If you listen to public radio, you probably know the name and voice of Jian Ghomeshi, the host of the Canadian radio show Q. Personally, I love the show because it makes my drive home late on Wednesday evenings more interesting. So I was absolutely shocked to hear on Monday afternoon (I think that's when I first heard it) that Ghomeshi had been fired by the CBC based on allegations of sexual violence. Very disheartening. If you haven't heard the news yourself, here's an article: Toronto Star.
What added to my displeasure in hearing the news is that most of the allegations concern events from years ago and that Ghomeshi claims that whatever happened was consensual. He admits that he's not a saint and prefers certain rough and demeaning activities in the bedroom but that he always uses safe words and acts with mutual assent. Perhaps it's because I like the man's radio show, but I felt bad for the guy as I asked the following questions: Why would these ladies wait until now to bring these allegations against him? Is it because they felt that the social climate is more receptive to victims of domestic/sexual violence? Or because after all this time they knew they wouldn't have to prove a false claim and they wanted fame? Why, if some of the ladies didn't want to reveal the facts because they were afraid of Ghomeshi's image and power, why are they coming out now when Ghomeshi is even more recognized and celebrated than a few years ago? Or is his greater fame exactly what the women wanted to gain something from the exposure? Is it fair that Ghomeshi has to pit his word against the word of these ladies, when we know the female will always win? How will anything ever be proved? Is it fair for Ghomeshi to be fired with no actual proof and with no corresponding police reports? And isn't Ghomeshi right, that what he wants to do in the bedroom is private and shouldn't have any public significance?
My wife can confirm to you that indeed I have been struggling with these questions. I will continue to struggle with these questions. And I'm sure that a whole lot of other people are asking the same questions, probably in defense of Ghomeshi. Yet there are two realizations that have made my questions irrelevant, inspired by my last question: 1) These women probably weren't aspiring to be recognized as one of the ladies who brought allegations of sexual violence against Jian Ghomeshi. If that is the height of their ambition, then they are beyond desperate. This isn't like the Tiger Woods situation. With Tiger, some women may have thought, "Hey, I can become a local celebrity by saying I've slept with Tiger Woods, even though it will ruin his image and marriage." I don't see anyone's thinking, "Hey, I can become a local celebrity by claiming that I've been sexually abused and violated." So we can't question the women as possible fame-seekers. The only motivation they could possibly have is revenge, which after all this time seems ridiculous, or that the allegations are actually true, and after all this time they've finally built up the courage to say something.
And, 2) Most importantly, it doesn't matter whether these sexual actions were consensual or not. To me, it really doesn't matter. I've said again and again that the trend toward more and more aggressive and power-hungry sexual behavior blurs the line between acceptable behavior and slavery. Seriously. I know that some women like being controlled and dominated in the bedroom, and many men obviously do, but that doesn't mean that we should accept, and thereby encourage, the nastiness of pride and power-greed seeking to exert itself in the most intimate of forms: sex. If we do accept, and thereby encourage, such behavior, and the men in the world who prefer such activity cannot find a self-respecting woman to demean, then where will those men turn to? What outlet will they have? I think we know the answer to that question and it's not a good one.
If we want to end slavery in the world today, I think we should take heed of Ghomeshi's own admission that he's not a saint. How many of us are saints? Not many. That doesn't mean, however, that we should ignore the spiritual emptiness that much of the world feels. Ghomeshi, whether he intended to or not, pointed to a spiritual emptiness and spiritual longing that has gone unmet in his own life. Many of us, too, experience the same emptiness and longing. I suspect, though, that the answer isn't in finding the next girl to dominate and rough up sexually--or to find the next man to abuse us sexually, if we're a woman, a path that will only lead us to the brink of and indirectly in support of slavery. Rather, the answer to our emptiness and longing, which create the impulse to dominate and abuse or to be abused and dominated, is to care for our emptiness and longing.
We don't need to condemn Ghomeshi, because so many of us are secretly or publicly suffering in the same way, but we also don't need to defend him because his actions, public or private, consensual or not, are truly dangerous.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Civilized Civilization
Recently on VPR I heard a story about human trafficking that occurred in the heart of civilized civilization, Great Britain, in Rotherham. Around 1400 kids, many boys, disappeared and were then pressed into service as sex slaves. This went on for years--obviously, 1400 kids don't go missing all of a sudden without anyone's noticing, and yet people did know about it AND told authorities. Why, then, was nothing done until recently? Ignorance and stupidity.
Look, ignorance--meaning, lack of awareness--and stupidity are common among authorities and law enforcement. Sure, I may be mostly libertarian, but still, I have no qualms with authority in general as long as it does what authority is supposed to do: protect and serve the public from harm, physically and financially. It absolutely astounds me when people in authority purposely shun their duty because they are ignorant or not thinking straight.
Last week I had a conversation with someone in a small town of Vermont where many kids have been accused and charged by the police for under-age drinking... without anyone's ever asking the kids where they got the alcohol. Isn't the illegal, willful distribution of alcohol to under-age kids a worse crime than the a 15-year old accepting the alcohol? Whether we agree with our country's laws or not, there is a reason why we have established the drinking age at twenty-one and the voting age at eighteen: we believe, as a country, that human minds and souls are not developed enough until eighteen to vote intelligently; we believe, as a country, that human minds and souls are not developed enough until twenty-one to handle alcohol, not because there's something inherently wrong about under-age drinking. It's not the same as stealing or murder. Why, then, would a person in authority crack down on a kid when the kid is simply proving the law worthwhile, rather than cracking down on the actual violator of the crime? We've deemed the kid, in our laws, as unable to properly make decisions concerning alcohol, so why blame the kid for that? We should blame and crack down on the distributor, because the distributor is basically saying, "Screw the law, I think kids should drink alcohol." Only recently have some areas of the country started to realize how poor the logic of our law enforcement has been and begun campaigns to investigate the distribution of alcohol to minors. Isn't it amazing, though, that it's taken us so long to realize that, considering the reason why we have the under-age drinking law established as it is, the drunk minor is not the cause or source of the real problem?
It's the same with human trafficking. On one hand, we're idiots and have believed that prostitutes and others who sell their bodies for sex are the real problem, rather than the behind-the-scenes pimps and producers and consumers that create and facilitate the on-going distribution of slavery; and on the other hand, we're ignorant and don't believe that human trafficknig or sex trafficking are serious issues perpetrated in our own back yards. In this particular news story, the authorities didn't do anything because they couldn't believe the reports. They were, apparently, also afraid of a PR nightmare: the brains behind the trafficking scheme were Pakistani, and nobody wants to appear racist. I do not belittle the harsh reality that racism still exists in this world and the very real possibility that Ferguson and other circumstances may be examples of that, but the fear of appearing racist has gone a bit far. When ignorance and a fear of that kind combine, then we do our neighbors a serious disservice.
The ultimate lesson here is that, while we might not be able to do much about the sometimes absence of logic in the authorities, we can at least ensure that our neighborhoods and our elected representatives are free from ignorance. Awareness really does go a long way. That's why I talk about it so much. Simply being aware can stop news stories of this kind from popping up. Indeed, awareness is also the first step in re-enforcing logic in our law enforcement agencies: if those with power know that trafficking is a real, wide-spread problem, then maybe they will accusing and arresting the victims, the helpless souls, and begin to crack down on the distributors, the producers, and the consumers.
Here's the news story, though I warn you that it might be tough to read. I'm getting tired and mentally and spiritually exhausted from reading about these stories. The reality of all forms of trafficking is just too cruel for me to handle: Rotherham Kids.
Look, ignorance--meaning, lack of awareness--and stupidity are common among authorities and law enforcement. Sure, I may be mostly libertarian, but still, I have no qualms with authority in general as long as it does what authority is supposed to do: protect and serve the public from harm, physically and financially. It absolutely astounds me when people in authority purposely shun their duty because they are ignorant or not thinking straight.
Last week I had a conversation with someone in a small town of Vermont where many kids have been accused and charged by the police for under-age drinking... without anyone's ever asking the kids where they got the alcohol. Isn't the illegal, willful distribution of alcohol to under-age kids a worse crime than the a 15-year old accepting the alcohol? Whether we agree with our country's laws or not, there is a reason why we have established the drinking age at twenty-one and the voting age at eighteen: we believe, as a country, that human minds and souls are not developed enough until eighteen to vote intelligently; we believe, as a country, that human minds and souls are not developed enough until twenty-one to handle alcohol, not because there's something inherently wrong about under-age drinking. It's not the same as stealing or murder. Why, then, would a person in authority crack down on a kid when the kid is simply proving the law worthwhile, rather than cracking down on the actual violator of the crime? We've deemed the kid, in our laws, as unable to properly make decisions concerning alcohol, so why blame the kid for that? We should blame and crack down on the distributor, because the distributor is basically saying, "Screw the law, I think kids should drink alcohol." Only recently have some areas of the country started to realize how poor the logic of our law enforcement has been and begun campaigns to investigate the distribution of alcohol to minors. Isn't it amazing, though, that it's taken us so long to realize that, considering the reason why we have the under-age drinking law established as it is, the drunk minor is not the cause or source of the real problem?
It's the same with human trafficking. On one hand, we're idiots and have believed that prostitutes and others who sell their bodies for sex are the real problem, rather than the behind-the-scenes pimps and producers and consumers that create and facilitate the on-going distribution of slavery; and on the other hand, we're ignorant and don't believe that human trafficknig or sex trafficking are serious issues perpetrated in our own back yards. In this particular news story, the authorities didn't do anything because they couldn't believe the reports. They were, apparently, also afraid of a PR nightmare: the brains behind the trafficking scheme were Pakistani, and nobody wants to appear racist. I do not belittle the harsh reality that racism still exists in this world and the very real possibility that Ferguson and other circumstances may be examples of that, but the fear of appearing racist has gone a bit far. When ignorance and a fear of that kind combine, then we do our neighbors a serious disservice.
The ultimate lesson here is that, while we might not be able to do much about the sometimes absence of logic in the authorities, we can at least ensure that our neighborhoods and our elected representatives are free from ignorance. Awareness really does go a long way. That's why I talk about it so much. Simply being aware can stop news stories of this kind from popping up. Indeed, awareness is also the first step in re-enforcing logic in our law enforcement agencies: if those with power know that trafficking is a real, wide-spread problem, then maybe they will accusing and arresting the victims, the helpless souls, and begin to crack down on the distributors, the producers, and the consumers.
Here's the news story, though I warn you that it might be tough to read. I'm getting tired and mentally and spiritually exhausted from reading about these stories. The reality of all forms of trafficking is just too cruel for me to handle: Rotherham Kids.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Sex Trafficking, Sex Work, and Yes All Women
My fiancee (if you've been paying attention to the promotion that I'm
offering, then you'll know she's only my fiancee for one month longer)
found this article and found it interesting: 9 Lies We Have to Stop Telling About Sex Workers. I find it interesting, too, and so am commenting on it a little.
First of all, this article is about prostitutes. The author, as far as I can tell, is what I call a high-end prostitute, and therefore doesn't really deserve the term of prostitute. We generally think of prostitutes as people who stand out on the corner of a street and wait for clients. Many prostitutes do that, but many prostitutes do not. Those who do stand out on the street offering themselves up for sale are the definition of a prostitute: from the Latin for exposing and offering up for sale. That is what the word means and it sums up what is going on quite well. There are others, though, who put themselves out there, advertise and sell themselves with far more agency. What the author of the article says applies to these sex workers more readily than it does to the stereotypical prostitute. A high-end sex worker does have freedom, agency, and can earn a significant amount of money (shouldn't be surprising considering how desperately our cultures are wrapped up in sex). With that said, this article is not about sex workers who are not working, who are forced into what they do. What this author says about human trafficking in the article is understandable, but a little misguided: if you are not in the world of human trafficking, how can you properly use your experience as a measure? Can I truly say, "Human trafficking isn't a problem where I live because I haven't met a single slave"? No, I can't; I know human trafficking is out there, and I will find it if I look hard enough. Indeed, my fiancee and I found it just a few weeks ago and we weren't even looking very intently. This author's experience with a certain form of sex work should not suddenly derail all the hard work people are putting into making us aware of how massive human trafficking is.
Before going any further, I do want to say that the general tone of this article is appropriate and much needed. Sex workers, pornographic actors, and of course sex slaves, are all human beings. Sex workers have lives with meaning, the same as all of us. Sex workers have the right to choose and make a living how they see fit, the same as all of us. This is a good and necessary reminder. Often we get so caught up in talk of human trafficking and forget that we are talking about human beings; often we make philosophical decisions on pornography and prostitution and forget that we are talking about human beings. At the heart of what we are doing is, or should be, the concept of full living: we are working to provide a full life to all people everywhere; not a life that is diminished or degraded by slavery or by the lack of appropriate choices.
While I appreciate this article (especially No. 9, since the same could be true for slavery), it's my last phrase that catches me up: we do not want anyone having to live a life diminished or degraded by the lack of appropriate choices. Yes, sex work can be work, but then what does that mean? Can we really separate out "good" sex work from "bad" sex work that is degrading or under the umbrella of slavery? Should we be okay with sex work, knowing that for at least some it is a choice of last resort, of only resort? Should we be okay with sex work, knowing that for at least some it will be degrading and will mean that they can never find work that they feel is meaningful? Or, perhaps more importantly, should we be okay with sex work, knowing that it's very existence and propagation are signs that our society is desperate for sex, meaning that our society survives without a center, without meaning, without sustained confidence, and without hope? If we respond "yes" to this last question, or respond to this last question by saying, "hey, your question is misleading!" then we must also be okay with the fact that sex work leads to slavery, for it is in our cultural blood to want what we want at the cheapest cost, at the least effort; and if pornography or high-end sex workers are out there offering us more and more of what we want, then eventually we will find what we want for less, for the cheapest: slavery.
At the beginning of the cycle that takes us to slavery is the lack of appropriate choices. We must be able to create a world where people can find meaning and joy and hope without having to turn to sex. The Isla Vista killer, Elliot Rodger, could not do that and so turned his rage on those that he perceived to be robbing him of his destiny. Well, how great would it have been if he could see that women are not his playthings, that women are not around for his enjoyment? How great would it have been if he could have found meaning without sex? How great would it have been if he could have found meaning on his own? Not all men are like Rodger, yes, but our culture breeds men (and women) like Rodger, who are incapable of finding meaning without sex, without power, without money. There must be more opportunities out there, there must be a greater standard of living for all people so that we can spend more time on ourselves and being okay with ourselves. Until that happens, the reality of Rodger and other men like him--indeed, the reality of slavery will haunt us.
Folks, we live in a world where slavery, in this case particularly sex trafficking, and fools like Elliot Rodger exist because we cannot come to grips with one simple fact: we are lost. The #YesAllWomen hashtag is necessary because we are lost; I'd even go so far as to say the unique perspective in my book, 27 Million Revolutions for 27 Million Slaves, is necessary because we are lost. And those who are so-called good people refuse to see how they are contributing to our cultural lost-ness by not doing anything. Our very attitudes must change. Sex should not be such a desperate goal, whether we are inclined to pornography, prostitutes, high-end sex workers, or murderous intentions. Sex will not save us, no matter how much Rodger may have thought so, no matter how much those who knowingly and unknowingly contribute to slavery may think so; only God can save us. And if we don't believe in God, then only we can save ourselves.
Changing our attitudes toward sex and love (and power) while simultaneously putting an end to slavery and all related activities are urgent tasks. There are human beings out there who are crying out for our help, and there are many women and men that we can preemptively save from bewildered idiots like Rodger.
First of all, this article is about prostitutes. The author, as far as I can tell, is what I call a high-end prostitute, and therefore doesn't really deserve the term of prostitute. We generally think of prostitutes as people who stand out on the corner of a street and wait for clients. Many prostitutes do that, but many prostitutes do not. Those who do stand out on the street offering themselves up for sale are the definition of a prostitute: from the Latin for exposing and offering up for sale. That is what the word means and it sums up what is going on quite well. There are others, though, who put themselves out there, advertise and sell themselves with far more agency. What the author of the article says applies to these sex workers more readily than it does to the stereotypical prostitute. A high-end sex worker does have freedom, agency, and can earn a significant amount of money (shouldn't be surprising considering how desperately our cultures are wrapped up in sex). With that said, this article is not about sex workers who are not working, who are forced into what they do. What this author says about human trafficking in the article is understandable, but a little misguided: if you are not in the world of human trafficking, how can you properly use your experience as a measure? Can I truly say, "Human trafficking isn't a problem where I live because I haven't met a single slave"? No, I can't; I know human trafficking is out there, and I will find it if I look hard enough. Indeed, my fiancee and I found it just a few weeks ago and we weren't even looking very intently. This author's experience with a certain form of sex work should not suddenly derail all the hard work people are putting into making us aware of how massive human trafficking is.
Before going any further, I do want to say that the general tone of this article is appropriate and much needed. Sex workers, pornographic actors, and of course sex slaves, are all human beings. Sex workers have lives with meaning, the same as all of us. Sex workers have the right to choose and make a living how they see fit, the same as all of us. This is a good and necessary reminder. Often we get so caught up in talk of human trafficking and forget that we are talking about human beings; often we make philosophical decisions on pornography and prostitution and forget that we are talking about human beings. At the heart of what we are doing is, or should be, the concept of full living: we are working to provide a full life to all people everywhere; not a life that is diminished or degraded by slavery or by the lack of appropriate choices.
While I appreciate this article (especially No. 9, since the same could be true for slavery), it's my last phrase that catches me up: we do not want anyone having to live a life diminished or degraded by the lack of appropriate choices. Yes, sex work can be work, but then what does that mean? Can we really separate out "good" sex work from "bad" sex work that is degrading or under the umbrella of slavery? Should we be okay with sex work, knowing that for at least some it is a choice of last resort, of only resort? Should we be okay with sex work, knowing that for at least some it will be degrading and will mean that they can never find work that they feel is meaningful? Or, perhaps more importantly, should we be okay with sex work, knowing that it's very existence and propagation are signs that our society is desperate for sex, meaning that our society survives without a center, without meaning, without sustained confidence, and without hope? If we respond "yes" to this last question, or respond to this last question by saying, "hey, your question is misleading!" then we must also be okay with the fact that sex work leads to slavery, for it is in our cultural blood to want what we want at the cheapest cost, at the least effort; and if pornography or high-end sex workers are out there offering us more and more of what we want, then eventually we will find what we want for less, for the cheapest: slavery.
At the beginning of the cycle that takes us to slavery is the lack of appropriate choices. We must be able to create a world where people can find meaning and joy and hope without having to turn to sex. The Isla Vista killer, Elliot Rodger, could not do that and so turned his rage on those that he perceived to be robbing him of his destiny. Well, how great would it have been if he could see that women are not his playthings, that women are not around for his enjoyment? How great would it have been if he could have found meaning without sex? How great would it have been if he could have found meaning on his own? Not all men are like Rodger, yes, but our culture breeds men (and women) like Rodger, who are incapable of finding meaning without sex, without power, without money. There must be more opportunities out there, there must be a greater standard of living for all people so that we can spend more time on ourselves and being okay with ourselves. Until that happens, the reality of Rodger and other men like him--indeed, the reality of slavery will haunt us.
Folks, we live in a world where slavery, in this case particularly sex trafficking, and fools like Elliot Rodger exist because we cannot come to grips with one simple fact: we are lost. The #YesAllWomen hashtag is necessary because we are lost; I'd even go so far as to say the unique perspective in my book, 27 Million Revolutions for 27 Million Slaves, is necessary because we are lost. And those who are so-called good people refuse to see how they are contributing to our cultural lost-ness by not doing anything. Our very attitudes must change. Sex should not be such a desperate goal, whether we are inclined to pornography, prostitutes, high-end sex workers, or murderous intentions. Sex will not save us, no matter how much Rodger may have thought so, no matter how much those who knowingly and unknowingly contribute to slavery may think so; only God can save us. And if we don't believe in God, then only we can save ourselves.
Changing our attitudes toward sex and love (and power) while simultaneously putting an end to slavery and all related activities are urgent tasks. There are human beings out there who are crying out for our help, and there are many women and men that we can preemptively save from bewildered idiots like Rodger.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Nigerian School Girls
A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine posted an article on Facebook. The article is written by a Nigerian-American named Jumoke. My friend headlined the post by saying, "Pushing the question of American involvement
in Nigeria. Worth the read and discernment. What am I even doing about
human trafficking in my own community?" I read the article and then wrote the following comment:
'Jen, your question is a good one and I thank you. The rest of what I'm about to say is not directed at you but at the American people who have looked at this story all wrong. A good rule of thumb is to assume that human trafficking is going on in our own communities. My fiancee and I just called the Human Trafficking Hotline the other day about a suspicion that is more than a suspicion. I ask, also; if the U.S. government were to get involved in every country where trafficking abuses are occurring, then, a) the U.S. government would be involved in EVERY country, which clearly oversteps our boundaries and possibly also oversteps the resources we have that we'd need to be effective; and b) we'd be more involved in trafficking abuses in our own country. The news from Nigeria really sucks, but, at the risk of sounding inhuman, I question why it has become news. I don't mean to say that this is not news. But how do some pieces of news about abduction and slavery become major attractions and others do not? Jumoke, the writer of the article, is on to something: maybe we want to get involved more in Nigeria, and so, heyo, we jump on news like this. That may or may not be the case. In my opinion, though, the big news should be that no country anywhere, including our own, is doing enough to prevent or combat slavery. American outrage should be pointed not at Nigeria, and not at our military for not flying in there and dropping bombs, but when news like this breaks our outrage should be pointed at ourselves: oh, woops, there's a slave right down the street that I'm blind to because I want justice (read: people killed) in Nigeria. We first should make sure that we ourselves aren't somehow contributing to slavery around the world and in our own communities, and then take care of our own backyards, and then, maybe, we can start thinking about other ways to end slavery.'
Another friend of mine sent me a message on Facebook asking me how the situation in Nigeria could continue. Her question being, if awareness should consequently lead to the elimination of slavery, then how can the world be aware of the captured schoolgirls that Boko Haram claims to be throwing into slavery and not put an end to the whole deal? Well, my above response is part of the answer. Combating slavery is complicated and, unfortunately, bringing governmental forces into play is probably not the answer right now. The military, and even the government in general, is tricky. Moral capital, genuine and valid moral capital, is the answer, because it is the only force powerful enough.
I first encountered this term, "moral capital," in a book of the same name: Moral Capital: Foundations of British Abolitionism, by Christopher Leslie Brown. At risk of boiling the book down into too simple formulations that are then incorrect, I will say that the book essentially argues that the abolitionist work of the great William Wilberforce, one of my heroes, and his friends, like Prime Minister William Pitt, were not necessarily, or at least not only, aimed at doing good in the world. Brown argues that in the wake of the American Revolution, or what we from the States call the Revolutionary War, the British Empire needed some way to reinstate its validity and virtue across the globe. How do you do that if you cannot win a war? You accumulate moral capital. And how do you accumulate moral capital? You eradicate the worst crime known to humanity; you also eradicate other evils, as Wilberforce took aim at gambling and alcoholism after ending the slave trade. Being the first country invested in the slave trade to end the trade and end slavery gave Great Britain the continued leverage it needed. Then Britain could say to the world, "Look, we are still the greatest nation on this planet. We ended slavery, for goodness sakes! We might have lost a war to those rebels, but they're not the holders of morality--we are! They still hold slaves! And they're a bunch of drunks! Their government is corrupt! Not convinced? Well, can we say again that we ended slavery??" The reason that the British Empire did not fall apart following the American Revolution, according to Brown, is that the Empire rightly (rightly in terms of its preservation, anyway) turned its sights on moral capital. That way the Empire could legitimately say, and mean it with all honesty, "Let us into your country. Because of all we've done for good in the world, can't you see that letting us rule you will be mutually beneficial?" I do not mean to enter into a conversation about colonialism here. I only mean to point out that the British Empire stood as long and as powerful as it did because people could actually believe in its promise.
Now we are faced with the horrible truth of slavery abroad in places like Nigeria. Boko Haram flaunts it in our face. Our government will, if our citizens continue to push for it, take advantage of an awareness capital to assist in eliminating the threat of Boko Haram and return the kidnapped girls to their families. But will such action be invited? Will it actually be helpful? Without question our assistance, even if it's not military assistance, will increase our dominance in the region. And without the surety of morality on our side, dominance in any region is scary. While avoiding a colonial spirit we should take a page out of the British Empire's playbook: increase moral capital at home. We cannot share capital if we do not have capital.
Recap: moral capital, which is seeded in the soil of awareness, will overwhelm the evil of slavery. A corrupt society, even if our (I mean, the society's) intentions are good, cannot defeat slavery through force... or any other means. We must maintain our integrity first. If we do not, then the horrifying news stories that we hear about slavery in our world today, like that of the school girls in Nigeria, will only multiply with no one and nothing to stop the advance. How can the school girls not have been returned to their families by now? Because we have allowed our culture/society to wallow in arrogance, to wallow in the apathy of misguided pride (we ended slavery and other horrible crimes years and years ago!). As a whole we have done this to ourselves and to the world. When we ask why we can't stop the Nigerian madness--which probably shouldn't be the question anyway, since slavery is everywhere--then the only clue can be found in our history, in our recent history of blindness.
Let's reverse our course so that we can compound real moral capital. Then we can do some good in our country and in the world. In the meantime, we need to support graceful political means rather than violent ones.
'Jen, your question is a good one and I thank you. The rest of what I'm about to say is not directed at you but at the American people who have looked at this story all wrong. A good rule of thumb is to assume that human trafficking is going on in our own communities. My fiancee and I just called the Human Trafficking Hotline the other day about a suspicion that is more than a suspicion. I ask, also; if the U.S. government were to get involved in every country where trafficking abuses are occurring, then, a) the U.S. government would be involved in EVERY country, which clearly oversteps our boundaries and possibly also oversteps the resources we have that we'd need to be effective; and b) we'd be more involved in trafficking abuses in our own country. The news from Nigeria really sucks, but, at the risk of sounding inhuman, I question why it has become news. I don't mean to say that this is not news. But how do some pieces of news about abduction and slavery become major attractions and others do not? Jumoke, the writer of the article, is on to something: maybe we want to get involved more in Nigeria, and so, heyo, we jump on news like this. That may or may not be the case. In my opinion, though, the big news should be that no country anywhere, including our own, is doing enough to prevent or combat slavery. American outrage should be pointed not at Nigeria, and not at our military for not flying in there and dropping bombs, but when news like this breaks our outrage should be pointed at ourselves: oh, woops, there's a slave right down the street that I'm blind to because I want justice (read: people killed) in Nigeria. We first should make sure that we ourselves aren't somehow contributing to slavery around the world and in our own communities, and then take care of our own backyards, and then, maybe, we can start thinking about other ways to end slavery.'
Another friend of mine sent me a message on Facebook asking me how the situation in Nigeria could continue. Her question being, if awareness should consequently lead to the elimination of slavery, then how can the world be aware of the captured schoolgirls that Boko Haram claims to be throwing into slavery and not put an end to the whole deal? Well, my above response is part of the answer. Combating slavery is complicated and, unfortunately, bringing governmental forces into play is probably not the answer right now. The military, and even the government in general, is tricky. Moral capital, genuine and valid moral capital, is the answer, because it is the only force powerful enough.
I first encountered this term, "moral capital," in a book of the same name: Moral Capital: Foundations of British Abolitionism, by Christopher Leslie Brown. At risk of boiling the book down into too simple formulations that are then incorrect, I will say that the book essentially argues that the abolitionist work of the great William Wilberforce, one of my heroes, and his friends, like Prime Minister William Pitt, were not necessarily, or at least not only, aimed at doing good in the world. Brown argues that in the wake of the American Revolution, or what we from the States call the Revolutionary War, the British Empire needed some way to reinstate its validity and virtue across the globe. How do you do that if you cannot win a war? You accumulate moral capital. And how do you accumulate moral capital? You eradicate the worst crime known to humanity; you also eradicate other evils, as Wilberforce took aim at gambling and alcoholism after ending the slave trade. Being the first country invested in the slave trade to end the trade and end slavery gave Great Britain the continued leverage it needed. Then Britain could say to the world, "Look, we are still the greatest nation on this planet. We ended slavery, for goodness sakes! We might have lost a war to those rebels, but they're not the holders of morality--we are! They still hold slaves! And they're a bunch of drunks! Their government is corrupt! Not convinced? Well, can we say again that we ended slavery??" The reason that the British Empire did not fall apart following the American Revolution, according to Brown, is that the Empire rightly (rightly in terms of its preservation, anyway) turned its sights on moral capital. That way the Empire could legitimately say, and mean it with all honesty, "Let us into your country. Because of all we've done for good in the world, can't you see that letting us rule you will be mutually beneficial?" I do not mean to enter into a conversation about colonialism here. I only mean to point out that the British Empire stood as long and as powerful as it did because people could actually believe in its promise.
Now we are faced with the horrible truth of slavery abroad in places like Nigeria. Boko Haram flaunts it in our face. Our government will, if our citizens continue to push for it, take advantage of an awareness capital to assist in eliminating the threat of Boko Haram and return the kidnapped girls to their families. But will such action be invited? Will it actually be helpful? Without question our assistance, even if it's not military assistance, will increase our dominance in the region. And without the surety of morality on our side, dominance in any region is scary. While avoiding a colonial spirit we should take a page out of the British Empire's playbook: increase moral capital at home. We cannot share capital if we do not have capital.
Recap: moral capital, which is seeded in the soil of awareness, will overwhelm the evil of slavery. A corrupt society, even if our (I mean, the society's) intentions are good, cannot defeat slavery through force... or any other means. We must maintain our integrity first. If we do not, then the horrifying news stories that we hear about slavery in our world today, like that of the school girls in Nigeria, will only multiply with no one and nothing to stop the advance. How can the school girls not have been returned to their families by now? Because we have allowed our culture/society to wallow in arrogance, to wallow in the apathy of misguided pride (we ended slavery and other horrible crimes years and years ago!). As a whole we have done this to ourselves and to the world. When we ask why we can't stop the Nigerian madness--which probably shouldn't be the question anyway, since slavery is everywhere--then the only clue can be found in our history, in our recent history of blindness.
Let's reverse our course so that we can compound real moral capital. Then we can do some good in our country and in the world. In the meantime, we need to support graceful political means rather than violent ones.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Massage Parlor in Vermont
A few days ago my fiancee did something truly great. My eyes may or may not be tearing up as I think about it and how proud I am of her. Without doubt, she found a front for human trafficking, called the Human Trafficking Hotline, and put Polaris Project on the hunt. On the one hand, I'm thinking to myself, "With all my talking about how we need to keep our eyes open, why couldn't I have found this place myself?" On the other hand, it's not about me at all. It's about awareness leading to action. It is because she knows me and has talked with me about human trafficking for countless hours, and therefore has grown immensely aware of trafficking, that my fiancee was able to realize that a certain massage parlor in Vermont is not really a legitimate massage parlor. Awareness does lead to greater action.
I've decided that I have qualms about using names and real information of a place that hasn't yet been busted. A whole series of "what if" questions are running through my head. The major questions being, "What if the place happens to read my article, and they decide to pack up and move and continue enslaving elsewhere?" and, "What if some jerk-face reads this article and decides to go see what it's like being serviced by a slave at slave-rates?" No, thank you. As much as I would like to point out the good work that my fiancee did and show you how sketchy the place is, which hopefully would also inspire and help you to keep your eyes open for possible cases of trafficking, the conservatively reflective side of me figures it best to leave all the information in the hands of professional investigators. The professionals can investigate the shady location, the sketchy website and the very suspicious reviews.
Still, I can tell you, and tell you proudly, that indeed ordinary people like you and me can be greatly involved in ending trafficking. There are bills and petitions we can sign, there are changes we can make in our own life, and if we keep our eyes open, we can help Polaris Project and other organizations do the dirty work of putting an end to human trafficking. Your community is not free of slavery, if only because there are people living in your community who hold attitudes that might open doors for traffickers, and it is up to you to change that. I am proud of my fiancee for performing such a great deed, and I'm sure there are many ways that I can be proud of all of you, too.
I've decided that I have qualms about using names and real information of a place that hasn't yet been busted. A whole series of "what if" questions are running through my head. The major questions being, "What if the place happens to read my article, and they decide to pack up and move and continue enslaving elsewhere?" and, "What if some jerk-face reads this article and decides to go see what it's like being serviced by a slave at slave-rates?" No, thank you. As much as I would like to point out the good work that my fiancee did and show you how sketchy the place is, which hopefully would also inspire and help you to keep your eyes open for possible cases of trafficking, the conservatively reflective side of me figures it best to leave all the information in the hands of professional investigators. The professionals can investigate the shady location, the sketchy website and the very suspicious reviews.
Still, I can tell you, and tell you proudly, that indeed ordinary people like you and me can be greatly involved in ending trafficking. There are bills and petitions we can sign, there are changes we can make in our own life, and if we keep our eyes open, we can help Polaris Project and other organizations do the dirty work of putting an end to human trafficking. Your community is not free of slavery, if only because there are people living in your community who hold attitudes that might open doors for traffickers, and it is up to you to change that. I am proud of my fiancee for performing such a great deed, and I'm sure there are many ways that I can be proud of all of you, too.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
The United Methodist Book of Discipline
Human trafficking/slavery can be stopped without the help of religion or religious organizations. Indeed, many might argue that religious organizations have contributed to the propagation of slavery, not only throughout history (which is definitely true) but even today.
I would argue that religious organizations do not contribute to slavery today but that religion does. Being religious myself, about to be appointed as a pastor in the United Methodist Church, how can I say that? Well, religion does accord a person the opportunity for hypocrisy: "If I believe this and do these things, then I am good; it doesn't matter what I do in my personal life." The concept of religion opens the door for a person to have two separate beings: to structure an external life around the principles of the religion, feel good and justified for having done so; and then to ignore, because of the external image, what is going on inside the person's mind and heart. Ignoring what's going on inside one's head and heart leads even the best of people to live a secret life, without ever feeling guilty about that secret life as long as it remains a secret. For as long as the secret life remains a secret, the person's better half literally won't be able to comment on the secret personal life. It may sound like I'm describing a mental illness, but I'm not--this is a natural occurrence that all people deal with on some level. Religious people may be more susceptible to the phenomenon of tearing ourselves in two, but the vast majority of people of all faith backgrounds perform the same binary fission. Religion may play a different role, but all people will have to deal with themselves at some point in the pursuit of ending human trafficking.
Of course, on the other hand, all religions that I know of ask for a person's heart and mind. While some people may use religion to split into two halves--the half that is devoted to a god or belief system, and the screwed-up half that the first half can't see--faith and religion are meant to reconcile the two halves of our being into one. The first half of our being must acknowledge that the second half exists, and the second half of our being must declare that it wants to begin the arduous journey to hook up with the first half. The vast majority of us love the idea of power and lust and greed, so bringing the two halves together is not an easy task. Faith and religion, and philosophy, are the tools by which bringing the two halves of our being together becomes easier.
As anyone who reads this blog or has read my book should know, I truly believe that changing our attitudes, thoughts, and everyday actions can change the world--specifically, put an end to human trafficking. The last few posts should make this rather clear: men are particularly good at tuning in to exploiting little girls in other countries and then shutting off the computer to go off to their "normal" lives without ever thinking about what they just did; we laugh at or condemn pornographic actors without ever thinking about how we are jealous, envious, lustful, degraded ourselves. So, pulling together our two halves is, I think, of the utmost importance. And yes, one can reconcile oneself without religion if that person has a great passion for human equality, freedom, and dignity, and at the same time recognizes their own humanness. Yet I do think that religion gives us the proper tools for this task. At the very least, religion gives us the language for the task of acknowledging who we are and how we might end slavery.
With that said, let me share with you the "Sexual Abuse" and "Sexual Harassment" sections of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church Social Principles. I'll write the "Sexual Harassment" section first, though it is listed second. Notice in both of these principles how sexual misconduct, according to the UMC, is related to power, as I have argued long and hard in my book. Notice also, particularly in the "Sexual Abuse" principle, that personal sexual behaviors, that we might otherwise overlook as personal, are directly linked to and escalate quickly into the worst form of sexual behavior: the use of sex slavery. As I have said again and again, our attitudes can lead to bigger and more dangerous behaviors, and while we may think that we would never watch pornography or never use sex slaves, we shouldn't be so sure. Our second half may have a small beginning, but once the separation occurs in our being, the second half can run rampant without our ever chastising it. The language and theology and philosophy to deal with these problems has always existed, as we see in The Book of Discipline, we just haven't been thinking about it properly or using it.
I would argue that religious organizations do not contribute to slavery today but that religion does. Being religious myself, about to be appointed as a pastor in the United Methodist Church, how can I say that? Well, religion does accord a person the opportunity for hypocrisy: "If I believe this and do these things, then I am good; it doesn't matter what I do in my personal life." The concept of religion opens the door for a person to have two separate beings: to structure an external life around the principles of the religion, feel good and justified for having done so; and then to ignore, because of the external image, what is going on inside the person's mind and heart. Ignoring what's going on inside one's head and heart leads even the best of people to live a secret life, without ever feeling guilty about that secret life as long as it remains a secret. For as long as the secret life remains a secret, the person's better half literally won't be able to comment on the secret personal life. It may sound like I'm describing a mental illness, but I'm not--this is a natural occurrence that all people deal with on some level. Religious people may be more susceptible to the phenomenon of tearing ourselves in two, but the vast majority of people of all faith backgrounds perform the same binary fission. Religion may play a different role, but all people will have to deal with themselves at some point in the pursuit of ending human trafficking.
Of course, on the other hand, all religions that I know of ask for a person's heart and mind. While some people may use religion to split into two halves--the half that is devoted to a god or belief system, and the screwed-up half that the first half can't see--faith and religion are meant to reconcile the two halves of our being into one. The first half of our being must acknowledge that the second half exists, and the second half of our being must declare that it wants to begin the arduous journey to hook up with the first half. The vast majority of us love the idea of power and lust and greed, so bringing the two halves together is not an easy task. Faith and religion, and philosophy, are the tools by which bringing the two halves of our being together becomes easier.
As anyone who reads this blog or has read my book should know, I truly believe that changing our attitudes, thoughts, and everyday actions can change the world--specifically, put an end to human trafficking. The last few posts should make this rather clear: men are particularly good at tuning in to exploiting little girls in other countries and then shutting off the computer to go off to their "normal" lives without ever thinking about what they just did; we laugh at or condemn pornographic actors without ever thinking about how we are jealous, envious, lustful, degraded ourselves. So, pulling together our two halves is, I think, of the utmost importance. And yes, one can reconcile oneself without religion if that person has a great passion for human equality, freedom, and dignity, and at the same time recognizes their own humanness. Yet I do think that religion gives us the proper tools for this task. At the very least, religion gives us the language for the task of acknowledging who we are and how we might end slavery.
With that said, let me share with you the "Sexual Abuse" and "Sexual Harassment" sections of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church Social Principles. I'll write the "Sexual Harassment" section first, though it is listed second. Notice in both of these principles how sexual misconduct, according to the UMC, is related to power, as I have argued long and hard in my book. Notice also, particularly in the "Sexual Abuse" principle, that personal sexual behaviors, that we might otherwise overlook as personal, are directly linked to and escalate quickly into the worst form of sexual behavior: the use of sex slavery. As I have said again and again, our attitudes can lead to bigger and more dangerous behaviors, and while we may think that we would never watch pornography or never use sex slaves, we shouldn't be so sure. Our second half may have a small beginning, but once the separation occurs in our being, the second half can run rampant without our ever chastising it. The language and theology and philosophy to deal with these problems has always existed, as we see in The Book of Discipline, we just haven't been thinking about it properly or using it.
Friday, April 11, 2014
David Mitchell
David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas, has quickly catapulted into my top five favorite authors, of any genre. He rocks. Anyway, in one of his novels, Number9Dream, one of Mitchell's characters writes a poignant history of her enslavement that I want to share with you. The novel is set in Japan, but it might as well be set in any so-called civilized country. I'm going to italicize the part that I think is most important, because I have to remind people of the phenomenon of blissful, hopeful ignorance all the time. Because we think we have made the world such a better place than fifty, a hundred, two hundred years ago, we ignore the realities that our own attitudes and ignorance create, and so we then vehemently reject the truth that there are 27 million slaves in the world today. I hear so many voices ringing in my head arguing with me, "There can't possibly be that many! I would know about it. And in the United States? No. At least, no more than a few thousand." What? Are you serious? That's more than ignorance; that's a harmful arrogance.
Without further ado, I will quote Kazue Yamaya's account with no further commentary.
"The doorbell rang. I answered it, and three men barged in the door and snapped the chain my husband had trained me to use. They demanded to know where my husband was hiding. I demanded to know who they were. One slapped me hard enough to dislodge a tooth. "Your husband's case officers," he snarled, "and we [not my italics] ask the questions." He and another searched the house while the third watched me to try to reassure my screaming son. He threatened to maim my son if I didn't tell him where my husband was. I called my husband at work and discovered he had phoned in sick that morning. I called my husband's cell phone and discovered the number had been disconnected. I called his pager--dead... My son watched with big scared eyes. The two other thugs returned with a box of my husband's personal effects and all of my jewelry. Then the bad news really began. I learned that my husband had run up debts of over fifty million yen with a yakuza-backed credit organization. Our life insurance policy had been doctored to name this organization as sole beneficiary in the event of his suicide. The house and contents were their property if my husband defaulted on repayments. "And that," said the most violent of the three, "includes you." My son was taken into the next room. I was told I was now responsible for my husband's debts. I was then beaten and raped. Photographs were taken "to guarantee my obedience." I had to endure this torment in silence, for the sake of my son. If I failed to obey their orders, the photographs would be sent to every name in my address book.
A month later I was living in a single windowless room in a buraku [not my italics] area of Osaka. I was indentured to a brothel, and I was not allowed to leave the building or have any contact with the outside world, beyond sex with my customers. You may doubt that sexual enslavement is practiced in twenty-first-century Japan. Your ignorance is enviable, but your disbelief is precisely why such enslavement can prosper unchecked. It happens; it happened to me. I myself would have doubted "respectable" women could be forced into the sex industry, but the owners are masters of control. I was dispossessed of every item from my old life that could have reminded me of who I was--except my son. I was allowed to keep my son--this prevented me from escaping by suicide. My customers not only knew about my imprisonment, they derived pleasure from it, and would have been implicated in the crime had it become public. The final wall between me and the real world was perhaps the strongest: a phenomenon psychologists label "hostage syndrome"--the conviction that my fate was deserved and that no "crime" was being perpetrated. After all, I was a prostitute. What right did I have to bring shame to my old friends or even to my mother by appealing for help? Better that they carry on believing I had disappeared overseas with my bankrupt husband. Six other women, three with babies younger than my son, shared my floor. The man who raped me was our pimp--it was him we had to beg for food, medicine, even diapers for our children. He also supplied narcotics, in careful quantities. He administered them personally to ensure we couldn't overdose... In time our old lives became detached from what we had become."
The account continues, but this is enough to capture, despite its being fiction, the reality of the cruelty that sex slavery is. And, of course, this story could have easily been about some other form of slavery. It's all equally unexpected and horrible.
Without further ado, I will quote Kazue Yamaya's account with no further commentary.
"The doorbell rang. I answered it, and three men barged in the door and snapped the chain my husband had trained me to use. They demanded to know where my husband was hiding. I demanded to know who they were. One slapped me hard enough to dislodge a tooth. "Your husband's case officers," he snarled, "and we [not my italics] ask the questions." He and another searched the house while the third watched me to try to reassure my screaming son. He threatened to maim my son if I didn't tell him where my husband was. I called my husband at work and discovered he had phoned in sick that morning. I called my husband's cell phone and discovered the number had been disconnected. I called his pager--dead... My son watched with big scared eyes. The two other thugs returned with a box of my husband's personal effects and all of my jewelry. Then the bad news really began. I learned that my husband had run up debts of over fifty million yen with a yakuza-backed credit organization. Our life insurance policy had been doctored to name this organization as sole beneficiary in the event of his suicide. The house and contents were their property if my husband defaulted on repayments. "And that," said the most violent of the three, "includes you." My son was taken into the next room. I was told I was now responsible for my husband's debts. I was then beaten and raped. Photographs were taken "to guarantee my obedience." I had to endure this torment in silence, for the sake of my son. If I failed to obey their orders, the photographs would be sent to every name in my address book.
A month later I was living in a single windowless room in a buraku [not my italics] area of Osaka. I was indentured to a brothel, and I was not allowed to leave the building or have any contact with the outside world, beyond sex with my customers. You may doubt that sexual enslavement is practiced in twenty-first-century Japan. Your ignorance is enviable, but your disbelief is precisely why such enslavement can prosper unchecked. It happens; it happened to me. I myself would have doubted "respectable" women could be forced into the sex industry, but the owners are masters of control. I was dispossessed of every item from my old life that could have reminded me of who I was--except my son. I was allowed to keep my son--this prevented me from escaping by suicide. My customers not only knew about my imprisonment, they derived pleasure from it, and would have been implicated in the crime had it become public. The final wall between me and the real world was perhaps the strongest: a phenomenon psychologists label "hostage syndrome"--the conviction that my fate was deserved and that no "crime" was being perpetrated. After all, I was a prostitute. What right did I have to bring shame to my old friends or even to my mother by appealing for help? Better that they carry on believing I had disappeared overseas with my bankrupt husband. Six other women, three with babies younger than my son, shared my floor. The man who raped me was our pimp--it was him we had to beg for food, medicine, even diapers for our children. He also supplied narcotics, in careful quantities. He administered them personally to ensure we couldn't overdose... In time our old lives became detached from what we had become."
The account continues, but this is enough to capture, despite its being fiction, the reality of the cruelty that sex slavery is. And, of course, this story could have easily been about some other form of slavery. It's all equally unexpected and horrible.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Unknowingly Supporting Trafficking
One of my major arguments in this blog and in my book is that we all unknowingly support human trafficking in some way. The uniqueness of my argument is that I say it is not only the things that we do that support human trafficking, but the way that we think and talk, too; our very attitudes contribute to slavery, whether we like it or not.
There are more tangible ways that we contribute to slavery, too, of course. I don't focus on the tangible so much as I should, though that's partly because I truly believe that if we can change our very beings to be aware and compassionate of the humanness of others then tangible acts would become unnecessary. In helping think about the tangible, my fiancee pointed out this article to me: Unknowingly Supporting Trafficking.
If you have been concerned about slavery for awhile now, you may have thought about how buying clothes, chocolate (or coffee and other goods) that's not fair trade, and fruit can contribute to trafficking. You've probably also given thought to the massage parlor industry, especially considering that this blog and my book have talked a good deal about some of those. Still, it's worth the reminder that slaves are working in various industries that produce what we consume. The article is a quick read so I hope you'll read it. I don't have anything in particular to add to it except that I hope you will think long and hard about how you consume products: just because consuming products does not bring us face-to-face with another human being does not mean that we can stop being aware and compassionate of the humanness of others.
There are more tangible ways that we contribute to slavery, too, of course. I don't focus on the tangible so much as I should, though that's partly because I truly believe that if we can change our very beings to be aware and compassionate of the humanness of others then tangible acts would become unnecessary. In helping think about the tangible, my fiancee pointed out this article to me: Unknowingly Supporting Trafficking.
If you have been concerned about slavery for awhile now, you may have thought about how buying clothes, chocolate (or coffee and other goods) that's not fair trade, and fruit can contribute to trafficking. You've probably also given thought to the massage parlor industry, especially considering that this blog and my book have talked a good deal about some of those. Still, it's worth the reminder that slaves are working in various industries that produce what we consume. The article is a quick read so I hope you'll read it. I don't have anything in particular to add to it except that I hope you will think long and hard about how you consume products: just because consuming products does not bring us face-to-face with another human being does not mean that we can stop being aware and compassionate of the humanness of others.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Belle Knox
If you have not heard of Belle Knox, then you can Google her and learn a whole lot very quickly. Be careful when you do so, though, because she is what most people term a "porn star." In my book, I did my best to refer to those working in pornography as "pornographic actors," trying to return some of their human dignity back to them. Pornographic actors are human beings just like you and me, and yet the problem with pornography is that we are able to degrade what we view through a medium--usually a computer or TV screen--to less than human; and once we do that, it's not a far jump to degrading people that we actually encounter in life to less than human. This is why I talk about pornography in my book and on this blog: the relationship between pornography and slavery is not a thin one. We like to think that it is so that we can go on viewing pornography whenever we have the urge, or at least accepting its presence in our society; and all the while not confront the reality that we are also contributing to the attitudes that create and sustain slavery.
Belle Knox is an interesting figure. By now you may have paused to look her up and read some about her, so my telling you who she is might be unnecessary. But anyway. She is a young student at Duke University, using pornography to pay her way through school. If you spent a lot of time looking up Belle Knox, you might have realized that there's a lot of speculative writing about her that's not based in fact. Worse, there's a lot of negatively biased writing about her, suggesting and implying that she is a scourge. Worse, she has become a target for hate. Pornographic actors are victims, through and through; just as slaves are victims.
Look, does anyone really think that Belle Knox is the first or only college student paying her way through school with sex? And why is she not the only one? Because pornography pays! And why does pornography pay? Because we are a society of hypocrites! We put up a front to the world saying that we are a good person, trustworthy and an upholder of the universal moral code, and then in private we like to degrade and demonize others in a misguided attempt to feel power, love, and self-worth. Pornography is a major business because of our hypocrisy.
And we do not like to admit that we are not the good people that we portray, we do not like to admit that we are insecure, we do not like to admit that we do not love ourselves, we do not like to admit that we struggle to find worth, community, and an outlet for our desire for power, so we blame all of our inner struggles on others: the pornographic actors themselves. That way, we can degrade them all we want while we take advantage of them through a medium, then turn off the screen and walk away as if nothing happened. What happens, though, if we ever meet a pornographic actor? Well, then the crap hits the fan, because then we have to acknowledge that there is a part of ourselves that we do not love, and that is likewise unable to love--the part of ourselves that would rather blame others for our faults--the part of ourselves that would rather laugh at, insult, and attack Belle Knox and her family for her existence, than to ever look inward at our own darkness. Our negative reaction toward her and her family is indicative of just how desperate we should be to change who we are.
The reaction to Belle Knox's career choice is not surprising to me in the least, but it is extremely disappointing. Though Knox is not the first or only female or pornographic actor to be blamed for the sadness, badness, and madness of others, the fact that we still have so much room for improvement in ourselves frustrates me, and should frustrate you. I applaud Knox's bent toward social justice, but I pray that her motive will go beyond the rights of sex workers and instead focus on changing the hearts and minds of citizens everywhere so that one day there will be no need, no demand for pornographic actors or sex slaves: where there is no demand, there will be no supply.
Belle Knox is an interesting figure. By now you may have paused to look her up and read some about her, so my telling you who she is might be unnecessary. But anyway. She is a young student at Duke University, using pornography to pay her way through school. If you spent a lot of time looking up Belle Knox, you might have realized that there's a lot of speculative writing about her that's not based in fact. Worse, there's a lot of negatively biased writing about her, suggesting and implying that she is a scourge. Worse, she has become a target for hate. Pornographic actors are victims, through and through; just as slaves are victims.
Look, does anyone really think that Belle Knox is the first or only college student paying her way through school with sex? And why is she not the only one? Because pornography pays! And why does pornography pay? Because we are a society of hypocrites! We put up a front to the world saying that we are a good person, trustworthy and an upholder of the universal moral code, and then in private we like to degrade and demonize others in a misguided attempt to feel power, love, and self-worth. Pornography is a major business because of our hypocrisy.
And we do not like to admit that we are not the good people that we portray, we do not like to admit that we are insecure, we do not like to admit that we do not love ourselves, we do not like to admit that we struggle to find worth, community, and an outlet for our desire for power, so we blame all of our inner struggles on others: the pornographic actors themselves. That way, we can degrade them all we want while we take advantage of them through a medium, then turn off the screen and walk away as if nothing happened. What happens, though, if we ever meet a pornographic actor? Well, then the crap hits the fan, because then we have to acknowledge that there is a part of ourselves that we do not love, and that is likewise unable to love--the part of ourselves that would rather blame others for our faults--the part of ourselves that would rather laugh at, insult, and attack Belle Knox and her family for her existence, than to ever look inward at our own darkness. Our negative reaction toward her and her family is indicative of just how desperate we should be to change who we are.
The reaction to Belle Knox's career choice is not surprising to me in the least, but it is extremely disappointing. Though Knox is not the first or only female or pornographic actor to be blamed for the sadness, badness, and madness of others, the fact that we still have so much room for improvement in ourselves frustrates me, and should frustrate you. I applaud Knox's bent toward social justice, but I pray that her motive will go beyond the rights of sex workers and instead focus on changing the hearts and minds of citizens everywhere so that one day there will be no need, no demand for pornographic actors or sex slaves: where there is no demand, there will be no supply.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Houston Trafficking
I've decided that anyone who posts anything about human trafficking on my website, on my Facebook, or on the 27 Million Revolutions for 27 Million Slaves Facebook page, I will write about it here, because as I always say: more awareness leads to wider-open eyes, and wider-open eyes leads to changed lives that end slavery and, for those who can, more energetic, tangible combating of slavery. A friend posted this article to the 27 Million Revolutions for 27 Million Slaves Facebook page:
Houston Trafficking
Parts of this article are amazing to me. Amazing in the sense that I, despite writing a book in which I try to understand people in regards to slavery, cannot understand people. Two things stand out to me.
First, the fact that most of the people found in the house, in the squalid conditions, are from Central America. I almost laughed a little. We self-dubbed Americans complain and complain about "dirty foreigners," usually referring to Mexicans or other Central/Southern Americans, coming to the U.S. and "stealing" our jobs... yet it is pretty clear that we are constantly taking advantage of those less privileged in the southern American climes. Taking people from their homes in Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and other countries, probably with the promise of better lives, and then traffic them into slavery in the apparently civilized United States, is absolutely cruel and terrible. More than that, it's also an indication of how we are taking advantage of them all the time: we shine a beacon of hope, then force Central/Southern Americans, and other down-on-their-luck foreigners, to do jobs that many of us wouldn't dream about doing. This is one reason why I am very proud of my in-laws: all of them are honest, hard-working citizens who will do anything it takes to support a family with the utmost integrity (not that my family isn't, but since I've been born I don't know anyone in my family who has worked in a factory or at McDonald's or anything like that). In general, though, we take advantage of those less lucky than we are, and then we complain about the very problem we create by taking advantage of them. We shouldn't be surprised that this attitude produces human trafficking in our country. The filth that the victims in this story had to endure is worse than awful, but there is a more disgusting filth: American attitudes that create and sustain human trafficking in this country and around the world. Our venom is pathetically misplaced and so terribly logically inconsistent that it's laughable.
If you've read my book, the following statement will seem like a repetition: attitudes are extremely serious, and changing our attitudes, what we say, and our lifestyles, we can change the world for the better. Even if we aren't directly involved in human trafficking, we could very well be involved in the worst evil known to humankind.
Secondly, the police that responded to the missing persons registered surprise that so many people would be at the house. It would seem that a native of Houston was the cause of uncovering the trafficking scheme, which should jar our conception--if we can read this blog and still hold this conception--that only non-Americans are trafficked. But anyway, why are the police surprised? I can imagine that any time you encounter a location of slavery you'd be dismayed beyond words. And you or I, certainly, would be surprised. But in 2012 86 people were found in a house in the Houston area. Five years ago an equal or greater number of people were found in a house in the Houston area. Clearly something is going on that you can't ignore. Yet surprise suggests that it is being ignored, at least more than it should be. I'm not trying to suggest that the enforcement agencies of Houston aren't aware of what's going on or aren't working hard to end human trafficking, but the tone of the article is wrong. Rather than surprise, which suggests, "I can't believe this is still going on," the tone should be, "Man, we're working hard, but we should be working harder."
We all need to work harder. I can't possibly say that without also giving you the following link, which, after you click on it, fill out a few lines, will be your letter to your political representative to help end modern slavery. The world will thank you.
Polaris Project
Houston Trafficking
Parts of this article are amazing to me. Amazing in the sense that I, despite writing a book in which I try to understand people in regards to slavery, cannot understand people. Two things stand out to me.
First, the fact that most of the people found in the house, in the squalid conditions, are from Central America. I almost laughed a little. We self-dubbed Americans complain and complain about "dirty foreigners," usually referring to Mexicans or other Central/Southern Americans, coming to the U.S. and "stealing" our jobs... yet it is pretty clear that we are constantly taking advantage of those less privileged in the southern American climes. Taking people from their homes in Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and other countries, probably with the promise of better lives, and then traffic them into slavery in the apparently civilized United States, is absolutely cruel and terrible. More than that, it's also an indication of how we are taking advantage of them all the time: we shine a beacon of hope, then force Central/Southern Americans, and other down-on-their-luck foreigners, to do jobs that many of us wouldn't dream about doing. This is one reason why I am very proud of my in-laws: all of them are honest, hard-working citizens who will do anything it takes to support a family with the utmost integrity (not that my family isn't, but since I've been born I don't know anyone in my family who has worked in a factory or at McDonald's or anything like that). In general, though, we take advantage of those less lucky than we are, and then we complain about the very problem we create by taking advantage of them. We shouldn't be surprised that this attitude produces human trafficking in our country. The filth that the victims in this story had to endure is worse than awful, but there is a more disgusting filth: American attitudes that create and sustain human trafficking in this country and around the world. Our venom is pathetically misplaced and so terribly logically inconsistent that it's laughable.
If you've read my book, the following statement will seem like a repetition: attitudes are extremely serious, and changing our attitudes, what we say, and our lifestyles, we can change the world for the better. Even if we aren't directly involved in human trafficking, we could very well be involved in the worst evil known to humankind.
Secondly, the police that responded to the missing persons registered surprise that so many people would be at the house. It would seem that a native of Houston was the cause of uncovering the trafficking scheme, which should jar our conception--if we can read this blog and still hold this conception--that only non-Americans are trafficked. But anyway, why are the police surprised? I can imagine that any time you encounter a location of slavery you'd be dismayed beyond words. And you or I, certainly, would be surprised. But in 2012 86 people were found in a house in the Houston area. Five years ago an equal or greater number of people were found in a house in the Houston area. Clearly something is going on that you can't ignore. Yet surprise suggests that it is being ignored, at least more than it should be. I'm not trying to suggest that the enforcement agencies of Houston aren't aware of what's going on or aren't working hard to end human trafficking, but the tone of the article is wrong. Rather than surprise, which suggests, "I can't believe this is still going on," the tone should be, "Man, we're working hard, but we should be working harder."
We all need to work harder. I can't possibly say that without also giving you the following link, which, after you click on it, fill out a few lines, will be your letter to your political representative to help end modern slavery. The world will thank you.
Polaris Project
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Children of God
A friend of my brother's who has read my book has become my new best friend. She clearly has her eyes open more than I do. I doubt reading my book had much to do with that, but I'm glad that she has read my book and begun to direct me to certain things because I have a blog that some people read and so her passion can have a greater range. That's how awareness works: one person's awareness can make a second person aware, and then those two people might lead to four person's being aware, and then eight, and then sixteen, and so on; soon we have an army.
Anyway, this post isn't about how awareness works (technically, all my posts are about how important simple awareness is, since I really believe that simply being aware is indeed half the battle). This post is about the following video that Pamela, my new best friend and hero, pointed out to me:
Child Sex Tourism
Please watch the video. The video was enough to convince me to sign up for upworthy.com's daily e-mail. There's also a petition to sign at the end to help stop child sex tourism.
If you don't read on, that's fine, it means that you watched the video and then didn't have time for any more reading. Good! Watching the video and not reading more is better than not watching the video and reading more.
As I commented to Pamela, while watching the video I thought a lot about pornography in general. I feel more strongly than ever that my emphasis on pornography and its relationship to modern slavery is justified, because more strongly than ever I see that our attitudes towards pornography are the same attitudes that will later justify propagation of slavery and child sex tourism. One of the experts in the video talks about how men are sitting behind their computers in far-away countries virtually abusing the ten-year old Sweetie mentally and bodily, and then once they get off they also shut off the computer, go back to work and think nothing of what they've just done to a ten-year old girl. Is pornography not the same? We sit behind our computers or TV screens, directing the action (in the sense that we can choose and search out for whatever type of pornography we want), virtually using and abusing--a high percentage of pornography nowadays is about abuse--the bodies and minds of women and men, and then once we get off we shut off our computers and TVs and think nothing of what we've just done. Child sex tourism is obviously a far more cruel and heart-wrenching phenomenon, but do you see how our attitudes toward pornography can quickly escalate to child sex tourism? And then virtual child sex tourism can quickly escalate into face-to-face child sex tourism. And then face-to-face child sex tourism can turn into local child sex abuse/slavery.
At the bottom of all of this is an inability to see everyone as a child of God. When slavery in the thirteen colonies and the United States was at its height, slave-owners did not want their slaves to be educated in religion. Why? Because slave-owners, as heartless and/or ignorant as they may have been, knew that God probably didn't look kindly on enslaving fellow Christians: once someone accepted Christ as his/her savior, well, then that slave was... was... was a real person! Oh my goodness! We can't enslave real people! I don't mean to say that we all need to be religious or that we need to educate slaves in religion. Since post-modernity began its reign, I'm not sure that being religious would save a slave in the worldly sense. I am saying that we all need to see all other people as children of God. We don't need to be religious or even believe in God ourselves to do that. All we need is a sense that if a person is alive, then they are just like us, a real, live person. When we allow pornography into our lives or into our society, we acknowledge in some small way that not all people are equal. In that case, some people are worth physically or virtually taking advantage of, worth using and abusing.
Even if we aren't talking about pornography, there are far too many of us going around thinking that only people of the same or higher social status as ourselves are real people. There are others of us who go around thinking that only our friends are real people. Stop for a second and consider whether you are one of those people who don't truly believe that all persons are indeed persons. If we think about the way we and our acquaintances talk and think, we will find that we are often or come close to being someone who doesn't view all persons as persons. And that is our problem. There's far too much devaluing of real, human persons going on.
Want to end child sex tourism? Want to end slavery? Then evangelize. Whoa, that's a scary word. It shouldn't be scary, though, when we are evangelizing to the radical yet not-so-radical idea that all persons are actually persons. If we do that, then no one will be able to use and abuse another human being and then continue on with their life as if nothing happened. We are all children of God, after all.
Anyway, this post isn't about how awareness works (technically, all my posts are about how important simple awareness is, since I really believe that simply being aware is indeed half the battle). This post is about the following video that Pamela, my new best friend and hero, pointed out to me:
Child Sex Tourism
Please watch the video. The video was enough to convince me to sign up for upworthy.com's daily e-mail. There's also a petition to sign at the end to help stop child sex tourism.
If you don't read on, that's fine, it means that you watched the video and then didn't have time for any more reading. Good! Watching the video and not reading more is better than not watching the video and reading more.
As I commented to Pamela, while watching the video I thought a lot about pornography in general. I feel more strongly than ever that my emphasis on pornography and its relationship to modern slavery is justified, because more strongly than ever I see that our attitudes towards pornography are the same attitudes that will later justify propagation of slavery and child sex tourism. One of the experts in the video talks about how men are sitting behind their computers in far-away countries virtually abusing the ten-year old Sweetie mentally and bodily, and then once they get off they also shut off the computer, go back to work and think nothing of what they've just done to a ten-year old girl. Is pornography not the same? We sit behind our computers or TV screens, directing the action (in the sense that we can choose and search out for whatever type of pornography we want), virtually using and abusing--a high percentage of pornography nowadays is about abuse--the bodies and minds of women and men, and then once we get off we shut off our computers and TVs and think nothing of what we've just done. Child sex tourism is obviously a far more cruel and heart-wrenching phenomenon, but do you see how our attitudes toward pornography can quickly escalate to child sex tourism? And then virtual child sex tourism can quickly escalate into face-to-face child sex tourism. And then face-to-face child sex tourism can turn into local child sex abuse/slavery.
At the bottom of all of this is an inability to see everyone as a child of God. When slavery in the thirteen colonies and the United States was at its height, slave-owners did not want their slaves to be educated in religion. Why? Because slave-owners, as heartless and/or ignorant as they may have been, knew that God probably didn't look kindly on enslaving fellow Christians: once someone accepted Christ as his/her savior, well, then that slave was... was... was a real person! Oh my goodness! We can't enslave real people! I don't mean to say that we all need to be religious or that we need to educate slaves in religion. Since post-modernity began its reign, I'm not sure that being religious would save a slave in the worldly sense. I am saying that we all need to see all other people as children of God. We don't need to be religious or even believe in God ourselves to do that. All we need is a sense that if a person is alive, then they are just like us, a real, live person. When we allow pornography into our lives or into our society, we acknowledge in some small way that not all people are equal. In that case, some people are worth physically or virtually taking advantage of, worth using and abusing.
Even if we aren't talking about pornography, there are far too many of us going around thinking that only people of the same or higher social status as ourselves are real people. There are others of us who go around thinking that only our friends are real people. Stop for a second and consider whether you are one of those people who don't truly believe that all persons are indeed persons. If we think about the way we and our acquaintances talk and think, we will find that we are often or come close to being someone who doesn't view all persons as persons. And that is our problem. There's far too much devaluing of real, human persons going on.
Want to end child sex tourism? Want to end slavery? Then evangelize. Whoa, that's a scary word. It shouldn't be scary, though, when we are evangelizing to the radical yet not-so-radical idea that all persons are actually persons. If we do that, then no one will be able to use and abuse another human being and then continue on with their life as if nothing happened. We are all children of God, after all.
Friday, March 7, 2014
A Book Review
I recently read Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel, Snuff. If you don't know what Discworld is, I encourage you to look it up. I encourage you to look it up not because I'm too lazy to describe it but because I just spent thirty minutes trying to describe Discworld and realizing I wasn't doing a good job. Basically, though, it's a world of comic fantasy that I highly recommend, if you're interested in either fantasy or laughing hysterically for hours.
Anyway, I wrote this book review on Goodreads and thought that I would share it with you. If you are on Goodreads, then you can find my review and click to "like it." I encourage you to "like it" so that others may see it. Unfortunately, though the book is clearly about the drug and slave trade, because it is a part of Pratchett's running Discworld series--a running satire on everything--I doubt that many people who have read the book will have the same, necessary perception of the book as I do. Whether you are on Goodreads or not, I encourage you to read Snuff, because it is a fantastic (see what I did there? Discworld is fantasy, and I just said a Discworld book is "fantastic"... ha ha), non-direct look at how certain forms of slavery develop such a strong hold in our world, all the while being hidden from the public eye.
(Note: I've taken out some of the review that focused more on the style of the book)
"Regular Discworld copper Sam Vimes goes out to the country with his wife, Lady Sybil, for a vacation... until he finds trouble, as Vimes always does, and then has to take down a drug and slave trafficking racket. Because of my own experience and involvement in fighting slave trafficking (check out my book, 27 Million Revolutions for 27 Million Slaves) I love and appreciate this book. Sam Vimes is, in a sense, the last person you'd expect to respect the rights of perceived lower-species (in this case, goblins), which makes the anti-slave purpose of the story all the stronger. We can all learn a lot from the rough-and-tumble Sam Vimes about why we need to take on modern-day slavery with much more enthusiasm and strength. Pratchett also perceptively connects the drug trade to the slave trade. A wonderfully meaningful story is Snuff.
One of the most powerful comments that I've ever read in a Pratchett novel gets repeated by Vimes in various forms throughout the book, "You could have done something." If you read my book, you'll learn that, indeed, when we are faced with an evil like slavery, we all can do something. Little changes in our life, our attitudes and/or our lifestyles, can make a big difference in the world. As the rough-and-tumble character that he is, Vimes has something specific in mind when he says, "You could have done something," but even if we disagree with his notions of literally fighting back, we should still hear his words ringing in our ears... "You could have done something." Slavery is unacceptable in our world today, and we can all do something.
Another great aspect of this book is that it shows how hidden slavery can be. Vimes shows up in the countryside and everything seems clean and fine. No one likes the goblins (the potential slave population) because they are poor, uneducated thieves who can barely speak the language. At first Vimes thinks that this is such perfectly normal behavior that he doesn't give it a second thought. It's not so much a question of, "Who cares about the goblins (or, who cares about the poor, uneducated, possibly foreign population)?" but rather a question of, "Who even thinks about the goblins?" The answer is, "no one really," because we all walk around with our eyes shut focused on the lives of the wealthy, hoping that one day we might join their ranks. We might care about the rights of all people, but our eyes aren't open enough to see all the people. We aren't a true community in any sense. This is how slavery becomes hidden, this is how there are 27 million slaves in the world, many of whom are in the United States, without our knowledge. If it weren't for Sam Vimes's inclination to find trouble, he wouldn't have known what was going on because he wouldn't have opened his eyes. And by the end of the story, Vimes hasn't even necessarily accepted goblins as equal, but he does come to understand, by viewing the horrors of slavery, that all people, including goblins, are indeed people.
...
There's nothing inherently wrong with an action novel about dismantling drug and slave trafficking. That's quite good, in fact! I love it! Let's write more of them! If you have never read a Discworld novel before and have a beating heart, you will love this book [and find yourself wanting to fight slavery all the more!]. But if you are familiar with Discworld, you have certain expectations that are not met. Which is okay, of course, since I'm not sure that I want to laugh while reading about the drug and slave trade. I just wish I had some forewarning that my life experiences with slavery would come a-haunting.
And it's possible that Pratchett realized that this shouldn't be a proper Discworld satire. There is a point in the novel when Lady Sybil, Vimes's wife, loses some of her power over Vimes and decides to just become a supporting wife as Vimes goes out to make the world a better place. This is a powerful transition. Yes, Snuff may not be what I was expecting or even hoping for as a Discworld novel, but, as Lady Sybil recognizes, what are expectations of a Discworld novel in the face of the drug and slave trade? Nothing.
So at the end of the day I of course really liked this book for its focus and its story. Sam Vimes is, in a way, your stereotypical conservative, American Southerner. If even he can find it in his heart to respect lowly, poor foreigners who can't speak good English--I mean, goblins, and fight to keep them from being enslaved, then so should we all."
Anyway, I wrote this book review on Goodreads and thought that I would share it with you. If you are on Goodreads, then you can find my review and click to "like it." I encourage you to "like it" so that others may see it. Unfortunately, though the book is clearly about the drug and slave trade, because it is a part of Pratchett's running Discworld series--a running satire on everything--I doubt that many people who have read the book will have the same, necessary perception of the book as I do. Whether you are on Goodreads or not, I encourage you to read Snuff, because it is a fantastic (see what I did there? Discworld is fantasy, and I just said a Discworld book is "fantastic"... ha ha), non-direct look at how certain forms of slavery develop such a strong hold in our world, all the while being hidden from the public eye.
(Note: I've taken out some of the review that focused more on the style of the book)
"Regular Discworld copper Sam Vimes goes out to the country with his wife, Lady Sybil, for a vacation... until he finds trouble, as Vimes always does, and then has to take down a drug and slave trafficking racket. Because of my own experience and involvement in fighting slave trafficking (check out my book, 27 Million Revolutions for 27 Million Slaves) I love and appreciate this book. Sam Vimes is, in a sense, the last person you'd expect to respect the rights of perceived lower-species (in this case, goblins), which makes the anti-slave purpose of the story all the stronger. We can all learn a lot from the rough-and-tumble Sam Vimes about why we need to take on modern-day slavery with much more enthusiasm and strength. Pratchett also perceptively connects the drug trade to the slave trade. A wonderfully meaningful story is Snuff.
One of the most powerful comments that I've ever read in a Pratchett novel gets repeated by Vimes in various forms throughout the book, "You could have done something." If you read my book, you'll learn that, indeed, when we are faced with an evil like slavery, we all can do something. Little changes in our life, our attitudes and/or our lifestyles, can make a big difference in the world. As the rough-and-tumble character that he is, Vimes has something specific in mind when he says, "You could have done something," but even if we disagree with his notions of literally fighting back, we should still hear his words ringing in our ears... "You could have done something." Slavery is unacceptable in our world today, and we can all do something.
Another great aspect of this book is that it shows how hidden slavery can be. Vimes shows up in the countryside and everything seems clean and fine. No one likes the goblins (the potential slave population) because they are poor, uneducated thieves who can barely speak the language. At first Vimes thinks that this is such perfectly normal behavior that he doesn't give it a second thought. It's not so much a question of, "Who cares about the goblins (or, who cares about the poor, uneducated, possibly foreign population)?" but rather a question of, "Who even thinks about the goblins?" The answer is, "no one really," because we all walk around with our eyes shut focused on the lives of the wealthy, hoping that one day we might join their ranks. We might care about the rights of all people, but our eyes aren't open enough to see all the people. We aren't a true community in any sense. This is how slavery becomes hidden, this is how there are 27 million slaves in the world, many of whom are in the United States, without our knowledge. If it weren't for Sam Vimes's inclination to find trouble, he wouldn't have known what was going on because he wouldn't have opened his eyes. And by the end of the story, Vimes hasn't even necessarily accepted goblins as equal, but he does come to understand, by viewing the horrors of slavery, that all people, including goblins, are indeed people.
...
There's nothing inherently wrong with an action novel about dismantling drug and slave trafficking. That's quite good, in fact! I love it! Let's write more of them! If you have never read a Discworld novel before and have a beating heart, you will love this book [and find yourself wanting to fight slavery all the more!]. But if you are familiar with Discworld, you have certain expectations that are not met. Which is okay, of course, since I'm not sure that I want to laugh while reading about the drug and slave trade. I just wish I had some forewarning that my life experiences with slavery would come a-haunting.
And it's possible that Pratchett realized that this shouldn't be a proper Discworld satire. There is a point in the novel when Lady Sybil, Vimes's wife, loses some of her power over Vimes and decides to just become a supporting wife as Vimes goes out to make the world a better place. This is a powerful transition. Yes, Snuff may not be what I was expecting or even hoping for as a Discworld novel, but, as Lady Sybil recognizes, what are expectations of a Discworld novel in the face of the drug and slave trade? Nothing.
So at the end of the day I of course really liked this book for its focus and its story. Sam Vimes is, in a way, your stereotypical conservative, American Southerner. If even he can find it in his heart to respect lowly, poor foreigners who can't speak good English--I mean, goblins, and fight to keep them from being enslaved, then so should we all."
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Recognition
Recently I received in the mail an official recognition from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for my trip and the writing of the book, 27 Million Revolutions for 27 Million Slaves. Offered by representative Kate Hogan and signed by Speaker of the House, Robert DeLeo, the House of Representatives extends its sincerest thanks for my work. The recognition caught me by surprise, since I didn't think that the release of my book was all that earth-shattering. But the recognition (now obviously hanging on a wall in my office) taught me two things.
First, I really need to update this blog. The pages and links on this website still all refer to my trip two years ago. It's been less than two years, actually, so I'm not totally guilty, but still the blog is clearly out of date. A change in my life and a change in purpose for this blog, plus the fact that there is a whole bunch of worthwhile information out there that I should include, dictate to me that I need to change the blog. An overhaul is necessary. If people are recognizing me for my work in raising awareness against human trafficking, then I should probably not look so lazy. My goal for this month is to make those changes.
Second, the little things that we do seeking to end human trafficking, a) do not go unrecognized, and b) do not flame out. Oftentimes doing good work in social justice areas feels like a thankless task, but there are plenty of people out there who see what we do and are forever grateful for what we do. To some, publishing a book may seem like a big deal; to me it's not at all (writing is what I do). So whoever we are we should realize that what we consider to be a small, unrecognizable task, is not a small, unrecognizable task in the eyes of all people; to some people, those tasks will seem like monumental achievements.
Also, whatever good we do seeking to end human trafficking remains forever. What I mean is that each step we take toward the end of modern slavery has such great influence on others--encouraging them to also work to end slavery--and on the world that that step cannot ever be demolished once we take that step. We build on what we've done before and need not re-build. Sometimes we may need to repeat, over and over again, but that doesn't mean that what we have done has not helped make progress or has gone unrecognized. We can and should take heart knowing that every little thing that we do to help end human trafficking has unending significance. Unending significance. Even if you only do one little thing to end slavery, that one little thing will continue to have significance for all time.
First, I really need to update this blog. The pages and links on this website still all refer to my trip two years ago. It's been less than two years, actually, so I'm not totally guilty, but still the blog is clearly out of date. A change in my life and a change in purpose for this blog, plus the fact that there is a whole bunch of worthwhile information out there that I should include, dictate to me that I need to change the blog. An overhaul is necessary. If people are recognizing me for my work in raising awareness against human trafficking, then I should probably not look so lazy. My goal for this month is to make those changes.
Second, the little things that we do seeking to end human trafficking, a) do not go unrecognized, and b) do not flame out. Oftentimes doing good work in social justice areas feels like a thankless task, but there are plenty of people out there who see what we do and are forever grateful for what we do. To some, publishing a book may seem like a big deal; to me it's not at all (writing is what I do). So whoever we are we should realize that what we consider to be a small, unrecognizable task, is not a small, unrecognizable task in the eyes of all people; to some people, those tasks will seem like monumental achievements.
Also, whatever good we do seeking to end human trafficking remains forever. What I mean is that each step we take toward the end of modern slavery has such great influence on others--encouraging them to also work to end slavery--and on the world that that step cannot ever be demolished once we take that step. We build on what we've done before and need not re-build. Sometimes we may need to repeat, over and over again, but that doesn't mean that what we have done has not helped make progress or has gone unrecognized. We can and should take heart knowing that every little thing that we do to help end human trafficking has unending significance. Unending significance. Even if you only do one little thing to end slavery, that one little thing will continue to have significance for all time.
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