Yahoo is running a story about Ron Jeremy. He has just been indicted on thirty felony counts involving sex offenses. Jeremy was known as the “Hedgehog” because of his ability to perform autofellatio. For all you ex-cops out there, that means he gave himself a blow job. From humble beginnings he went on to stardom, screwing his way to the top.

I won’t argue that from San Fernando valley (where many porn films are shot) to LA County jail is a comedown. I take issue with the teaser. Can somebody who sucked his own dick on film, be disgraced?

Some people would look at the photo and swear that the dog is guilty, embarrassed, and apologetic. In other words he has brought disgrace upon himself. I would maintain that all the dog knows is, he got caught. There is no right or wrong in the dog world, just things one can do and others you can’t. Disgrace or embarrassment doesn’t enter into a dog’s consideration..

The use of the term “disgraced” in the context of Ron Jeremy represents the Balkanization of American society. The first false assumption is that Jeremy was already held in high esteem. Many segments of society would consider Ron Jeremy’s entire life a disgrace. The headline implies that the term disgrace is a function of whatever peer group one occupies. Nothing else counts. In the writer’s view, Ron Jeremy is a disgrace to porn stars. Nobody else’s opinion counts. By this metric, pedophiles become a disgrace to their peers when they have sex with adults. Politicians, if they are democrats, can never be disgraced, witness Blow Job Bill Clinton the serial rapist and Mario Cuomo. Among their peers, Jeffrey Dalmer, Ted Bundy and Rodney Alcala aren’t such bad guys, as far as serial murderers go.

Ron Jeremy may be a lot of things. Bur being charged with sex offenses did not lead to his disgrace. That train left the station long ago.