Love takes two

 It's hard to know what to write about pornography.

I've spent my life living in places that allow people to choose in what media they want to indulge. I understand that it's [usually? most of the time? always?] unacceptable to judge people by the choices they make, irrespective of whether or not they're choices with which I agree. But the new ad campaign for PornHub, which was briefly displayed in Times Square, strikes me as something that's going too far.

Whether or not you enjoy porn, whether or not you admit to its many adverse effects on relationships, brain functionality, or society, whether or not you see sexuality as something sacred, whether or not you're aware that the porn industry is often little more than a source of sexual abuse, porn does not take the place of love.

The fact is, our generation, our culture, and so much of the world beyond us, is far more invested in virtual interactions than real ones, and this is why the aforementioned ad campaign for PornHub strikes us as funny, when it's essentially perverted and untrue. We would rather accept that porn is a normal part of relationships than venture to argue that not only does it not have to be, but it should not be.

People should not be exploited for our pleasure, and we should never take pleasure knowing the industry providing us with an experience is doing so in fundamentally immoral ways.

Porn kills love, as does this ad campaign, because it tells us that human interaction is second rate to that which we can experience by way of a computer screen, by ourselves. It tells us that love isn't real or good enough or a high enough standard compared to that which PornHub can supply. And these things simply aren't true.

Some people will argue, but what about people who are single? Being single is a treasure, and porn doesn't enrich the lives of single people in any way, shape, or form. On the contrary, it hinders their ability to create lasting, healthy relationships in the future, and helps perpetuate the cultural myth that being alone means something is wrong with you. Being alone can be good. Being alone and furthering an industry that exploits men and women and damages our society as a whole? Not so good.

Porn, and talking about it, is awkward.

As someone trying to find her voice in the blogosphere, I sometimes wonder what's okay for me to write about and what's not, and this was a tough one. But when I think about the lives porn destroys - both from its creation and its distribution - and when I think about the voice I've been given, I can't, in good conscience, stay silent.

*to learn more about #pornkillslove and Fight the New Drug, visit their website & blog, and share this photo!