Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore start surprisingly funny anti-sex trafficking campaign
By David WarnerApril 11th, 2011, 12:56 pmComments (24)
This week marks the beginning of the Demi & Ashton Foundation's (DNA) internet campaign against sex slavery. The campaign consists mostly of interactive YouTube videos with stars like Bradley Cooper and Sean Penn doing "manly" things followed by the tagline "Real Men Don't Buy Girls." Then a beautiful woman (Eva Longoria, Jessica Biel, etc.) urges you to get involved.
The clips are the sort of advertising that never really addresses the issue, but hopes to increase awareness and discussion. That said, they're kind of silly — almost too silly for so important an issue. Watching Sean Penn make a grilled-cheese sandwich does make me chuckle, but it wouldn't inspire me to take action unless I'd been planning to already.
Whether or not this campaign is serious enough, the issue does need the press. The number of young girls subjected to sex slavery each year is staggering. In the U.S. alone, there are between 100,000 and 300,000 children being bought and sold as sex slaves. Something has to be done about it, and I'm glad, however misguided the attempt may be, some due light is being brought to the issue. For survivor stories, more stats, and info on how to get involved head over to the DNA website.
Commentarium (24 Comments)
This seems like a very odd awareness strategy, almost like it is a joke or something since this is such a serious issue. If Warner got his facts right (I'll just assume he did) then I severely underestimated how many victims there are to sex trafficking in the U.S. That is the type of things that should be in PSAs, just the straight facts.
Anyways, I hope the foundation thingy does at least something to help.
I agree with that to some extent, but it does appeal to impressionable young boys and it is a plea coming from other men, making this a human issue instead of a "woman's issue."
This is not helping anything. Look, I'm all for stopping sex trafficking and underage child abuse, and stopping the creeps etc. But, by example of this video, portraying men as idiots who would rather just poor milk into a cereal box instead of eating in a normal,civilized manner, isn't a good message to be sending. I actually had something happen to me recently that ties into what I am saying, and no, it doesn't have to do with men eating like animals.
Oh wow. Using succesful celebrities as to the standard by which real men are judged. Not only is that rediculously superficial, but it only goes onto enforce the idea of fame is the ultimate standard and there is no other. Why not use non celebrities such as firefighters,policemen,construction workets,lawyers,well,good ones, or the 9-5 guy who does what he can to support his family?
Also, and nothing against Bruce Willis or Harrison Ford, I like them both, but using them as examples of real men in this video kind of encourages misguided individuals in uh,various social situations, to use said actors as examples of real masculinity and to say things like "Yeah! I'm a real man like Bruce Willis in Die Hard and Han Solo!!!!" To which of course, they will be made fun of. Just something to think about.....
ide laugh if someone said hans solo, but bruce willis in die hard was mos def a real man
Totally in agreement to both your posts.
People who pay for hookers are buying their SERVICES, not the hookers themselves. This issue is one of purchasing of people, not paying for a quickie at a brothel.
Ok well I stand corrected. You're right. Hookers are different from sex slaves/trafficking/child prostitution. But the video seems to be saying that guys who buy hookers, I don't, I don't really care if someone does, are bad,creepy,etc, hence, saying that male sexuality is bad.
The average age of entry into prostitution is 13.5. The odds are high that that hooker you're seeing in Nevada "chose" to do that "job" when she was way young.
Also, re: male sexuality: what's so natural about paying another human being (who obviously needs the money, otherwise why would she be there?) to let the man stick it in her?
Men shouldn't buy sex. Sex is not for sale. (well, it shouldn't be).
Um, anyone who defends buying sex for any reason is an idiot. That's NOT male sexuality. Real men have sex with women who want them. Having to pay for it to get some is really pathetic. Needing to pay for it to get off is equally pathetic.
Like we give a shit what celebrities think
Man, it brings awareness to the issue. There are more people in slavery today than there were in 400 years of the West African slave trade. It is an appalling and extremely dire situation. It is a small organization, but these guys have been in on the fight for a long time and there are good quick facts for anyone interested:
https://www.humantraffickingawareness.org/faqs-mainmenu-34.html
As long as people eat out of cereal boxes and don't force little girls to have sex with them, I'm okay with that.
Well, I think anyone in there right mind is against child abuse and sex trafficking, but did they really need to do that? Portray men as idiots who can't think? Of course, if it had been a woman, we would hear the usual accusations of sexism,mysogony,etc. Not even if it was related to this, but yes, come to think of it, I think women are capable of engaging in child abuse,child prostitution,sex trafficking etc.
FuckYou, why are you taking it so personally? I wonder
plus-- what the hell is a "real man"?!?!?
why do we have to promote these stupid gender roles that keep men "manly" and women "feminine" and delicate? it's all ridiculous.
the choice to use the "real" men and women is only furthering stereotypes that should be left behind. celebs with supposedly this much influence on the country's opinion should check their facts and ask questions before diving in to support something they think could only be positive since it deals with charity.
Well,because men are masculine and women are feminine naturally, and has nothing to do with gender roles, society mandated or otherwise. I mean, this whole "real man" thing according to them, isn't so much stereotypical gender roles as much as it's creating more impossible to define roles. I.E A Real man does do this, a real man, or woman,doesn't do this. I think it has more to do with morality than gender. I.E You get married, have children,fullfill responsibilities, don't cheat, love each other etc, for an example. Also, well, uh, women usually aren't attracted to feminine men,sensitive guys,"nice guys",w/e word you want to choose, nor are men really attracted to masculine women. Any example you can think of, first obvious one is butch lesbians of course. I agree on the celebs should have thought a little more before doing this. I think it's a great message/idea, just could have been handled alot better. Well, that brings up another interesting point, about celebs and influence, one being how celebs will jump on any bandwagon,almost sometimes w/o even thinking twice about it, and don't get me wrong, I'm all for charity and doing good etc, and then how that influence in turn gets people to do the same thing w/o thinking twice. Very culturally telling.
it's not natural. it's learned.
Well, that's a whole other debate right there.
The "real men" part chaps my hide too. Why not: decent human beings don't take sexual or otherwise advantage of the desperate situation other human beings are in?
For the most part, people are not particularly well educated on human trafficking, how it happens, its effects and the extent. There's a lot of information on human trafficking, debt bondage and sexual servitude on the internet if you are interested in finding it. It is very serious, sobering and decidedly un-funny.
MTV ran some very good ads educating young people about the perils of walking into a trafficker's trap of offering young kids well paid, low skilled overseas jobs.
When celebrities get behind it, people become more interested and talk about it (see above link and thread). It gives currency to the issue, regardless of your views on the gender politics of the videos.
It's laughable to expect that this ad will affect the men who engage in sex with underage children or people who facilitate it, but it raises the awareness of the general public and gets people interested in the real issue, which I think is a good thing.
Worst.Idea.Ever.
Propaganda masquerading as "education". You gotta love people who spend all their time telling everybody else what is right and wrong, and how to live their lives. It is just as bad as any religion.
As a woman, a survivor of child prostitution, to have had some support system to turn to at a crucial time, I might nit have had to suffer so then and in the future, huanted by the nightmares. The ghosts of those times continue to crop up from time when triggered. I congratulate Demi and her husband for getting behind this concern!
Now you say something