It’s no secret that community sites like Reddit contain as much amazing information as they do total garbage — like unlimited porn on Reddit. But recently, one Reddit user was able to use the forum to shed some light on how pornography is perceived by a few outside of the United States.
When Adam Schiller, a volunteer living and working with the Maasai tribe in Kenya, hosted an AMA and gave Reddit user the opportunity to ask the tribe members anything, he received some mixed results. Amid the usual curiosity about culture, lifestyle, and traditions was the question, “What is your favorite type of internet porn?”
The answer from the chiefs? They explained that they don’t know or think much about porn, and asked if it was normal in America.
Now, that’s not to say that members of the tribe had never seen internet porn. Despite the fact that they live in conditions that differ in many ways from traditional American neighborhoods with limited access to electricity or running water, smartphones with mobile data subscriptions are increasing in number. There are an estimated 24 million people in Kenya logging in online through cell phones.
When you have that many people with internet access, it’s unfortunately pretty much expected that a number of them will access internet porn.
The chiefs of the tribe had even admitted to seeing porn on someone’s smartphone. But their reaction to it was not what you’d expect.
According to Adam Schiller, they just weren’t really into it. “They thought it was fake and not real life, like a cartoon,” he said. The chiefs were shocked when told that it was indeed real. “They inquired whether people in America really get paid to be recorded having sex.”
It’s crazy that porn has become so normalized in the U.S. that many assume everyone has a similar obsession with it. So many Americans, especially in online conversations, have no problems with talking about their viewing habits or favorite types of pornography. But this normalization is not necessarily a good thing.
As the Maasai chiefs pointed out, porn is at its core, fake. It does not resemble in any way honest relationships or healthy sexuality.
Knowing that pornography is a weak imitation of human connection is just the first step toward breaking free from the oppressive weight of porn addictions and habits.
If you’re ready to take the next step, Ever Accountable is here to help. Start your journey towards freedom now.