the ability to judge long-term their actions may have on their own lives.
What sounds like a great, profitable gig in your 20s, could burden and pigeonhole you for life - particularly if you are widely recognized for your recordings. It may make meaningful employment much more difficult as you grow older - particularly as the only thing you can place in your CV in your formative years is waving your genitals on video. Is that what you want to do until retirement?Needless to say, it also affects your personal relationships and considerably narrows the pool of people who will treat you seriously.Are these factors taken into account by an impressionable youngster who thinks he has figured out how to get rich quickly without leaving his house? Unlikely.Singapore is probably not going to be significantly affected, given the existence of laws that already got someone like Titus in trouble (although I'm aware there are many others who simply do better to hide their identities).But I have to say that the state of humanity concerns me, given that there are already 1.5 million creators on OF (overwhelmingly erotic or outright pornographic) with 170+ million subscribers. And I'm pretty sure there are many more who are eager to give it a shot.
Should we let them?
