Last Thursday, I stumbled out of bed after a thrilling night at the VR just in time for my 12:30 class. I trudged up Boldt Way thinking it to be a standard day in the Lawrence bubble when I heard something abnormal. As I passed an unnamed fraternity house I heard porn being broadcast on full volume to all within earshot.
My first reaction was to chuckle, “those frat boys are at it again.” But, as I thought about it more and more, it began to get under my skin.
What’s wrong with hearing a woman moaning over loudspeaker at 12:15 on a Thursday afternoon?
1. Pornography paints a ridiculous picture of women, one that reduces them to one or two body parts that can be controlled by men.
2. Blasting porn out your window legitimizes this environment.
3. The result, whether intentional or not, is a grasp for power and domination over everyone who is forced to listen.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live in that kind of bubble! It makes our campus look silly to insiders and outsiders alike, and for me, reinforces the idea that it’s a good thing the fraternal brotherhoods of Lawrence are going out of style.
Trumpeting porn out your window is a personification of a Pimps and Hos aggressive male attitude that has been played out with new broken arms and black eyes every Saturday night since I can remember. We’re supposed to be the smartest kids at the best school in the state, so why are fistfights in the quad more common than 4.0s?
It doesn’t take a math major to figure out the correlation.