|
|
|
Special
Projects
The Great American Fake Sale
A journalist exposes Movie Gallery's "back room" antics.
April 2004
Editor's note: The following submission came from a journalist who recently interviewed a former Movie Gallery employee. WARNING: This story contains graphic language
The Starkville, MS Movie Gallery deserves a bouquet for participating in the Great American Bake Sale, the proceeds of which go to help children in the United States who are at risk for hunger.
While their efforts are to be commended in selling cookies for hungry kids, I'm afraid they earn a round of tomato hurling for the cookies they sell that harm kids, men, women, and families in Starkville area communities. I'm referring to the X-rated backroom where Movie Gallery peddles smut.
The news media reports that Movie Gallery is a major hardcore pornographic video retailer. I never had the guts to walk into the store and ask to see the smut section for myself. Then I met a young woman who used to work there. The dialogue went something like this:
"Does the Starkville Movie Gallery have a backroom with X-rated videos?" I asked.
"Yes," she answered.
"Where is it?" I probed.
"You go in the store and off to the right there's a door that says 'Employees', then one that says 'Over 18'. That's it."
I continued, "Is it locked?"
"No. They have cameras but they're only six feet off the ground so people turn them."
"Really?" I commented.
"Yeah. I think it's funny. Sometimes they rent five at a time. They're expensive; they cost $6 compared to $3.99 for the others. They sell for $30."
"Oh, they sell them?" I asked.
"Yeah. They asked when I started working there if I objected to porn."
"Why would they ask you that?"
"Because I have to put the movies up when they're returned," she answered. "We laugh about the people that go in there. Someone caught a man masturbating in that room."
"How did they catch them?" I asked dumbfounded.
"Well, they noticed the camera was turned and went to check." I hardly knew how to follow up on that revelation. I thought about the men that go in there and the images that fill their minds, I thought about kids standing a few feet away picking out their own movies, I thought about the pornography industry and the women that participate in the films, I thought about the young woman who used to work there and others like her that have to go into that back room. It made me sad.
Somehow knowing that Movie Gallery was baking cookies for hungry kids didn't make me feel any better.
|
|
|
