Fight the New Drug
Alright fellow advocates, today we are pushing past social norms and speaking about the unspeakable: pornography. What you perhaps believed should never be talked about in polite conversation is about to become the main point of this post. Today we are highlighting Fight the New Drug (FTND), an organization that uses science, facts, and personal accounts to fully inform people about the effects of pornography. It then provides great resources to anybody who decides they would like help or would like to help with the fight against porn.
FTND started as a few friends in college who realized they had all been affected in some way by pornography. Some had struggled with it themselves, and others had people close to them battling with addiction. FTND has now turned into a movement that spans the globe, fighting to change the conversation surrounding pornography. Rather than idolizing or trivializing porn, or even pretending it doesn’t exist, people are actively speaking out against it.
FTND has now turned into a movement that spans the globe, fighting to change the conversation surrounding pornography. Rather than idolizing or trivializing porn, or even pretending it doesn’t exist, people are actively speaking out against it.
Calling porn a drug might seem extreme, but FTND shows evidence for how porn affects the brain like other drugs and that you can become addicted to it. On top of that, they have brain scans that show how truly damaging this struggle can be and discuss how pornography use affects the heart in the context of relationships. Not only can it interfere with romantic relationships, but it can also affect your relationship with yourself.
Because FTND uses evidence, you can trust that rather than forcing the opinions or moral beliefs of the founders on you, there is science to back up their claims. Through peer-reviewed articles and research along with personal testimonies, FTND shows the true effects of pornography. They have organized their findings into three categories: the effects on the brain, the effects on the heart and the effects on the world. Within the global category, they specifically discuss “how porn fuels sex trafficking,” which is what we here at Dressember are all about understanding.
They have organized their findings into three categories: the effects on the brain, the effects on the heart and the effects on the world
Porn and sex trafficking are connected at a number of levels to the point where it is almost easier to ask how they might not be connected rather than trying to identify all the ways that they are. Here are just a few examples:
Exposure to pornography has been proven to make its audience less compassionate towards victims of sexual violence and exploitation.
Pornography increases the demand for sex trafficking by encouraging viewers to act as they see on the screen.
Nearly half of the survivors of sex trafficking have reported that they were filmed performing sexual acts for pornography production while they were enslaved.
The normalization of porn fuels rape culture, which often then leads to more sex trafficking.
Still not convinced? A police officer shared his account of a sting (an undercover operation to catch a criminal) and rescue mission he completed where there was video evidence. When he asked the survivor why she was smiling on screen if it wasn’t consensual, she explained that if she didn’t perform well she had been told her life was at risk. Unfortunately, her story is not unique, and FTND shares other testimonies in their blogs similar to this one. Even performers who willingly go before the camera can get wrapped up in the trafficking business. The moment there is any form of coercion or manipulation added is when it becomes a trafficking situation. Unfortunately, circumstances like those of the following statements happen often:
“I was threatened that if I did not do the scene I was going to get sued for lots of money.”
“[I] told them to stop but they wouldn’t stop until I started to cry and ruined the scene.”
“He told me that I had to do it and if I can’t, he would charge me and I would lose any other bookings I had because I would make his agency look bad.”
Fight the New Drug is incredibly clear that it does not hate people who watch porn, and neither do we. What we speak out against is the effects it has within human trafficking. We want to make sure viewers completely understand the consequences of engaging in this industry and have ways to get out if they choose. If you are one of these people and want to get help, please reach out through FTND’s website to get the resources you need to make the change you want.
Nearly half of the survivors of sex trafficking have reported that they were filmed performing sexual acts for pornography production while they were enslaved.
Want to get involved? FTND has an app with campaigns that you can participate in! They have simple tasks you can do and chances to win free gear. Not interested in downloading an app? You can also donate to their campaign, hire a speaker for an event, invest in some swag or learn more by reading their blog (just don’t forget about us over here)!
You don't have to wait until December to be a part of the impact. Join the Dressember Collective and become part of a powerful community of advocates and donors furthering the work and impact of the Dressember Foundation through monthly giving.
XO
About the Author
Ali Pollard is a winter gal at heart who loves trying new things and traveling to new places. When she's not finishing her homework or consuming absurd amounts of coffee, she loves skiing and playing the saxophone. Ali is hoping to turn her passion for human rights into a career as she studies the sociology of law, criminology, and deviance (yes, that's all one major!) and political science at the University of Minnesota.