The Porn Generation

'Twas a night before midsummer, and all through the middle-American house, not a creature was stirring, except for a pre-teen boy excitedly looking at free porn on the computer in the family room.

His expression resembles that of a Christmas morning: wide-eyed and eager, he has an acute sense of vitality. Eventually the boy will grow up, he will realize there is no Santa Claus (and thank God, because that means he's not watching you all the time), but this love for self-gratification will never fade. For a low rate of $15.99 per month, you too can give the gift of porn to a hormone driven adolescent male. You wouldn't take this feeling away from him would you?

205 million: the number of hits when you Google "porn". It has been said that two-thirds of internet bandwidth is dedicated to the transfer of pornography across the great wires of the interwebs and into homes across America. Basically, for the internet, porn is the reason for existence. And it definitely wouldn't have progressed as rapidly without this demand. In fact, you could say that porn is a major reason for the progression of society.

As far back as the early origins of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations there is evidence that interest in sex went beyond merely procreative pursuits, meaning sex has always been recreational. Graffiti that littered the walls of common bath houses and brothels was far more offensive by modern standards than any contemporary defacement of public property. Orgies and mistresses were accepted practices and actually expected of nobility.

These primitive, yet undeniably explicit renditions of fornication provide the historical backdrop for what we already know intuitively: sex has always had a pervasive effect on the societies built by man. It may have taken a back seat once religion took hold, but often the most pious are also the most deviant. Victorian ideals forced sexual dialogue out of the public sphere, but it couldn't force it out of the public consciousness; you can't stop people from thinking illicit thoughts.

Yet if we are to believe Ben Shapiro, Harvard Law graduate and political blogger, our overly sexualized culture represents a moral decay that will ultimately end in our collective ruin if not overcome. For him, there is something wrong with the widespread culture of sex within our generation; it is making us amoral and unfeeling. Our generation's view on sexual relationships resembles that of a 14 year-old boy and his Kleenex box.

But in the midst of this darkness we will be shown new light by Ben's words. He calls himself "a conservative army of one," here to save us from our wickedness. He alone would hold a mirror to my generation so that we may also view the licentiousness going on all around us. Like we need a mirror to locate people having sex. He alone would stand up for the innocence of young, beautiful, sexually vibrant women and encourage them to remain chaste. He alone would save us from our sins of lust. Ben Shapiro and Jesus: saviors of the damned. But how is life so differently than it was before? Why do we now need to address the issue of sexual promiscuity? Granted, my generation is less sensitive to sex than previous generations have been. Personally, I was looking at porn on the internet before I knew what to do with it. Did Ben miss something? He lived in a dorm in college, yet he attacks the acceptance of "sexile" and "dormcest." Was he not entertained? If nothing else your roommate's sexual exploits mean you're never short on humor.

So why does Ben instigate an unwarranted attack on his own age bracket? The answer may not shock you.

Benjamin Shapiro needs to get laid.

Think about it: a 25 year-old male encouraging women not to have sex? The only thing more ironic than Ben's stance would be if Lady Gaga went on a tirade against the current state of American music and preached the need for discretionary lyrics. As a guy, I am under the impression that most (all) males between the ages of 14-35 (likely older) act solely in an effort to have sex.

I'm not arguing with Ben on this point. But Ben is only 25. So what does that mean his motivations are? I'm hesitant to ascribe messianic altruism to someone who can't grow a beard. I like my redeemers to be able to grow facial hair. No, he's the guy at the party who takes home the drunk girls hoping that he comes across as the nice guy and that they throw him a pity lay. It sounds like my game in middle school . . .

In the end, Ben is unfortunately a member of my generation, and while he may claim to rise above our baneful sexual exploits, he really wishes someone would invite him to party down here with us. Or at least teach him how to Google "Harvard girls nude."

Logan Quinn is a public health and political science majors from Honolulu, HI. He is the opinions editor for The News-Letter.