May I just say something? May I just be real with you for a second? I just got done doing some research on pornography……and I am REALLY wondering how long it’s going to take for this nation to SEE the consequences of it. I am fully aware this day may never come. I am FULLY AWARE of all of you out there who think my story is a lost cause….thinking nothing will make a difference in the minds of us sexual beings.
I am fully aware and frankly, if you don’t mind me being blunt, I don’t really care what the ratio is of the people my story reaches verses the people that spit at it. I do a small little research on the internet or read a little more of a couple books and I KNOW and am 100% POSITIVE that the few e-mails I receive every day of people realizing they want to live a healthier life are WORTH EVERY SECOND of persecution that comes my way.
I’ve said it before….I didn’t want to necessarily draw any more attention to my life than what was already there. I didn’t want to put my story up on the internet. I knew what it would bring…I knew the barriers and the persecution I would face…..but I’m doing it. I’m doing it because whether you like it or not, it’s enlightening peoples’ minds to see the detriment that their actions have caused their well being.
There, I went on a tangent and it wasn’t even what I wanted to talk about! It’s no secret that I think pornography inevitably brings damaging affects to your life (hah..)….but I am always very mindful and think everyone should also pay attention to where it really starts.
It’s one thing that we’re human and sex is a natural temptation for us…marketers have definitely played on this for profitable gain. Sure, the porn industry is a multibillion dollar industry, but how many other companies have been successful based on the old truth, “sex sells”.
From a very young age, ‘sex’ is everywhere. We catch on without even realizing it, being hit by over 3000 advertisements a day. More than ever, little girls feel they have to act or dress a certain way in order to get attention from boys. I think part of this is intuitive…nature…but I think most of how boys and girls interact with each other is based on what society says is appropriate. Where do our perceptions form? What is being communicated to us? Below are a couple of recent examples:
1. Britney Spears new song “Three” about a threesome. A few lyrics…
“Are - you in
Livin' in sin is the new thing (yeah)
Are - you in
I am countin'!
1, 2, 3
Not only you and me
Got one eighty degrees
And I'm caught in between
Countin'
1, 2, 3
Peter, Paul & Mary
Gettin' down with 3P
Everybody loves uuh
Countin'”
2. A Quote from a successful Chris Rock tour:
“Your man has been watching porno since he was 12 yrs old. He’s got these images in his head and he wants to relive some of this s**t before he drops dead. That’s right ladies, get up on it, get up on it. Listen to what I’m about to say…just because he “came”, don’t mean you made him cum!” (He pauses as the audience claps)….”Did you hear what the f*** I just said?! Just because he came, does NOT mean you made him cum!”
3. Just today, I saw a football commercial with Peyton Manning standing in front of huge screens. He was talking about how everyone needed to be watching football in HD for the crystal clear view of the ‘moves’ and ‘turns’, etc….all the while, the screens behind him were close ups of the cheerleaders from all the different teams. Not once was a clip of a player showed on the screens.
4. There’s a popular night club that advertises on a local radio station. Every Saturday night, there is a ladies award for the “Most Provocative Dancer”.
5. Advertisements like this are endless:
6. An example a little closer to home, is the fact that websites have stolen Dawson Miller’s picture for their advertisements, youtube videos, and dating website profiles just to get people to click or watch.
These are just a few examples that have stood out to me over the past week. Some of them might even seem ‘harmless’ to some…what’s so bad about NFL cheerleaders? They’re not doing anything bad. I think what’s most important to focus on is the message. What is the commercial communicating? If I were a 10 yr old girl or boy and happened to see that commercial, how would it affect me?
You see, it’s not just about if soft core pornography is as damaging as hard core….we’re affected WAY earlier on than our first view of a porno. I personally didn’t see my first pornographic movie until I was 16…much later than when most men start viewing but yet I had already been 100% affected by this world and what it’s told me about sex and how to be sexual.
In the next week, why don’t you pay extra attention to the subtle innuendos that are in our everyday life that either affects you or those much younger than you?
Thanks for reading! I know I got a little preachy, but it continues to amaze me the blind eye we turn to obvious red flags in our culture. :)
I have my days.....weeks....moments.
