Many people contact Fight the New Drug to share their personal stories about how porn has affected their life or the life of a loved one. We consider these personal accounts very valuable because, while the science and research is powerful within its own right, personal accounts from real people seem to really hit home about the damage that pornography does to real lives.
Hi, my name is Timon and I’m from Zurich, Switzerland.
For several years, I have been interested in the subject of pornography. During that time, I’ve had many great discussions and conversations with friends and strangers about the topic.
Some of my conversations ended with the other person starting to think more deeply about the subject and during others I was glad to have been able to talk about the harmful effects of porn without knowing what people made of my views.
Personally, I try to present my opinion openly and honestly and to include my own story about porn. Most of the people I talk with are surprised by my opinion while at the same time showing curiosity to how I came to think about porn as I do.
Related: How To Start The Conversation On Porn’s Harms Without Saying A Word
After deciding a few years ago to stand up against porn, and to talk about the topic with my friends and coworkers, there were many times I would I have rather not shared my story and thoughts. But every time I did, I ended up thinking that it was worthwhile. Gradually, it got easier to bring up the topic and I realized that people were generally interested in what I had to say.
Considering that for many porn is a private part of their life which they would rather keep hidden, I have also experienced that it is easier to talk to people alone than in groups and to be aware of the setting in which I talked about porn with other people.
One experience that I would like to share was during my military service last summer. Most Swiss men are obliged to serve in the army after they turn 18. One time, as we were traveling home from service for the weekend, some of my comrades started listing kinds of women, putting them into different objectifying categories.
I took notice of how they were talking about women as objects and decided to confront them about it. I told them how I thought women had to be respected. Instantly, the conversation turned, and we had an open and honest conversation about how to respect women, what to think about porn, and what real love is.
Related: How Porn Dehumanizes Women Through Sexual Objectification
My hope is that more people will start to share their views on sex and porn so that an open and honest discussion can arise. I believe this will help shed light on the harmful effects of porn on people’s lives and relationships and help them to turn away from it. Therefore, I encourage you to share your own stories and experiences about porn with others so that we can inspire many more people.
Let’s all fight for love!
-Timon
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