Week 7

     Last night we had a very interesting class. We talked about a topic that I feel I have a lot to say about… pornography. We read a couple articles, which basically all had an agenda leading to the same point: the kids in our society are being exposed to porn at younger and younger ages. For example, my mom is a middle school teacher and she teaches the seventh grade. I could not count the times she has come home in a funk because of the things she hears her students say (mostly pertaining to sex). I remember when I was in middle school, I vaguely knew what sex was (it made babies). I wore basketball shorts to school so I could play harder outside during breaks, I had braces (with springs), I thought boys were gross. These days, middle school girls look older than me, and middle school boys know more than me (not in the academic sense, if you know what I mean). There is even a meme I have seen where it says "me at 13" with some cute, dorky little girl beside a picture that says "13 year olds now"with a girl who looks like she's going out to a club.
     My mom does say that she has some students that still have their innocence about them. So, it is possible to raise your children with some sort of morals. However, with phones it is hard to tell what curious kids are looking at in their rooms all by themselves, or at a sleepover with friends. Sometimes, it is not the parents who are doing something wrong. I think the problem stems from kids being introduced to sex through pornography. They are too immature to realize that what happens in porn is not actually what happens in the real world. Then, when the time comes that they choose to have sex, (which is younger, too) they are strongly disappointed that it was not like what they see on their phones and laptops. Pornography desensitizes these kids so much that nothing in reality will ever live up to their expectations. I believe this causes people to sleep around more (hoping to find someone who resembles the girl/guy in a porno), and have to find something--for lack of a better word--kinkier. This thing could be child pornography or sadism and masochism. I find this such a scary thought.
     I am a religious person, and I do have many of my morals stemming from my beliefs. Setting all of that aside, I still believe that this is a big problem in our society. Children should not be introduced to something that is meant to be special by porn stars on the internet. Parents need to talk to their kids and let them know what sex is and what pornography is, because they are different. Middle school is an age where kid's minds are still being shaped and they should not be shaped by the garbage they see on the internet. To sum up my point, I am going to use an idea that was in one of the articles we discussed. The mom was writing to her son to explain to him that if he wants to watch porn, she cannot stop him. However, she does not want him to base his expectations of his future partner on what he sees because he will never be satisfied. I think this is the approach that has to be taken these days. Children have so much access that we can never completely monitor what they see. Instead, we have to talk to them beforehand and take a preventative approach. In all likelihood, they will see pornography, but it is up to the parents to let their children know the difference.