by Jason Joyner | Jul 20, 2011 | Ashton Kutcher, Biblical worldview, Blog, DNA Foundation, human trafficking, Real Men don't buy girls, social justice, Village Voice
One person’s freedom can be another person’s prison.
Modern America loves its freedom. The rise of Western culture is dominated by independence, especially in this country. We have a national philosophy:
As long as it doesn’t hurt someone else, you should have the freedom to do it.
Tell that to the commercially exploited sex trafficking victims.
Yes, I’m
still fuming about the Village Voice
article slamming the campaign of “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls” by Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. The article attacks the statistics used by abolitionists for girls at risk of being trafficked in the U.S. More than this, they suggest the fight against trafficking is driven by the desire for federal grant money.
The Village Voice is not a disinterested party. They run Backpage, a solicitation site for adult services. After Craigslist was taken to task for its adult services pages not screening for underage girls (or boys), the Village Voice is being proactive to protect their profit margins individual freedom.
Really. They make it an argument of the right of people to seek out such services.
I agree. In America they do have a “right” to do so if they wish.
However, this doesn’t make it right.
Before I get accused of imposing my morality on others, let’s take a step back for a bigger perspective. According to a recent Newsweek article (excellent, BTW), the demand for pornography and sexualized services is so high in the modern Internet age. The demand can’t be contained by the services of adult women who voluntarily choose to offer their wares.
Entrepreneurs are going to find a way to meet a demand.
When men indulge their lusts, they are feeding into an industry that is preying on vulnerable women and girls. Certainly there are women who freely choose to enter the oldest profession, but many more (I would wager to say the majority) are forced into it in some way, whether it is due to economic pressures or to the degree of full human trafficking. The Newsweek article was sobering when it described a study and the way they had trouble finding a control group of men who did not pay for sex or pornography in some form.
The Village Voice argued that it was the morality police trying to use the overestimated problem of child sex trafficking in the U.S. to shut down Backpage, the way Craigslist backed down on their adult ads. The problem is that they think that the problem of child sex trafficking is not linked to adult services.
Like a pebble thrown in a pond, it can create ripples across the whole body of water. My next post will look at the connection between men fueling demand and the vulnerable being victimized.
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by Jason Joyner | Jul 8, 2011 | Ashton Kutcher, Blog, DNA Foundation, human trafficking, Real Men don't buy girls, Village Voice
Last week I posted about a Village Voice article that attacked Ashton Kutcher – for daring to stand up to men who fuel the sex trafficking industry in the United States. Since then there’s been a lot of back and forth about this article and the Twitter feud it launched.
Initially it seemed the most vocal were people eager to pile onto Ashton. Many people on Twitter thought he got his tail handed to him.
There’s a problem with listening to the people who spout off first.
There have been some great articles standing up to the Village Voice’s so-called “scientifically backed” article. People who were trashing Mr. Kutcher could do it quickly in 140 characters. The authors who spent time writing articles that showed what fools the Village Voice were took time.
Here are two excellent articles, written with a lot more thoughtfulness than what the Village Voice could muster.
An Open Letter from FTS (Free the Slaves) to The Village Voice
Remember that the Village Voice has a financial stake in this “debate,” as they host a website for “adult services,” without always knowing whether the people offering the services are, in fact, adults or doing it voluntarily. It is nice to see that in the financial arena it has already affected them, as American Airlines has pulled advertising from their website. It is good to see some businesses with a conscience.
I still have more thoughts on some of the root problems for slavery and child sexual exploitation. That will be for another post.
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by Jason Joyner | Jul 8, 2011 | Ashton Kutcher, Blog, DNA Foundation, human trafficking, Real Men don't buy girls, Village Voice
Last week I posted about a Village Voice article that attacked Ashton Kutcher – for daring to stand up to men who fuel the sex trafficking industry in the United States. Since then there’s been a lot of back and forth about this article and the Twitter feud it launched.
Initially it seemed the most vocal were people eager to pile onto Ashton. Many people on Twitter thought he got his tail handed to him.
There’s a problem with listening to the people who spout off first.
There have been some great articles standing up to the Village Voice’s so-called “scientifically backed” article. People who were trashing Mr. Kutcher could do it quickly in 140 characters. The authors who spent time writing articles that showed what fools the Village Voice were took time.
Here are two excellent articles, written with a lot more thoughtfulness than what the Village Voice could muster.
An Open Letter from FTS (Free the Slaves) to The Village Voice
Remember that the Village Voice has a financial stake in this “debate,” as they host a website for “adult services,” without always knowing whether the people offering the services are, in fact, adults or doing it voluntarily. It is nice to see that in the financial arena it has already affected them, as American Airlines has pulled advertising from their website. It is good to see some businesses with a conscience.
I still have more thoughts on some of the root problems for slavery and child sexual exploitation. That will be for another post.
—
by Jason Joyner | Jun 30, 2011 | Ashton Kutcher, Blog, DNA Foundation, human trafficking, Real Men don't buy girls, Village Voice
I’m not Ashton Kutcher’s biggest fan.
Mr. Twitter King has not been someone I’ve really enjoyed in films (alright, he was funny in Cheaper By The Dozen), and I just haven’t paid him much attention.
However, this year my respect grew when he and his wife Demi Moore started the
DNA Foundation to help fight child sex slavery and human trafficking. They started an ad campaign that shows different Hollywood actors doing some goofy things being “manly” with the tag line REAL MEN DON’T BUY GIRLS.
The ads have gotten a little flak for supposedly being off-target. I found them humorous enough and appreciated that the message of men not paying for forced child sexual exploitation was getting out. I am passionate about seeing human trafficking end in our lifetime, and hope more people recognize the scope of this issue.
Unfortunately, the Village Voice took exception to “goofy” Ashton getting serious about this issue. Their problem is supposedly “integrity”. The article claims that the numbers used by the DNA Foundation and other activists of 100,000-300,000 children being “at risk” for sexual exploitation are wildly inflated. Oh, the article gives lip service to the tragedy of any child being exploited, but that statement is very weak compared to the vitriol stirred up through the rest of the article.
The article goes to lengths to paint Ashton as a doofus who is more interested in self-image than the actual issue. It discusses a “celebrity charity advisor” that helped Ashton and Demi craft a message against child sex trafficking. It attacks the studies used to get the above number, and tries to suggest it is wildly over-estimated.
The interesting part is when the article insinuates that faith-based groups working to help end slavery are in it to win big government bucks. The disdain and bias shows clearly when talking about anyone religious participating in this work.
A disclaimer reveals Village Voice’s stake in the situation:
Congress hauled in Craigslist on September 15, 2010. There, feminists, religious zealots, the well-intentioned, law enforcement, and social-service bureaucrats pilloried the online classified business for peddling “100,000 to 300,000” underage prostitutes annually.
It goes on to say that Village Voice has always advertised for adult services, and feels attacked by the “devout” now that Craigslist was taken to the woodshed.
I am shocked how Village Voice can take such an issue and turn it into a First Amendment argument? I have no experience with this magazine, as it seems to be a New York phenomenon.
I am certain that the numbers for child sexual exploitation and trafficking are very difficult to nail down. Even if the study chided in the Voice article is flawed, so is their selective research and analysis. They should be talking to people in the field like
Rachel Lloyd, founder of GEMS. Still, the dismissive way they talk about faith-based advocates reveals a philosophical agenda that doesn’t give any respect to the concern over human lives being so damaged and used.
I’ll have more to say on this topic soon. I’m interested to see where the Village Voice goes now after staking such a horrible position. It drove me to become more of an Ashton Kutcher fan and a follower of his on Twitter. Maybe there’s a little reverse effect going on.
My final thought is a lyric from a song from the 90’s:
“Human rights have made the wrongs okay”
Slavery sucks. People need to see some of the root causes and stand for what’s right.
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by Jason Joyner | Jun 30, 2011 | Ashton Kutcher, Blog, DNA Foundation, human trafficking, Real Men don't buy girls, Village Voice
I’m not Ashton Kutcher’s biggest fan.
Mr. Twitter King has not been someone I’ve really enjoyed in films (alright, he was funny in Cheaper By The Dozen), and I just haven’t paid him much attention.
However, this year my respect grew when he and his wife Demi Moore started the
DNA Foundation to help fight child sex slavery and human trafficking. They started an ad campaign that shows different Hollywood actors doing some goofy things being “manly” with the tag line REAL MEN DON’T BUY GIRLS.
The ads have gotten a little flak for supposedly being off-target. I found them humorous enough and appreciated that the message of men not paying for forced child sexual exploitation was getting out. I am passionate about seeing human trafficking end in our lifetime, and hope more people recognize the scope of this issue.
Unfortunately, the Village Voice took exception to “goofy” Ashton getting serious about this issue. Their problem is supposedly “integrity”. The article claims that the numbers used by the DNA Foundation and other activists of 100,000-300,000 children being “at risk” for sexual exploitation are wildly inflated. Oh, the article gives lip service to the tragedy of any child being exploited, but that statement is very weak compared to the vitriol stirred up through the rest of the article.
The article goes to lengths to paint Ashton as a doofus who is more interested in self-image than the actual issue. It discusses a “celebrity charity advisor” that helped Ashton and Demi craft a message against child sex trafficking. It attacks the studies used to get the above number, and tries to suggest it is wildly over-estimated.
The interesting part is when the article insinuates that faith-based groups working to help end slavery are in it to win big government bucks. The disdain and bias shows clearly when talking about anyone religious participating in this work.
A disclaimer reveals Village Voice’s stake in the situation:
Congress hauled in Craigslist on September 15, 2010. There, feminists, religious zealots, the well-intentioned, law enforcement, and social-service bureaucrats pilloried the online classified business for peddling “100,000 to 300,000” underage prostitutes annually.
It goes on to say that Village Voice has always advertised for adult services, and feels attacked by the “devout” now that Craigslist was taken to the woodshed.
I am shocked how Village Voice can take such an issue and turn it into a First Amendment argument? I have no experience with this magazine, as it seems to be a New York phenomenon.
I am certain that the numbers for child sexual exploitation and trafficking are very difficult to nail down. Even if the study chided in the Voice article is flawed, so is their selective research and analysis. They should be talking to people in the field like
Rachel Lloyd, founder of GEMS. Still, the dismissive way they talk about faith-based advocates reveals a philosophical agenda that doesn’t give any respect to the concern over human lives being so damaged and used.
I’ll have more to say on this topic soon. I’m interested to see where the Village Voice goes now after staking such a horrible position. It drove me to become more of an Ashton Kutcher fan and a follower of his on Twitter. Maybe there’s a little reverse effect going on.
My final thought is a lyric from a song from the 90’s:
“Human rights have made the wrongs okay”
Slavery sucks. People need to see some of the root causes and stand for what’s right.
—
by Jason Joyner | Apr 25, 2011 | Blog, books, GEMS, human trafficking, Rachel Lloyd, reviews, social justice
A strange title for a man’s blog post, no?
Well, stick around, because this is one of the most important blog posts I’ve written. Nothing like setting myself up for failure…
SO – as if I didn’t have enough books I signed up for the Amazon Vine program, where they send me books in exchange for an honest review on Amazon. I was amazed by the list of items to choose from. Only two? Probably for the best.
I picked a novel and then took a chance on a book called Girls Like Us by Rachel Lloyd. Anyone who’s followed my blog knows that human trafficking is a deep concern for me. I’ve read books and web articles by those who work to help the victims of trafficking. I made it a point to listen to Laura Lederer, the former head of the State Department task force on human trafficking, at a talk at the local university. I’m versed in the issue.
But nothing prepared me for Rachel Lloyd’s story.
That’s because she lived the life of a victim of trafficking.
The subtitle for the book is: Fighting For A World Where Girls Are Not For Sale, An Activist Finds Her Calling And Heals Herself. This sums up the content of the book well. The book is told from Rachel’s point of view, but it is not a straight-forward memoir or autobiography.
The book is organized by different topics that affect girls who end up trafficked for sex: family neglect and abuse, pimps, johns, cops and legal authorities, trying to escape, relapse, and healing. The story is fully engaging by alternating Rachel’s experiences of falling into the sex industry in Germany as a teenager to how other girls she’s worked with since have had similar problems. All along she is discussing the issue at the heart of the chapter – whether it is the men who provide the demand, the problems with existing laws in dealing with the issue, or the work of people to provide a way out.
Rachel survived drugs, alcohol, abuse, and death threats. Upon leaving the industry and her pimp, she found a church in German military base where she started her healing process. When she came to the States in 1997, she started working with girls who ended up forced into prostitution. She eventually started GEMS, Girls Educational and Mentoring Services, to work with victims in New York. The book is gripping with the details of Rachel’s own trials and those of the women she is serving.
The book does a lot of education, using the themes above to discuss issues and misconceptions related to prostitution. She challenges the mindset that teen girls choose this lifestyle, the influence of pop culture on glorifying pimps and the control involved, and the way advocates are working to address the problems of the legal system in working with these kids. However, it is not preachy or lecturing. Instead, the heart is impacted by the stories of the Jasmines, Tiffanys, Aishas, and Rachel herself.
Reading this book deeply affected me. The prologue made me want to read all day, so I moved on. After reading the first chapter, I had to stop because I was shocked. I’m a rural boy from Idaho, so I don’t get out to the big city all that much, and I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I wasn’t turned off, but I needed a break. The book does have rough language, especially in the middle of the book, so the sensitive are warned. However, my feeling is if you can’t read this book and get past a little salty language, then shame on you.
The book convicted me as a man in the ways, however small, I contribute to the sexual glorification of women, because this snowballs into lust that puts these vulnerable girls at risk. It made me want to do what I can to help combat the problem, whether on the side of demand or helping the victims. My passion is increased because my compassion is engaged.
The problem of human trafficking is real. There are more slaves in the world today than during the height of the African slave trade. It isn’t just an international problem. Rachel shows the readers how it is a problem right here in the United States. I believe every true Christian, and anyone with a heart for the victim of poverty, injustice, and abuse, should read this book to understand it a little better.
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