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To: The
New York Times |
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Dear
Sir/Madam, I was shocked to learn about the young boy seduced into making money by exposing himself via his webcam on the Internet. But when you think about it (heaven forbid!), his behaviour actually was only mimicking more-or-less what so-called "decent folk" do all the time. Our newspapers, magazines, TV and cinema screens are full of (mainly) young women revealing their sexual charms for money. The only difference being that they do it openly for a mass audience, who pay for most of it indirectly through the film, media and advertising industries and the economy in general. In our totally commercialised society, where virtually everything has to be bought or sold and where nothing sells better than sex, we are all (to some extent, at least) whores, pimps or clients (if not all three). No one believe me, of course, because we're all in denial (it would spoil business). But it's true, nevertheless. Only it's not just sex that we sell. We sell anything and everything for money - if we can get away with it. We sell cigarettes, although we know how addictive and harmful they are; we sell cheap flights and gas-guzzling SUV's although we know that they are consuming non-renewable resources and warming up the planet; celebrities sell (prostitute) their famous names, raking them in even more money than they have already. Is it any wonder that a 13-year old boy was tempted into earning himself §50 just by taking his shirt off? There is something rotten not just in the state of Denmark, but in the whole damned world. And I can tell you what it is: our attitude towards and use (or rather, misuse) of MONEY! What is it they say about power? That it corrupts. And what is money, if not the most versatile form of power known to man? Money was invented by man (about 2700 years ago, I believe). It is not a natural phenomenon governed by laws of nature, but an artificial creation of man himself, and thus governed by whatever laws he chooses to apply to it. Thus far he as chosen (by default) that it be governed by his primitive animal nature. We could, if we wanted, choose to have its use governed by our more enlightened, human nature. I suggest that we give the matter some very serious thought.
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