'Operation Big Bad John' Used 75 Cops, Six Federal Agencies to Catch 13 Sex Buyers
Naturally, they're portraying it as a success.
Moral Panic
Why Is Everyone So Willing to Believe 'Fake News' About Sex Trafficking?
"It's like we lack enough empathy to understand the choices of others, and therefore deprive them of agency."
Zara Pulls Not-Pepe Dress After People Complain That All Frogs Are Now Hate Symbols
Good job, internet liberals, you got huge clothing conglomerate to stop selling one of its few works benefiting indie creators!
Drupal Developer Larry Garfield Ostracized Over Involvement in Sci-Fi Based Kink Community
The scandal has exposed odd taboos in the liberal-leaning Drupal community and how hypocritical their talk of tolerance can be.
The Great Beavis and Butt-Head Panic of '93
Friday A/V Club: The McLaughlin Group vs. MTV
The Hypocritical Logic Behind Republican Plans to Ban Online Porn (Unless You Pay $20)
State lawmakers say porn is a public health crisis that causes rape and sex trafficking-but watch all you want as long as the state gets a cut.
Proposed Tweak to Internet Law Could Spur Seismic Shifts in Web as We Know It
A bill related to sex trafficking and Section 230 could have far-reaching consequences for web content, publishers, and apps.
Enough Stranger Danger! Children Rarely Abducted by Those They Don't Know
U.S. kids are no more likely to be abducted today than they were decades ago, and much more likely to be returned safely when they are.
Sad Legislation or SADDEST Legislation?: The Protecting Kids from Candy-Flavored Drugs Act of 2017
Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Grassley create instant cult classic with idiotic new bill.
Moral Outrage Is Self-Serving, Say Psychologists
Perpetually raging about the world's injustices? You're probably overcompensating.
Trump's Mythical Crackdown on Sex Trafficking
No, there haven't been an "unprecedented" number of child sex-trafficking rings busted since Donald Trump took office.
Refugee Rape Mobs on New Year's Eve Were a Hoax, Say German Police
Reports of mass New Year's Eve sexual-assaults by refugees in Frankfurt, Germany, are "completely baseless."
No Super Bowl Sex-Trafficking Hordes in Houston
Where were all the Super Bowl 2017 sex-traffickers? Living only in activist and law-enforcement imaginations, it seems.
Backpage Backed Into Corner Over Adult Ads. Is Government's Goal a Goodbye to Sex Trafficking, or Free Speech?
As Congress puts Backpage on trial, Section 230 is the big fish in this barrel of red herrings.
Pot, Video Games, Whatever. Teens Must Be Addicted to Something, Says Expert.
How to turn good news about today's youths into a demand for more government studies.
Sherri Papini Sex-Trafficking Evidence Almost as Flimsy as PizzaGate Proof
While the particulars of Pizzagate are especially outlandish, it's not a narrative that sprung up in an alt-right vacuum. Just look at the coverage of Sherri Papini's case.
61-Year-Old Ban on Pinball in Indiana City Set to be Repealed
In 1955, pinball machines were considered "against peace and good order, encourage vice and immorality and constitute a nuisance."
4 Incredibly Dumb Ways the Government Is Spending Your Money to Punish People for Having Sex
And making a mess of civil liberties and people's lives in the process
Operation Cross Country X: Everything You Need to Know About the FBI's Annual 'Underage Human Trafficking' Sting In One Chart
Sex workers and their customers made up 72 percent of arrests in this "underage human trafficking" operation. Human traffickers? One percent.
Clown Madness: Cops, Schools, and Media on Edge
A cop suggests putting "a cap in the first clown you see," a reporter asks if police "should keep track of sales of clown costumes," and more.
Friday A/V Club: A Short History of Phantom Clowns
This isn't our first freakout about imaginary Bozos.
Cop Issues Warning: 'If You Run Around in a Clown Suit, You Should Probably Expect for Citizens to Beat You'
Professional clowns fear profiling, vigilantes.
The Clown Panic Comes to College
Auburn University has issued a public-safety bulletin about the clown menace. Read it here.
Courage House Claimed to Save Sex-Trafficked Girls. Instead, It Used Them As Funding Bait While Playing Evangelical Christian Missionary
Courage House received about $9,100 in government support per month per girl it took in.
Pamela Anderson Warns That 'The Crack Babies of Porn' Are Nigh
In the Wall Street Journal, the ex-Playboy model blames online-porn for Anthony Weiner's texting troubles & kids propelled "warp-speed into the dark side."
Can Creepy Clowns Be Stopped?
A brief recap of maudlin (and often imaginary) clowns haunting U.S. towns recently-and why police can't stop them.
Friday A/V Club: The First Pokémon Panic
You don't need augmented reality to get people worked up about Pokémon.
NYC Councilman Completely Fabricates Child Sex-Trafficking Ring
Fourteen "attractive girls" have gone missing from the Bronx since July 2014, said Councilman Andy King, and he suspects the worst. There's just one problem...
Friday A/V Club: Pink Pistols, Bill O'Reilly, and the Lesbian Gang Menace
Cable news at its cable-newsiest
Friday A/V Club: The Terrible Things That Can Happen When a Pop Act Makes a Movie
An artifact of the last great rock panic
Social Cons Boycott Target for Complying with Transgender Law Pushed by Social Cons
The retailer is doing exactly what supporters of N.C.'s HB2 said they should do. Why are folks upset?
Friday A/V Club: A Sermon, a Song, a Murder, and a Media Hoax
In Memoriam: Richard Lyons of Negativland
Utah Governor Signs Resolution Declaring Porn a 'Public Health Crisis'
Drafted by the group formerly known as Morality in Media, the measure was passed unanimously by Utah lawmakers.
The Biggest Sex-Trafficking Bust in FBI History Was Totally Bogus
How two troubled teens and a cop with a cause got dozens of Somali immigrants on the hook for child sex trafficking.
Human Trafficking Is the New 'Crack-Cocaine Epidemic,' Says California Lawmaker
He's right, but not for the reasons he thinks.
Texas Mom's Paranoid Rant Spawns Viral Sex-Trafficking Rumor
"I've heard this is happening at Target, Walmart & Kmart; often in the mornings/before lunch."
How Maryland 'Neomasculinity' Blogger Roosh V Became an International 'Pro-Rape' Villain
A case study of collective catharsis through call-out culture and moral panic as meme.
Another Asian Air Traveler Detained Over Suspicions She's Being Sex Trafficked
"Flight Attendants and airline employees will be the 'boots in the air' fighting human trafficking," say federal officials.
Bizarre Baby-Selling Story Spawns More Human-Trafficking Hysteria
There's no such thing as a free baby. But human-trafficking hysteria? We've got that in abundance, thanks.
Friday A/V Club: Hillary vs. Superpredator
The 1990s saw a wave of weird warnings about a coming crime surge to be led by inhuman "superpredators." Guess who joined in?
