The story of my stint as a porn paste-up artist on Baltimore’s infamous Block is now in print, courtesy of the Urbanite magazine. It’s a story I’ve told probably hundreds of times, including at the storytelling venue Stoop Stories (listen here), but this time Urbanite editor David Dudley encouraged me to take a broader look at pornography and the way it has escaped from the confines of sleazy strips like the Block and become almost, but not quite, mainstream.
Dirty Work: Is porn bad for us? Urbanite #61, July 2009.
Available throughout the Baltimore metro region and online.
Hi Michael,
I read your article in the Urbanite and I remember many of the things that you spoke of regarding porns seemingly beautiful past compared to the ugly present. I am just down right afraid of having children at this point much because of porn. Sure, I can stop it at home with porn blockers and such – but what about the other parents who are much more laid back about porn? I had a friend when I was a kid who’s father let him and his brothers look at Hustler mags. They were kept in the basement bath on the rack as a matter of fact and to be honest that bathroom was all I thought about when I would visit that kids house. I remember stealing porn from the good old Royal Farm store and hiding it in the woods and eventually under my bed. I’m pretty sure now that I wasn’t hiding anything from anyone actually. Porn was a part of my life for many years. I am sure that many men have the same story as myself. But, whether or not there are many men out there just like me I try to imagine a world without porn. What does that world look like?
Now, I am married. No more porn for me for sure. The biggest reason is to keep the desire for my wife in tact. Nothing is worse than not wanting to have sex and knowing that it’s because you jerked of earlier in the day and just don’t feel like it. I don’t think that this should be taken lightly. In a world where half of us who bother getting married are getting divorced should we make light of something that drives a wedge like that? The fact is probably that most of these men are hiding there porn from there wives like a little secret afair. Sure there are some marrieges where both the man and the woman are into porn, but the overwhelming majority is probably secret porn at work or on the Iphone in the Starbucks bathroom or whatever. So what is the answer to this little marital problem? Should more men hold out for there wives? Or, should more wives try to get into porn for there husbands pleasure even if it discusts them? Or, here is a better question – Should I cut of the nose of everyone I meet because my own breath happens to stink? Porn is a little dirty problem in this world. But, a bigger problem is the relativist crap that seems to be a part our natural evolution. We ask ourselves questions like is there really any such thing as right and wrong? Is there a good or evil? Is there objective truth or is it all subjective? These questions are at the heart of our porn problem in the world. I wish that we all could open our eyes? It reminds me of what I heard some preacher say at a funeral one time. Murder, rape, theft, abortion, genocide, suicide, adultry, child abuse, drug abuse, drug dealing, human traficking… the list goes on for ever. We can not change these things unless we believe that there is a standard as to what is wrong in this world. I think we all had a good idea of what was wrong when we were kids trying to find porn. But, we desensitise ourselves. Or as the good book says – “We have hardened our hearts and cannot desern any longer right from wrong.”
Brian
Angels no what you are thinking even if you don’t speak’ If you are of interest to them, so the lust that is in your heart is shaken when you desire a thing that is not good’ So we must find a point to hold up what is good at’ The very moment your heart wonders away from the light that made us’ If you practice this technical principle you will begin to grow in faith’ Angels watching you behave badly brings bad your way’ as they can make your heart wiggle at any moment in time and that difference in time can result in- time or+’ where you would be or would have been ‘ as missing a thundering lightning bolt by ten seconds can save your life.’ or take it.
Some people wonder why did they take my child’ It is not what the child did that mattered because they are protected’ it is that wiggle that cither went+ or- for the desires are mostly bad if they are not blessed by the good of giving’ or a gracious act of kindness to even yourself as married people are supposed do. With this it is easer because you can compliment one another.. That is why the lord god almighty said I will bless a marriage when to people become one.
There is even thought transfer that can make you stop everything you are doing have you ever wondered why that happened’ for no apparent reason your driving down the road or even walking’ and a thought pop’s in your head and bang you missed your turn or your just standing there and a semi tractor tailor slammed into you, well that is also the wiggle I speak of ‘Or your moment of thought was so deep you pulled over your truck off of the road to think of this new thing and a plane crashed just where you would have been’ had you not stooped to think. That is the wiggle I speak of and it’s going to happen more and more if people do not change to conform to the truth that is in all of our hearts that something made us that is greater than life itself’
Is sex, a bad thing then or good ? It is defined by the love you feel for the other person in it’s lĕvĭn loving pleasure’ It is why eve was created the myth of fruits being he vagina is a lie.
There is a tree of life witch is hidden from even me/ The lord god almighty made eve for a companion in love’ with sweet sex and love for him and her. Satan wants us all apart from love it wants sex to be sold not given it wants love to be further apart from sex than mars void of love. I say it because Satan has the powers of a god. A magical being that is the cruller of this earth and it hates me. If not for the protection of Christ i would be gone just like all other good people that he hates’ but there taken more and more by the +=- I speak of and once again it is not the sin of the child that is punished but the ignorance of the adult’ The child goes directly to Christ the devil gets the adult threw there hate of god” A plan devised by hell.
if you do not do this porn will overtakeyou’