"Paul gives Jason the ride of his life!"

[tampa24]

Somebody said, on one of the boards, something to the effect that, "Oh, all you guys who complain so much about all this, because you THINK YOU are the MODELS' friends, you should know, you ARE NOT - and this is just a BUSINESS, after all, so just grow up and GET OVER IT." I particularly dislike and reject this argument, for TWO reasons.

#2: Perhaps it's just my personal prejudice, but I think it behooves us to treat even STRANGERS as our friends. As people who have their own lovely lives, and joys, and sorrows, and friends, and families to go home to. And who among us would say to a construction worker, or humble window-washer. . . "It's so much more EXCITING when you take that helmet off - so PLEASE take that helmet off!"

For the management at Broke Straight Boys, that helmet is better testing. For some of us older chaps, that helmet is a condom, as WELL as testing. All I think, is that we ought to be AWARE, and CARE, about ALL of this.

Because, as I shall never tire of saying, MODELS are PEOPLE, TOO - just like you and me. They live, they breathe, they hurt, they bleed - and this is NOT a job "just like any other." Our models take great risks to help us out, with a little joy and weekly inspiration - and not only with their health, but with their self-esteem and (in this Puritanical society) their reputations.

Even if, and perhaps ESPECIALLY IF, we do not KNOW THEM, we ought to thank them, care for them, and treat them as our friends. This is NOT just one more commercial proposition - every model here - including those you may like LEAST, is sticking his neck out, JUST for US.

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In this regard, I'd say to Jamo, and to others who think similarly, YES: when models whom we love and treasure, like JASON, BLAKE, or PAUL, weigh the information given them, and decide to take the risk on "bareback scenes", OF COURSE, for those who care for them, it's a big, big, deal. And people WILL discuss this, and express their worries and their care for guys we care about.

If we DIDN'T, we'd be LESS than HUMAN, and anyone might rightly wonder if our consciences were amputated. I would ADD to that, we ought to worry just as much for EVERY MODEL. And we ought to worry, when EVERY model RIMS, whether he's been vaccinated.

When I found out that JASON was about to star in a bareback video. . . it really gave me pause, because, I LOVE JASON, SO. So I didn't get much done at work on Friday. By and large, the day was given over, to sorting out my feelings, and deciding what I would or wouldn't say, here - especially in light of Jamo's post.

Thank you Ambi, Jamostar and Mikey for some of the most substantive commentary on the BB debate so far.

In this particular post Ambi I obviously agree with you and want to copy your post for emphasis. You touch on several points that lead me back to the same moral question:

Are we...or should we be...our brother's keeper? For me personally, the answer is yes.

Not in the sense that we should impose our own belief systems on others and insist that they live by them. I do believe though that if we see a brother whose behavior, in words or actions or both, are putting him/her in harm's way either emotionally or physically...then I believe we have every right to speak up and warn them. Some might even say that we have a responsibility to do so. As Ambi has said, older doesn't always equate to wiser. However if one has wisdom gained from trial and much error and experience in life, then why not try to share some of that wisdom with another brother who is struggling? Or someone we would just like to help out and ease their journey in life? At the very least we should express to them our concerns if we see behaviors that are red flags to us. That alone shows our respect and love for them as fellow human beings. What they do with our advice and concern is of course up to them.