When you hear the word pimp, what comes to mind? Do you still picture a man in a wide brim hat with fuzzy dice hanging from his rear-view mirror? Pimps today come in all shapes, sizes, and walks of life. A pimp can even be female.
Two weeks ago, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation told WSBTV.com of a 14-year-old girl in Rockdale, Georgia, who was pimped out at the Motel 6 and America’s Best Value Inn & Suites. Her pimp didn’t fit the stereotypical picture. In fact, her pimp(s) happened to be an eighteen year old and 19 year old female. They allegedly drugged the victim with over-the-counter cough medicine and then proceeded to pimp her out online.
The same week, a story broke in Minnetonka, Minnesota of an eighteen year old high school cheerleader of allegedly taking a fellow cheerleader out of school and pimping her out to men using Backpage.com.
This is absurd.
Both of these stories tell of children pimping out fellow children.
What has happened in our nation where one teen will sell another for financial gain, without any regard to the torture or objectification the victim must endure? It has to stop.
It’s time to sound the alarm!
We must come together and unite our voices, demanding freedom for the captives [Isaiah 61:1]. These are children, being pillaged for one’s twisted pleasure and another’s financial gain.
However, it is not enough to raise our voices against this evil. It is going to take a shift in the mindset of our nation. And it has to start with us.
We can no longer support movies, media or music that continues to promote the objectification or commodification of women and children.
If we do, we’re teaching our children it is not only acceptable, but permissible to peddle their classmates for financial gain.
A wise man once said,
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” [Proverbs 22:6]
While this is a word of wisdom for parents to apply to their own children, it isn’t just for parents. It says “train a child” not train your child. We’re all called to invest in the lives of those in our sphere of influence, teaching them right from wrong and pointing them in the right direction. Whether you’re a parent, an aunt, an uncle, a friend or a neighbor, you are called to share your wisdom and knowledge with those around you.
What is one thing you can do today to pour into a young person around you? Let’s see if we can generate a list beneficial to us all. I’ll start:
- Turn off the television, radio or computer and have an intentional conversation at least once a week.
Now it’s your turn…
Wow! What an eye-opening post! Your question is so important:
What has happened in our nation where one teen will sell another for financial gain, without any regard to the torture or objectification the victim must endure?
I’m stunned at the stories you have shared. The devaluing of people seems to penetrate more and more parts of our society.
To add to your list, a passage of scripture comes to mind. We could heed, model and then teach our children the words of Philippians 2:3-4, the example of Jesus: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others.”
Love it, Judy. Scripture is so applicable to our lives today if we’ll simple seek it out.
Dad? Is that you?