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.
Showing posts with label American human trafficking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American human trafficking. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Big Bang Theory
I can't imagine anyone's watching The Big Bang Theory and not finding it extremely funny. It's a good show that occasionally makes viewers aware of what's new and exciting in scientific fields and introduces viewers to some of the great thinkers of our generation. You can probably guess, though, that I don't want to talk about any of that. Instead I want to talk about how in one episode that I watched recently (a re-run, I'm pretty sure) Penny mentions how she got a great manicure at a store that she thinks was a front for human trafficking. Once the joke was said and laughed at, the conversation moved on and human trafficking wasn't referenced again. Penny's saying that she got a great manicure, pausing, and then saying that she thinks the store was a front for human trafficking was, indeed, funny. If any of the characters said the same thing it would still have been funny. In fact, if any character in any show said the same thing the joke might still have been funny.
My first question is why someone's saying, "I got this great manicure at this place... and I think it's a front for human trafficking," is funny. My second question is whether or not a popular TV show's bringing up the joke is good or bad.
First of all, we all have to acknowledge that our society jokes about a good number of things that perhaps we should not joke about. For many of us, though, these jokes are what keep us sane. If we were not able to joke about the state of our government, about Catholic priests, about consumerism, etc. many of us would find this world way too depressing to survive. Jokes and laughter are survival mechanisms, no question. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, either. We need to be able to joke about the awful things in our world or we won't survive.
I've talked a lot, in private conversations, about the tendency some kids and even adults have in making bets or jokes that essentially are, "blah blah blah, and be my slave for a week." I don't know if that really constitutes a joke or anything so we have to be really careful with that type of language. Yet if we are joking around and don't mean anything by it, then we have to ask ourselves why we joke about slavery and human trafficking. If we laugh at and make these jokes and bets because there's something inherently funny about slavery to us, then we need to check ourselves before we wreck ourselves, as Ice Cube would say. Sometimes we grow up thinking certain things are funny and we have no idea why. That's okay... as long as we become aware that some things we grew up thinking are funny are not at all acceptable.
Ultimately, though, there's nothing inherently funny in slavery, and working out a joke about slavery that is funny requires more work than it's worth, so why do it? I still can't decide if The Big Bang Theory intended to raise awareness about human trafficking or if they were just taking advantage of a situation to make a funny. And that's the thing: intention is key. If we make jokes about human trafficking just to be funny then we are essentially arguing that there is something inherently funny about slavery when in fact there isn't. Just because human trafficking exists and is out there doesn't mean we can or should take advantage of it as a comedic situation.
On the other hand, if we insert jokes about human trafficking with the intention of raising awareness, then of course we're doing a good work. Yet if that's the case, we have to be careful. The fact that millions of people who might not have known about human trafficking now do because of a throw-away joke by Penny in The Big Bang Theory is a positive step, but there are some issues: some people may have missed it, or not understood the joke precisely because they don't know what human trafficking is; there was still no indication of why anyone should care about human trafficking. Penny seemed a little upset and nothing more. The whole situation would have been different if Penny had gone on to say, "Now I'm upset about this manicure. I shouldn't give money to traffickers. I should tell the authorities." More jokes could have been made that also outlined the appropriate emotions and actions to take in such a situation. Then millions of viewers would have certainly got a good education about human trafficking that they otherwise would not have received.
You know, at the end of the day, what I'm trying to say is that little comments like the one Penny made can make a huge difference. It's entirely possible now that many people think it's acceptable and funny to joke about human trafficking for no good reason, and in addition think that it's not their business to care about human trafficking as an evil in our world, and in addition think that it's okay to take advantage of the services of trafficked persons. It could have been possible, on the other hand, to educate millions of people on how to think and feel and act about human trafficking to make this a better world to live in and, because it's a popular comedy show, they wouldn't have even really noticed that they were receiving such an education. It's possible that The Big Bang Theory did a positive thing simply by mentioning human trafficking, but the joke as it was relied far too heavily on uneducated viewers to understand why the show did a good thing.
We all of us need to keep our eyes and ears open for such references of human trafficking so that we can point them out and talk about them when others do not, and so that we can avoid making the same mistake that The Big Bang Theory made.
My first question is why someone's saying, "I got this great manicure at this place... and I think it's a front for human trafficking," is funny. My second question is whether or not a popular TV show's bringing up the joke is good or bad.
First of all, we all have to acknowledge that our society jokes about a good number of things that perhaps we should not joke about. For many of us, though, these jokes are what keep us sane. If we were not able to joke about the state of our government, about Catholic priests, about consumerism, etc. many of us would find this world way too depressing to survive. Jokes and laughter are survival mechanisms, no question. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, either. We need to be able to joke about the awful things in our world or we won't survive.
I've talked a lot, in private conversations, about the tendency some kids and even adults have in making bets or jokes that essentially are, "blah blah blah, and be my slave for a week." I don't know if that really constitutes a joke or anything so we have to be really careful with that type of language. Yet if we are joking around and don't mean anything by it, then we have to ask ourselves why we joke about slavery and human trafficking. If we laugh at and make these jokes and bets because there's something inherently funny about slavery to us, then we need to check ourselves before we wreck ourselves, as Ice Cube would say. Sometimes we grow up thinking certain things are funny and we have no idea why. That's okay... as long as we become aware that some things we grew up thinking are funny are not at all acceptable.
Ultimately, though, there's nothing inherently funny in slavery, and working out a joke about slavery that is funny requires more work than it's worth, so why do it? I still can't decide if The Big Bang Theory intended to raise awareness about human trafficking or if they were just taking advantage of a situation to make a funny. And that's the thing: intention is key. If we make jokes about human trafficking just to be funny then we are essentially arguing that there is something inherently funny about slavery when in fact there isn't. Just because human trafficking exists and is out there doesn't mean we can or should take advantage of it as a comedic situation.
On the other hand, if we insert jokes about human trafficking with the intention of raising awareness, then of course we're doing a good work. Yet if that's the case, we have to be careful. The fact that millions of people who might not have known about human trafficking now do because of a throw-away joke by Penny in The Big Bang Theory is a positive step, but there are some issues: some people may have missed it, or not understood the joke precisely because they don't know what human trafficking is; there was still no indication of why anyone should care about human trafficking. Penny seemed a little upset and nothing more. The whole situation would have been different if Penny had gone on to say, "Now I'm upset about this manicure. I shouldn't give money to traffickers. I should tell the authorities." More jokes could have been made that also outlined the appropriate emotions and actions to take in such a situation. Then millions of viewers would have certainly got a good education about human trafficking that they otherwise would not have received.
You know, at the end of the day, what I'm trying to say is that little comments like the one Penny made can make a huge difference. It's entirely possible now that many people think it's acceptable and funny to joke about human trafficking for no good reason, and in addition think that it's not their business to care about human trafficking as an evil in our world, and in addition think that it's okay to take advantage of the services of trafficked persons. It could have been possible, on the other hand, to educate millions of people on how to think and feel and act about human trafficking to make this a better world to live in and, because it's a popular comedy show, they wouldn't have even really noticed that they were receiving such an education. It's possible that The Big Bang Theory did a positive thing simply by mentioning human trafficking, but the joke as it was relied far too heavily on uneducated viewers to understand why the show did a good thing.
We all of us need to keep our eyes and ears open for such references of human trafficking so that we can point them out and talk about them when others do not, and so that we can avoid making the same mistake that The Big Bang Theory made.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Koto
The other day my fiancee and I learned that a particular restaurant that we like, Koto, has suspect business policies regarding its hibachi chefs. There are a number of lessons from our new knowledge.
1) The more we talk about human trafficking with our friends and family, the more we can share knowledge and suspicions of businesses that may be in violation of simple good manners towards our fellow men and women. In this case, my fiancee had been talking about my new book with a co-worker. By talking to the co-worker my fiancee learned that she is somewhat involved in local human trafficking organizations who have red-flagged Koto as a possible violator.
2) We need to be ready to change our lives and habits at a moment's notice if we hope to put an end to slavery. My fiancee and I love going to Koto, especially since we live right across the road. Now, though, we can't in good conscience do so. Of course, my fiancee's co-worker said that Koto is a possible violator, and it's perhaps not a great thing to remove our business from Koto based on suspicions, but then why not? There are many other restaurants to go to if we must eat out. A lot of restaurants are possible violators, and we just have to keep an eye out.
3) Indeed, we need to keep an eye out. My fiancee and I had remarked, the last time that we were at Koto, that the hibachi chefs were susceptible to mistreatment. They come over here to the States hoping to make a good living for themselves, in a state--Vermont--that is notoriously good for foreigners to move to. New American residents who don't speak much English must rely on the reputation of a state like Vermont or the reputation of the American dream. If all that they have heard and believed turns out to be false, then they won't know until they've already been sucked into slavery. We talked about this... and yet didn't decide to do or research anything. We should have.
We all should learn how to be more proactive rather than simply think and wonder and talk. Although, as I said in lesson number one, talking can go a long way.
1) The more we talk about human trafficking with our friends and family, the more we can share knowledge and suspicions of businesses that may be in violation of simple good manners towards our fellow men and women. In this case, my fiancee had been talking about my new book with a co-worker. By talking to the co-worker my fiancee learned that she is somewhat involved in local human trafficking organizations who have red-flagged Koto as a possible violator.
2) We need to be ready to change our lives and habits at a moment's notice if we hope to put an end to slavery. My fiancee and I love going to Koto, especially since we live right across the road. Now, though, we can't in good conscience do so. Of course, my fiancee's co-worker said that Koto is a possible violator, and it's perhaps not a great thing to remove our business from Koto based on suspicions, but then why not? There are many other restaurants to go to if we must eat out. A lot of restaurants are possible violators, and we just have to keep an eye out.
3) Indeed, we need to keep an eye out. My fiancee and I had remarked, the last time that we were at Koto, that the hibachi chefs were susceptible to mistreatment. They come over here to the States hoping to make a good living for themselves, in a state--Vermont--that is notoriously good for foreigners to move to. New American residents who don't speak much English must rely on the reputation of a state like Vermont or the reputation of the American dream. If all that they have heard and believed turns out to be false, then they won't know until they've already been sucked into slavery. We talked about this... and yet didn't decide to do or research anything. We should have.
We all should learn how to be more proactive rather than simply think and wonder and talk. Although, as I said in lesson number one, talking can go a long way.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Finally Publishing
About eight months after I had originally hoped to publish (that's what we call naivete), I am finally getting 27 Million Revolutions for 27 Million Slaves
onto the presses. It has unexpectedly been a very emotional ride,
which you won't hear about for months and months, but suffice it to say
that my first ever serious publication is not quite as exciting as one
would hope. At the end of the day, though, I feel successful. Now,
selfishly, I'm most worried about selling the friggin book; of course,
I'm also worried that, once having sold the book, that readers will find
it somehow useful, helpful, meaningful, or whatever positive 'ful' word
you can insert.
Of my trusted readers of this blog, if you want to buy a copy (it won't be available on Amazon for about ten days, and when it is it might be a couple of dollars more expensive) e-mail me at jlucy.wilde@gmail.com and then we'll go from there. Happy reading!
Of my trusted readers of this blog, if you want to buy a copy (it won't be available on Amazon for about ten days, and when it is it might be a couple of dollars more expensive) e-mail me at jlucy.wilde@gmail.com and then we'll go from there. Happy reading!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Hometown Prophet
A couple of weeks ago I came home from seminary and immediately jumped into helping my father win an a town election. He won the race for selectman and everyone is happy.
Much of the work that goes into helping with a town election for grunts like me entails holding signs. On the day of the election I found myself holding a sign (or two) for ten hours. At one point that meant standing next to a fine gentleman that I like quite a bit, though until then I hadn't much opportunity to talk to him during the past few years of knowing him. Most of the time we were telling stories, long stories: apparently he and my father are the kings of telling long stories.
I don't usually tell long stories. I just have a lot of stories that I tell in quick fashion. One of the stories I told that day was how I had bicycled across the country to fight human trafficking. He responded as most people do, "Wow, are you serious?!" And then a few seconds later, "That's so disturbing. I don't know why anyone would use someone like that. Hopefully our government can step into other countries and stop it." I was proud of him until that last sentence.
What surprises me about the interaction is how little some people know about domestic human trafficking even in my hometown. Lack of awareness is an on-going issue that I've written about, and to some extent I think it's the major issue when it comes to trying to fight the evil, but since I decided to go on my bike trip I have not spent much time at home. Now that I have it's rather upsetting that people that I know and have known for a long time, people that I respect, and people that I thought would have read the article about my bike trip in our town newspaper and that I thought were following this blog, continue to have little idea about just how serious human trafficking is in our world today. Yes, I am glad that this man showed more concern about those held in slavery than most people that I talk to do, but I still think even the most concern does little good when it is directed internationally and is totally ignorant of how serious it is around our homes.
Granted, I can't expect everyone that I come across to be up to speed on the issue nor can I expect them to have followed my trip with ever-attentive eyes. In a lot of ways it's good because, I mean, that's my mission: to make others aware. I'd be silly to think that a few months, even an impressive few months, would fulfill my mission. Still, I'm beginning to understand what people like Jesus and Mohammed knew, that prophets are very rarely accepted in their hometown. Part of that is because people know me for who I am with all of my deficiencies and I can't simply be that great guy who biked across the country. But a lot of that is because, knowing me, hometown folk believe that "this guy" can't have much to say that they don't already know.
I don't mean to say that I'm a prophet. I simply mean that the experience I have had at home so far reminds me of how much harder a person with a universal mission must work in their hometown. It's a good thing that I've always wanted to make Hudson, MA a great place--perhaps, through many, many years of hard toil, Hudson can become a model for the fight against slavery.
Much of the work that goes into helping with a town election for grunts like me entails holding signs. On the day of the election I found myself holding a sign (or two) for ten hours. At one point that meant standing next to a fine gentleman that I like quite a bit, though until then I hadn't much opportunity to talk to him during the past few years of knowing him. Most of the time we were telling stories, long stories: apparently he and my father are the kings of telling long stories.
I don't usually tell long stories. I just have a lot of stories that I tell in quick fashion. One of the stories I told that day was how I had bicycled across the country to fight human trafficking. He responded as most people do, "Wow, are you serious?!" And then a few seconds later, "That's so disturbing. I don't know why anyone would use someone like that. Hopefully our government can step into other countries and stop it." I was proud of him until that last sentence.
What surprises me about the interaction is how little some people know about domestic human trafficking even in my hometown. Lack of awareness is an on-going issue that I've written about, and to some extent I think it's the major issue when it comes to trying to fight the evil, but since I decided to go on my bike trip I have not spent much time at home. Now that I have it's rather upsetting that people that I know and have known for a long time, people that I respect, and people that I thought would have read the article about my bike trip in our town newspaper and that I thought were following this blog, continue to have little idea about just how serious human trafficking is in our world today. Yes, I am glad that this man showed more concern about those held in slavery than most people that I talk to do, but I still think even the most concern does little good when it is directed internationally and is totally ignorant of how serious it is around our homes.
Granted, I can't expect everyone that I come across to be up to speed on the issue nor can I expect them to have followed my trip with ever-attentive eyes. In a lot of ways it's good because, I mean, that's my mission: to make others aware. I'd be silly to think that a few months, even an impressive few months, would fulfill my mission. Still, I'm beginning to understand what people like Jesus and Mohammed knew, that prophets are very rarely accepted in their hometown. Part of that is because people know me for who I am with all of my deficiencies and I can't simply be that great guy who biked across the country. But a lot of that is because, knowing me, hometown folk believe that "this guy" can't have much to say that they don't already know.
I don't mean to say that I'm a prophet. I simply mean that the experience I have had at home so far reminds me of how much harder a person with a universal mission must work in their hometown. It's a good thing that I've always wanted to make Hudson, MA a great place--perhaps, through many, many years of hard toil, Hudson can become a model for the fight against slavery.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)