Marriott hotel chain removes pornography from in house tv channels

[JessinAvalon]

Thought you might be interested in this story:

www.outinthelight.com/news/1923/marriott-hotels-cut-pornographic-videos-from-rooms

Note to those who are against the banning of porn: people will of course still be able to access via their own equipment - laptops, smartphones etc.

[David51]

Good news Jess

But don't you feel a little bit sorry for all those poor lonely businessmen?

'The change will affect nearly 600,000 rooms in the Marriott-brand hotels'

[hellymelly]

That is good news,and surprising.

[EightiesChick]

Nice move. It will at least stop people paying for it on their business expenses.

[JeaninePattibone]

Are we supposed to be celebrating something here?

As you say, it doesn't stop people using their own devices. In fact, this is likely to be the main driver for Mariott's move.

It's probably costing them more to licence the content than they make selling it to guests. Note they aren't switching it off overnight though - they are doing it as they roll out new technology.

It doesn't look like Marriott are taking any kind of moral stand - just deciding to discontinue an unprofitable service.

I could be wrong though. Perhaps it has something to with the companies Mormon roots. Then again Bill Marriott insisted that his faith, and support for California's prop 8, had no bearing on how he ran the company.

[marenmjinglebells]

lol, having been raised pretty fundie-Mormon I always thought it was pretty funny that Marriot allowed porn in the hotels given the Church's virulently anti-porn stance.

I mean, my mormon family won't watch anything with an 18-cert on advice from the Church.

[sakura]

were you raised Mormon, marenmj !

[nooka]

Good. I always feel really uncomfortable with the 'adult content' stuff being just so mainstream everywhere. I'm sure it will have very little effect on those that feel they really need to watch porn, but for those of us that don't it means it is slightly less 'in your face'.

[marenmj]

Yes, I was, sakura. I don't mind questions :)

I was raised "mainstream" Mormon as was DH. We both left the church about as soon as we were able. Our families are still active members and his is something of church legend/royalty. Mine is very mundane but has been consistently members since erm, possibly the mid 1850's. There's a lot of swimming upstream to be done wrt our families and Mormonism.

I've never been part of the more fundie sects, but my mother's uncle is and has 3 wives. So I have a bit of perspective there too.

A small note about Mormons though, they are very good at divorcing their business interests from their personal beliefs

[sakura]

"swimming upstream"

I'm reading Effigy at the moment, which prompted me to google the mormons.

IT struck me that it's very fully on, and quite difficult to break free from I should imagine.

Here in japan you get quite a few coming on missions, but I doubt they manage to convert many Japanese. Religions have never taken off here.

I've gotta ask... what do you make of the polygamy?

[marenmj]

Interesting. I tend to avoid Mormon-themed material because it either seems to be created by outsiders whose narrative never really seems to fit with the facts I am privy to, or it's written by insiders who are so enmeshed that they cannot see how narrow their vision is.

It is very rigid and very full-on. I find that people who need or like that sort of rigid structure to their lives thrive and do very well within the church, but people who are a bit more, erm, independant feel stifled. It wasn't hard for me to leave. I left as soon as I was old enough that my parents couldn't force me to go anymore (in part because technically the doctrine requires a woman be married to enter Heaven and to me that always seemed wrong). The worst part about it being so full-on is that there is no such thing as a casual Mormon: you are either all-in or you are anti-Mormon. I spent the better part of a decade being defined by what I am not - and have finally reached a point that I can just be what I am - that when I read "mormon" material it's very uncomfortable for me. For instance, aside from being complete shit, the Twilight series author is Mormon so the books read very "Mormon" to an ex-mormon and I don't like it.

My dad was a missionary in Japan over 30 years ago. He still speaks fluent Japanese and travels there a lot for business.

I'm torn on polygamy. On its face I have no problem with polygamy (vs just polygyny or polyandry) although I wouldn't choose a polygamous relationship for myself. The women I know in polygamous marriages are all very happy and live in mordern cities and have jobs and use facebook and seem to have genuinely chosen their lives.

I have a hard time with the current fad for it in the media because I think it is portrayed as being significantly more sexy/dramatic than it actually is/was.

There's a lot of good info about mormons and feminists and polygamy here

[JeaninePattibone]

Yeah, yeah, so you're a mormon. Good for you, but this thread is about porn.I mentioned the Mormon faith because it may, or may not, be related to Marriott's decision to eschew porn.

[SpawnChorus]

How rude, jeanine! Maren was responding to questioned, not hijacking the thread. Also, she's not Mormon but was raised as one. Try reading the thread before jumping in with your high handed tone.

[JeaninePattibone]

Yeah, yeah, so you want to talk about Mormonism (maybe you should start your own thread). Good for you, but this thread is about porn.I mentioned the Mormon faith because it may, or may not, be related to Marriott's decision to eschew porn.

[SpawnChorus]

Er no. I don't want to talk about Mormonism. What's all this "yeah yeah, good for you" business? Makes you sound about 14.

[JeaninePattibone]

Read the OP and don't try to derail the discussion

[nooka]

Discussions go their own way. There is no rule that you are only allowed to talk about whatever the OP has raised as an issue. Mumsnet would be a much more boring place if that was so. There is really no need to be so rude.

[whomovedmychocolate]

I hated staying in Marriott hotels because if you paid to use the Internet access it always showed up on your bill as 'adult services' which always made our expenses folks twitchy.

Hopefully this move will sort this little problem too.

[marenmj]

Well then, if you want to stay perfectly on point, no, it doesn't have to do with his mormonism. The Church isn't anti-porn, they are anti-masturbation.

[JeaninePattibone]

The management of the company have previously stated that their faith does not dictate the way they run the business. marenmj may well be correct - "[the Mormons] are very good at divorcing their business interests from their personal beliefs"

My view remains that this is a business decision rather than an ideological one.

Personally, I'm not anti-porn, but this doesn't bother me either way. It doesn't seem to make much difference. I'm no more, or less, likely to choose Marriott brand accommodation on my next trip as a result of this. I would be surprised if anyone else was.

[kittenshaped]

I think the twilight books are shte too but what are aspects are mormony marenmj? im intrigued?
i don't think many people watch the in house porn in hotels, its all softcore and at least £10 per film, with all the technology today it really is pointless. marriott would be better off selling wifi vouchers, cost less if its just wanted for a wnk but people will be more likely to buy them to access whatever porn they then want on their laptop...without the embarrassment of paying for it in the morning, im a hotel receptionist and cringe when i see theyve been watching it!

[LoveBeingADaddysGirl]

Another who believes it's completely a business decision, it's not making enough money so the costs outweighed the profit on the new tech.

[ThePosieParker]

I couldn't care less why they've done it's a good thing.