Man Attends Party, What Happens Next Will Shock You.

Boys and girls, wanna hear a true story? 

Saturday night, I was at this real wild party. They had the liquor overflowin' the cup, and about 5 or 6 strippers trying to work for a buck. I took one girl outside with me, her name was Lonnie, she went to Junior High with me. I said, "Why are you up in there dancing for cash? I guess a whole lots changed since I've seen you last." She said... 

"What would you do if your son was at home, crying all alone on the bedroom floor, 'cause he's hungry and the only way to feed him is to sleep with a man for a little bit of money?And his daddy's gone somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lock down, I ain't got a job now. So for you this is just a good time, but for me, this is what I call life."

Sadly, this is based on a true story.

In 2001, the R&B hip hop trio called City High released this song called "What would you do." They received a Grammy nomination in 2002, but if you live under a rock like me, then you probably never heard it until the British band Bastille released a cover on their 2013 album, All This Bad Blood.

Evidently, the singers Ryan and Robbie from City High were at a bachelor party when they saw this friend of theirs stripping. When they confronted her about it, she told them her story as stated in the above lyrics.

This saddens me for multiple reasons.

1. This woman is degrading her body and self-esteem by selling herself as an object for sexual pleasure.
2. Men are willing to treat her like an object rather than an individual with unique character and purpose.
3. Was there no viable alternative to turn to other than selling herself?
4. How come no one is or was willing to help her? 

From the lyrics of this song, Robbie and Ryan seem to encourage Lonnie to stop making excuses and get up off her feet, but what do they do to come along side her and help her? They write a song.

I don't want to bash this song because I think it carries a message for my generation of young adults, but deep down, I hope they tried to help her find a way out of this lifestyle.

I'm not here to bash Lonnie either. In fact, I respect her for taking responsibility to raise her child at all costs. I believe in supporting human life, and I think it was very mature of her to set aside her own goals in order to provide for her son.

If I'm going to criticize anyone, it will be the men who think it's okay to use a woman for her anatomy just to have a good time.

There's no way around the fact that women are attractive. And no one can deny acknowledging that for centuries, women and men have always needed each other to be biologically successful. But step outside the concrete with me and consider what is morally ethical.

Would you want your sister, mother, or even your daughter being treated as an object of human sex trafficking?

I made the claim in an earlier post that mere association with pornography causes human sex trafficking. Yet what about tolerating or participating in the industry that supports strippers or prostitutes? This also creates an open door for enslaving individuals because it is built on the same perspective that women can be treated as objects of sexual pleasure without consent.

Though an argument can be made for women who may want to live in prostitution or for those who just want to earn a few extra bucks as a stripper, it is nullified if we simply believe each life is unique, has purpose, and deserves respect in view of this.

No man would be willing to pay for a stripper or sleep with a prostitute if he genuinely cared for her. He would treat her with the same respect he has for his own skin simply because he sees equal value in her that he sees in himself.

You may be thinking, "I don't know a single guy who wouldn't want to be paid to have a woman sleep with him." You'd be right, and this is the problem with society. We've bought the lie that it's acceptable for men to treat women as though they have nothing more to offer than a 'good time.'

I challenge you to place yourself in the body of just one of the 27 million individuals enslaved worldwide with the largest portion of those people being enslaved for sexual exploitation.

Be rhetorical and ask yourself why the market for trafficking you is the third largest criminal organization in the world (as of 2011). "Why do people (particularly men) care so little for me?"

We need to end prostitution and human slavery by replacing those objectives with a mindset built in humility and respect for the dignity of life. Then we can create new jobs and avenues for women to work and feel respected as individuals.

With the revenue from human exploitation (which is roughly $44 billion), we could drop the unemployment rate. We might be able to end or put a damper on world hunger (estimated between $30 to $70 billion). We may even be able to change culture so drastically divorce rates slow down due to less cheating.

I think it's time to take life by the horns and make it our goal to support each individual with decency and value such that he or she can live in an environment more hospitable toward the dignity he/she deserves.

It starts with changing our perception, concludes sex trafficking survivor, Rebecca Bender, as well as front line activist, Stacy King, who works to support victims of human trafficking.

So I challenge you: Change your perspective on this matter.

Start being more purposeful in your treatment of others.

Now is the time to live with a people-centered mindset!