In discovering that there were numerous sites that used her name in sexual and pornographic contexts, Ms. Eve Fairbanks, in the February 6 issue of The New Republic, commented on her generation's indifference to reputation or finesse, and admitted her own pleasure in discovering her "porn identity."
It is the conceit of every generation that they are the ‘first’ to experience or develop some new understanding of life; and also the arrogance of most that in their 1-15 years of adult life they know all they need to know, and 5,000 years of human history have little or nothing to teach them about how to live a good life. Ms. Eve Fairbanks’ generation is no different.
The phenomenon she accurately describes as one where young
people see the online universe (and in a way, most of their social
relationships), as a place “where anything goes, where there is neither
consequences nor shame, and where concerns about protecting your reputation are
less, not more important” has only an incidental correlation to the rise of the
Internet, and is not a result of it as she seems to think.
The fact is that discussion on personal sexual matters has
become increasingly blunt and clinical, and even personally derogatory, in an
unabated trend since the early 1960’s.
And, even more graphic self-depictions than the ones she notes as common
in the online personal profiles and blogs of her generation can be found in the
literature of a falling Rome (and that is saying a lot – just check out
myspace.com). So, there is nothing new in the degree of coarseness either. Thus, from the Old Testament to the Analects
of Confucius, mankind has been counseled against it.
That she and her fellow Y generation friends have little
regard for what at another time would have been called personal dignity is
simply part of a larger trend that began decades before the Internet, a trend
that is itself part of a larger cycle that has been repeating itself since the
dawn of human history, in mini-cycles (the 1920’s, 1960’s) as well as in
macro-cycles (the fall of Babylon, the fall of Rome, the overall trend since
the 1860’s). The pressures of an
impoverished and harsh existence focus the human mind on the needs of survival,
internalizing the lack of room for indulgence, or for pursuits that do not
enhance the prospects for survival.
This leads to the development of work ethics and norms of restraint that
make it possible to grow a more prosperous society. The rise of a prosperous society in turn begins to free people to
pursue pleasures, sporadically and even ennobling at first; but, eventually to
indulge in them in excess, as they no longer see the importance of the norms
and values that gave rise to their prosperity in the first place. We see this same phenomenon on a smaller,
yet exaggerated scale with the proverbial father who rose from poverty to build
a financial empire, and his playboy son.
Not everyone is affected this way by prosperity, but most humans seem to
be, hence the naming of such unrestrained behavior as “common” or “vulgar”
(which also means “common”). It is also
why in many languages including English, such behavior is associated with words
meaning “decay.”
This is not a defense of every established norm. There is a difference between a reform of social norms or the forgiveness of an occasional indiscretion, and the total abandonment of those norms.
The Internet may facilitate thoughtless communication, but
eventually you come to know the person you are talking to. Some blame the Internet for the explosion of
pedophile predation. But, as shown on a
recent sting broadcast by ABC, the real problem is men who care not about the
consequences, nor have shame, when they ultimately meet their prey: another
human person. In other words, they do
not value their personal dignity in relationship to that person.
There is not much point here in explaining the value of personal
dignity. If its value is not already
engrained in one’s makeup as an adult, decent, civilized human being, little
can be said to change that – and, the effort would take volumes. But, let me say this: It has to do with the recognition of the
value of others; that their opinions of you matter because they matter as
persons. This does not mean that you do
what they want (in fact, it often requires precisely the opposite), but that
you take into consideration their thoughts of this world, and their experience
of you in it.
But, I argue against the tide of history. Before this is over, the Z generation will
shock the Y. The current trend will run
its course until history undergoes another convulsion, and then the cycle will
start anew. Our only hope - and history does offer some encouragement – is that
for each step backward taken, we take two forward, so that over the ages we do
advance.
So, there is nothing special about Ms.
Fairbanks' generation. She said
that “like many a cowboy famed for villainies he never committed” she was “kind
of proud” of being assumed to be some pornographic star, and that none of her
friends saw that as a problem, and were even jealous. As you can see, the term “common” does apply.
If you wish to read the original
article in The New Republic, click here:
The
Porn Identity by Eve Fairbanks
Copyright
2006, The Ultrapolis Project