What is a  porn star?

This profound question has never been taken on by even the great theologians of our times. Karl Rahner, Jurgen Moltmann, Kazoh Kitamori offer no insights. You can read their books if you don’t believe me–not a word on how to distinguish between a porn star and, for example, a whore.

The reason my mind is approaching this philosophical question is Las Vegas based “porn star” Joslyn James. James is one of the alleged mistresses of Tiger Woods. She also claims to be a porn star.  I am not sure how to transcribe this claim into Bertrand Russell’s symbolic logic or even a basic syllogism.

More than the others in this harem, James has promoted her own pre-Tiger fame.  James’ porn star status is asserted by her with equal fervor to her Tiger Woods kiss-and-tell memorabilia collection on her website (that also offers contacts for her manager, agent and for booking appearances).

James’ web biography makes an interesting  assertion: “After college she became an adult film star sensation… appearing in approx 20 films.” I am interested in this sentence for a couple reasons. Since the number of films is roughly equal to her fingers and toes, shouldn’t she be able to count how many? FYI: the industry standard is that a female performer working full time in demand can easily make 100 films or more a year.

As for being a “sensation” in the adult industry, none of my sources in the porn world (including a few top stars, a former industry magazine editor, an adult industry talent agent and an adult director) had ever heard of her until her Tiger Woods sexting fame. During her time in adult she seems to have won no awards for her films and made so impression on those who follow the industry as well as those who work in it. She did porn but was neither star nor sensation. Now, of course, they all know about her.

James’ web biography goes on to say: “She left the industry several years ago due to her 3 year intimate love relationship with Tiger Woods and has taken a break from the business since that time.”  Why would having an affair with a golfer make her quit her job?  How did she support herself?

Well, for our philosophical purpose, at least we know she was a porn star when she met Woods. Actually, no, that isn’t true either.  By her own account she was working in a Las Vegas nightclub. James was a “porn star” back then only in that she once made some naughty movies that no one recalled.

Now, she is working. And, she did not do it by making more porn movies. Currently she is at a strip club in Atlanta (posing in a green jacket, of course) capitalizing on Woods’ return to golf. Not that she approves of Woods being in Georgia. Her quote: “He shouldn’t have rushed back to play. … He uses these tournaments to go around being a philanderer. He should stay home and repair his relationship with his wife.”  Wow. But without him, who would hire her to strip in Georgia? Who would want to interview her?

James has become our first “reality porn star.” You made her that.

James was not known as a porn star before her alleged relations with Tiger Woods.  But thanks to the nation’s voyeuristic interest in Woods’ sex life,  James is now a porn star in the “reality” of our celebrity media.  This happened because the public’s  desire to see into Woods’ infidelities  reached pornographic levels and James satisfied that lust.

How did things work? What did he say? How did he behave? Was he good in bed? What were the women thinking?

James gave the people what they want: texts supposedly from Woods, and  e-mails arranging trysts as well as giving interviews, and photos of her body. (You can even dig up old scenes of how this woman in the Tiger Woods imbroglio had sex.) Unconventional, maybe; but in reality, Josyln James is currently a true porn star.

Does this make Tiger Woods an unwitting reality porn star, too? I will leave that to the next generation of theologians. (Photo: Sarah Gerke)