Pimp and Ho Chic

Wobble-dy wobble-dy wa wobble wobble
I’m st-stacking my paper my wallet look like a bible
I got girlies half naked that (stuff) look like the grotto
How your waist anorexic and then your (butt) is colossal
Drop that (butt) make it boomerang
Take my belt off (girl)....
Tippy tow tippy tay you gonna get a tip today

... Girl you talk to much, shut up...

These lyrics are from the #3 ranked rap song on the Billboard charts this week.

Barf. Seriously?!?!? And that's only what I could stomach to write on here.  No wonder we have a trafficking problem in our country.  

Boys are taught through the media that telling a girl to "shut up and dance" makes you cool and popular. That being a pimp is the life and that normal interactions with women look like this garbage.  Girls are desensitized to this kind of pornographic language and eventually just accept it as normal. Being a ho becomes glamorous and sexy, never-mind being degraded and used. 

"Pimp and ho chic" is everywhere you turn - in movies, on TV, on the radio. Girls have started calling each other ho's and being "pimp" is seen as the highest praise for a boy.  For kids who don't have positive role models in their life, the images that they see in the media are the only ones they look to.  It's a dangerous trap.

So this makes me wonder...why on earth do ALL rap artists (if you can even call them artists) and other media figures keep endorsing this facade?  Do they have any idea what images they are supporting?  Have they heard the stories of the girls who are kidnapped off the street, gang raped, sold to strangers, and treated like animals?  That scenario doesn't seem so chic.  

One voice doesn't seem like a lot coming from someone like you or me.  But if that one voice came from...say...Lil' Wayne, think of all the people that would listen. I would love to hear one song come on the radio that tells a girl she deserves respect and that tells a boy that being a man doesn't mean paying for sex.  Just one song, one voice, could start to cause a shift in this deluded way of thinking.  

Pray this week for a shift in the mainstream culture.  Pray that the age of "pimp and ho chic" can become a thing of the past. Pray that even one voice could come forward and promote truth rather than empty lies. 

Pro-Life, Pro-Choice, and No Choice

So...you all know Dr. House, right?  The cynical, atheistic, pro-choice doctor with severe daddy issues?  The clip above is from an episode where House must operate on a fetus while it is still in it's mother's womb.  Needless to say, House was appalled that a mother would put her own life at risk to save her fetus, who wasn't even a human being yet.  Or so he thought...check it! 

Sanctity of Human Life Week is this week, January 15^th-22^nd.  Sanctity of Human Life Day was initially declared by former President Bush back in 2003 in anticipation of the 30^th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, which legalized abortion in the United States. 

I heard a statistic in church this past Sunday from the Crisis Pregnancy Center of Tidewater regarding abortions in our area.  They said that for every 3 babies born in the past year, 1 was aborted.  This statistic also means that for every 3 women who had a child, 1 woman was put at an increased risk for major psychological problems due to having an abortion.  These problems include post-traumatic stress disorder, sexual dysfunction, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, alcohol and drug abuse, eating disorders, chronic relationship problems, and repeat abortions. 

The “pro-choice” movement may seem like it has a women’s best interest at heart, but does it really?  Does encouraging a woman to make a choice that may lead to PTSD, relationship problems, and even death seem like a helpful voice of reason?

But I digress…

Now, think about it this way.  Think about a woman who is sold for sex every single day.  Despite all of the other mental, physical, and emotional trauma that she is experiencing, she is also being put at an increased risk of pregnancy.  Obviously a pregnant girl isn’t going to make a pimp as much money as he would like, so he takes care of it, whether the girl wants him to or not.  It is not uncommon for a girl who has been trafficked for 2-3 years to have had a dozen abortions.  That’s a dozen opportunities for increased trauma, increased suicidal ideation, and increased psychological dysfunction.

So, in light of Sanctity of Human Life Week, take a moment to pray for those whose lives have been torn apart by abortion.  Also, pray that those who are struggling about an unwanted pregnancy will have the strength and support to choose life, for their unborn child, and themselves.  

America: Land of the free?

There is such a broad misconception that sex-trafficking only occurs in far-away, developing countries.  Most would believe that a problem this horrendous couldn't thrive on American soil.  Unfortunately however, America is fertile ground for the growth of this dehumanizing crime. This video gives a quick, comprehensive look into the child sex-trafficking problem in the United States.  Show your friends.     

I need a voice bigger than mine...

I need words,
As wide as sky.
I need a language large as,
This longing inside.
I need a voice,
Bigger than mine.
I need a song to sing you,
That I've yet to find.

I need You.

These lyrics are from a song by the David Crowder Band.  Today they gave me just the inspiration I needed to start this blog.  A blog that will hopefully raise awareness about human sex- trafficking that is happening all around the world today, including in our own backyards.  The sex trade industry is so huge and so ugly and so heartbreaking that it's overwhelming to think about what we could possibly do to help.  Where would we even start?

I'm going to start with a voice.  Just one voice that will hopefully spread and grow to many voices.  One voice for the children being kidnapped, deceived, prostituted, abused, and...voiceless.

As the song described, to adequately educate the world about this horrific injustice would take words as wide as sky and a language large as our longing to stop it.  I have a voice, but I need a voice bigger than mine.  We can join our voices, but we will need a voice bigger still.

We need the Lord's voice.

This battle is too big, the road too rough, the stories too sad, and the outlook too dim for us to do this on our own.  But with Him, I have hope that chains can be broken and lives can be restored.

But I can't get ahead of myself.  I'll start with a voice, and look to the One with a voice much bigger than mine.