Unsweet, black tea reminds me of my dad’s mom. She used to serve it all the time in her etched, glass cups. If I wanted it sweet, I had to put a sugar packet in. The sugar never fully dissolved but I didn’t mind it. I’d plop in a lemon wedge and call it a day. We planted tomatoes and peppers often. She taught me how to make homemade mac and cheese, my favorite. When I was around eight, she slowly started to lose her eyesight. Her husband was quiet and withdrawn. Never said I love you, not even to his wife. A very cold man, that is, until his wife was out of town. Then all of a sudden, he came to life. Laughing and talking with his children and grandchildren. What most people didn’t know is that when she completely lost her sight, he’d watch pornography on the TV, often. He would try to hide it when his grandchildren would walk into the room.
What my grandfather felt was acceptable only behind closed doors, my dad felt it was acceptable to do in front of others. Seeing both my grandfather and my dad watch pornography, caused me to believe that this was an acceptable, normal practice for men. In both scenarios, I had a heavy pit in my stomach. I knew what they were doing was wrong inside but I didn’t know how to articulate that to others.
Generational Abuse. People know and do what they’re taught. The role model my dad had in my grandfather was far from ideal. Never realizing, until the deep wounds were already scarred, that this pattern of exposing children to adult entertainment was detrimental. These patterns of behavior become ingrained habits in young children, perpetuating the mistakes of those entrusted with the noble responsibility of looking after them. The moment you’re willing to view a man or woman as an object, via pornography, you put yourself on a slippery slope to view a human being as an object to be bought. A slippery slope that unless plowed and salted will eventually lead to destruction, maybe not of yourself, here on this side of heaven, but of another human being, absolutely. Every. Single. Time.
Most pornography addictions start with a similar story. Coming across a Playboy magazine or being introduced to it by a family member or friend. Some stumble across it on the internet by sheer mistake but do not know how to respond when their scrolling gets interrupted by explicit images. The majority of child-convicted sex predators have admitted to being addicted to pornography. The object of their affection mostly starts with them being attracted to adult men or women. Over time, the satisfaction that they once received dissipates. This forces them to start seeking that same thrill and satisfaction in different genres of adult entertainment including child pornography. The age continues to decrease until they are now fascinated with children. After pornography no longer satisfies, many start to try to satisfy their desires by offending the innocence of children in their life’s path. (Acting out on their vile fantasies)
All over America, culture promotes the sexualization of children. Making children feel like this is absolutely normal behavior, even though inside they can feel that it is not. Due to America’s over-sexualized culture, as of 2023, America is the number one producer and consumer of child pornography, resulting in a thriving and robust child sex trafficking industry. Equating to an estimated one in three girls and one in four boys being sexually abused before their 18th birthday.
On May 24, 2023, Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon stated, “On this day, we remember that some 460,000 children go missing from the United States every year – and we take this opportunity to remind ourselves of both the scope of the challenge before us and the depth of our collective commitment to the safety and welfare of America’s youth.”
—Office of Justice Programs Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon
It is becoming increasingly evident, that the problem with America’s child exploitation problem runs deeper than what the authorities can handle. This is a generational crisis of abounding addiction. Addiction to pornography.
