Posted by Sharleen Patterson | Prevention, Recovery, Transparency & Accountability, Who we are
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Why Is Pornography a Taboo Topic?

I am often met with a shocked reaction when telling people what my husband does for a living. "Tyler built an app to help people recover from and/or stay away from pornography" "What?! Umm, can you please not use that word, 'pornography?'" Or "Wait, you mean to tell me people actually WANT to stop looking at pornography?" Or there is the quick change of subject, the awkward silence, or the person who is so offended they turn and walk away as fast as they can, and I wonder how bad the damage is. Don't get me wrong, some people are comfortable with this topic, but in my experience, most want to avoid it. I suppose in our mission to help people recover from or prevent pornography usage, my husband and I have become accustomed to talking about it and I forget that some people simply have never had that conversation. Let me say that I think this is tragic.

Shame Culture: Silence

There are few things that stigmatize and heap shame or guilt on a struggling individual more than being unable to talk about the problem. A strong commitment to recover from or prevent a pornography addiction often requires the support of another trusted human being. If you are that person, you cannot be trusted with something so important if you are unable to talk about it. You might be a parent with a child who desperately needs your help in preventing or overcoming pornography, or might need help in the future. You may have a significant other or a loyal friend who already has so few people they can trust with this personal information--how sad to not be available to help them because you refuse to talk about it! Whether we like it or not, technology has allowed pornography to become a major part of our reality. For example, did you know that one out of every three Google searches are pornography related? That speaks volumes to the importance of breaking this silence.

We Can Do This!

Let us commit and have the courage to talk about pornography. Let us respectfully and lovingly talk about how we want to stand against the abuse pornography rages on people, from its creators to those who are lured into its incredibly addictive grasp.   Because it is okay (and even helpful) to say "pornography!"