We've all heard the slogan: "Fight the New Drug!" It's powerful and eye-opening, bringing to light the fact that pornography is like a drug in that it is addictive, detrimental, and infects a person's brain with warped reality. I see constant posts on social media with this same slogan. Fight pornography! This is usually followed by statistics. Numbers. The count of the guilty.
We hear it over and over. Pornography rips families apart. We see images of closed doors with men at computers. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the guilty.
Let's pause and think about this image. Just like a good Wendy's commercial can send a message to your brain that you really want a frosty right now, the stereotype of a man and his computer makes us think that men are the problem and that it is mostly middle-aged men with families. While they are definitely not exempt, they are not the only ones consuming pornography.
But let's even put that aside for a minute. Let's talk about people with addictive behaviors in general. Do I hate alcoholics? Of course not. Is drinking harmful? You betcha. I've seen the damage it can do. I've felt the horrific repercussions of it. Pornography is the same. I do know that families have been torn apart by it. That millions of people have suffered. But I also believe that many of the people who get hooked to the intoxication of evocative material can be just like you and me.
I've heard of girls who won't date men who have been or currently are addicted to pornography. I think this is a horrible attitude to have (people do need time to heal, so don't take that for more than it is). Instead of judging people (you know I hate that), instead of thinking, "Oh-my-goodness, I can't believe this sweet boy turned out to be a rat," let's take it into consideration that those people are not bad people. Can it get out of hand? Yes. Does pornography change people? Yep. Sometimes it changes them into bad people. But I'm going to point the finger at distributors more than I will point it at the viewers/readers/participators.
Thankfully, Fight the New Drug seems to be on board with this. They also agree that those individuals who get involved in pornography are not bad people. Statistics are interesting, yes. But it's time we looked deeper; there are people under those numbers. Good people who make mistakes.
Think about how easy it is to access porn right now. I could flip to a new tab, type something in, and have thousands of choices in mere seconds. That shouldn't be the case, but it is. I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally stumbled across it. Thanks a lot, Internet! (please read that sentence with sarcasm) Back in my day (that gives away my age, right?), you used to have to go to the store and pay for it. People still did it, but not in the numbers we're seeing now.
I remember when I first started college and thought chat rooms were interesting and fun. Sitting at one of the computers in the library on campus, I opened a room and butted in on a conversation. After a few back-and-forth conversations I was confronted with a question:
"Do you cyber?"
I knew what that meant. Even twenty years ago. I immediately replied, "Not interested," and signed out of the chatroom. I was surprised and upset. How could someone ask me that and be serious?
Now all a person has to do is accidentally click a link that takes them to photos or videos of various sexual acts. Once they've seen it, once they've had a taste, it's so easy to go back to it. No rejection. Instant gratification. And it happens to both men and women, male and female.
Balance is key. It's my mantra. You will hear me say it over and over again. Of course pornography is a problem. But people are human, too. We all make mistakes. I'd be a very lonely person if the people I love judged me by my mistakes. I think we need to educate our children, especially, about how to handle the problem of pornography should the situation arise.
Time runs by us. And it runs by fast. Things change, and now we have to talk to our kids about hard things when they're so young. But we do it. We prepare them for the worst because we have to. We teach them about forgiveness, kindness, and love. Because when one of us does fall, and we will, we will need each other to help lift us back up.
We hear it over and over. Pornography rips families apart. We see images of closed doors with men at computers. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the guilty.
Let's pause and think about this image. Just like a good Wendy's commercial can send a message to your brain that you really want a frosty right now, the stereotype of a man and his computer makes us think that men are the problem and that it is mostly middle-aged men with families. While they are definitely not exempt, they are not the only ones consuming pornography.
I've heard of girls who won't date men who have been or currently are addicted to pornography. I think this is a horrible attitude to have (people do need time to heal, so don't take that for more than it is). Instead of judging people (you know I hate that), instead of thinking, "Oh-my-goodness, I can't believe this sweet boy turned out to be a rat," let's take it into consideration that those people are not bad people. Can it get out of hand? Yes. Does pornography change people? Yep. Sometimes it changes them into bad people. But I'm going to point the finger at distributors more than I will point it at the viewers/readers/participators.
Think about how easy it is to access porn right now. I could flip to a new tab, type something in, and have thousands of choices in mere seconds. That shouldn't be the case, but it is. I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally stumbled across it. Thanks a lot, Internet! (please read that sentence with sarcasm) Back in my day (that gives away my age, right?), you used to have to go to the store and pay for it. People still did it, but not in the numbers we're seeing now.
I remember when I first started college and thought chat rooms were interesting and fun. Sitting at one of the computers in the library on campus, I opened a room and butted in on a conversation. After a few back-and-forth conversations I was confronted with a question:
"Do you cyber?"
I knew what that meant. Even twenty years ago. I immediately replied, "Not interested," and signed out of the chatroom. I was surprised and upset. How could someone ask me that and be serious?
Now all a person has to do is accidentally click a link that takes them to photos or videos of various sexual acts. Once they've seen it, once they've had a taste, it's so easy to go back to it. No rejection. Instant gratification. And it happens to both men and women, male and female.
Balance is key. It's my mantra. You will hear me say it over and over again. Of course pornography is a problem. But people are human, too. We all make mistakes. I'd be a very lonely person if the people I love judged me by my mistakes. I think we need to educate our children, especially, about how to handle the problem of pornography should the situation arise.
Time runs by us. And it runs by fast. Things change, and now we have to talk to our kids about hard things when they're so young. But we do it. We prepare them for the worst because we have to. We teach them about forgiveness, kindness, and love. Because when one of us does fall, and we will, we will need each other to help lift us back up.
Comments
Post a Comment