In regards to "the fappening" (and other similar scenarios), many long-time netizens have said "well... don't post compromising photos of yourself online." Quite often, these people immediately get swarmed by SJWs insisting that they're heathens incapable of even basic empathy and what they're doing accounts to nothing more than blaming the victim. Personally, I hate to see this happen, as I think the argument has merit; discounting it out of hand without even a moment's consideration is ridiculous.
The first thing that often happens are faulty comparisons. "Oh, sharing nude pictures is akin to robbery/identity theft/sexual harassment/sexual assault/rape." All these scenarios, which do often attract some aspect of victim blaming, involve an outside party acting with malice upon you; and although you can (and should, obviously) take measures to prevent them, they are largely unavoidable and *never* your fault. No style of clothing ever excuses rape; the blame for the rape falls squarely on the shoulders of the rapist.
A more apt comparison to the spread of nude photos, however, is drunk driving and crashing... or an unexpected pregnancy. These are events you had control leading up to, and still chose to partake in. Society, to varying degrees, has sympathy for the driver or hapless parents, but ultimately holds them accountable for their own poor decisions. A drunk driver hitting someone is still going to pay for it. Perhaps the claim could be made that peer pressure led to some number of nude selfies, but ultimately the responsibility for those photos lies with the person who took them.
Secondly, we are taught from a very young age to examine and weigh the consequences of our actions before we take them. Probably the largest difference between children and adults is the abstract thinking required to weigh the pros and cons of potential outcomes of a given scenario. Part of it is brain development, part of it is simply life experience. Regardless, young people often struggle to realize the full implications of what nude photos could do to their careers and/or lives... and, additionally, how difficult it is to "remove photos from the internet" (ask Beyonce's publicist!). I would argue that education about these dangers is the proper solution, rather than a half-hearted attempt at censorship and a hilarious attempt by the media to guilt trip people for invading the privacy of celebrities (despite doing it on a daily basis, and often making their livelihoods on the deed). Education - properly teaching people just how damaging explicit photos can be, allowing them to better grasp the potential risks associated with them.
Any children raised in the 80s or 90s with any connection to technology can tell you - privacy was important, both for your immediate personal safety and for your future well-being. "Don't tell anyone your name, age, or location. Don't agree to meet anyone you've only talked to online." These were *basic* tenants of the internet age - because we (and our parents, who guided us) realized, even in the internet's infancy, that the world is full of creepy motherfuckers, and avoiding falling into their path is entirely doable with a little bit of personal security. "Don't take nude pictures of yourself and post them online" falls in the same category of basic internet security, and anyone seriously concerned about the potential outcome of that action will stay way the hell away from it. If someone is truly ignorant of basic internet security, they can be taught; "don't reveal who you are to people you don't know, don't post nude pictures of yourself. The internet is full of weirdos, always has been, and likely always will be. Protect yourself and practice truly basic internet security." It's not unreasonable to expect this of any rational adult, and is just generally good common sense.
In conclusion, when someone says "just don't do it, then" the implications aren't that a nude selfie poster is a dirty whore for being comfortable enough to send nude photos... rather, the implication is that this particular problem is completely within their power to avoid, and if they're at all uncomfortable with the possibility of those pictures going viral, they should refrain.
Naked pictures can be a fun way to spice things up, but (personally) I never reciprocate because I'm not okay with the risks involved. Much in the same way I avoid sex without condoms or drinking then driving, I don't send nude pictures of myself, even to someone I trust, because even the chances of something happening to those photos is too great. Again, I'm in no way supporting those who upload these pictures (for fake internet points or real life money), as they're scumbags on par with the invasive celeb-obsessed media, but I am saying there's a nearly 100% guaranteed way to never allow that to happen. And that guarantee can't be said about rape, robbery or sexual harassment... because those are never in your control. Don't you have enough shit to worry about in your life without stressing out about nude pictures you yourself made and spread around? Don't do it to yourself.
TL
R: if you don't want your nudes to go viral, the "basic" solution is not to take them. If you still take them, do so with the understanding of the risks... and know once they hit the net, there's not a goddamn thing you can do to stop them. A hypocritical media guilt-trip isn't going to stop shit.
Thanks for reading, and hopefully some of you will be a little less quick to say "omg don't blame the victim!!!!11!!111" next time. We're empathetic, but we're also security-minded. We expect other adults to be able to make decisions like adults. It's sad that dozens of celebs had their photos leaked; intense embarrassment, fear, anger and other feelings must have run rampant in the days/weeks following the leaks, and those feelings aren't fun. We understand that... and we also understand it could have been completely avoided. To aid in the prevention of future similar SNAFUs, spread the word; educate those who are ignorant of basic internet security, and make it plainly obvious their lives or careers can be massively impacted by those pictures going viral.
If they still do it? Well... they're fucking adults. They chose that path. Just like a drunk driver or a horny guy who forgot his condom. Now they have to live with the consequences.
The first thing that often happens are faulty comparisons. "Oh, sharing nude pictures is akin to robbery/identity theft/sexual harassment/sexual assault/rape." All these scenarios, which do often attract some aspect of victim blaming, involve an outside party acting with malice upon you; and although you can (and should, obviously) take measures to prevent them, they are largely unavoidable and *never* your fault. No style of clothing ever excuses rape; the blame for the rape falls squarely on the shoulders of the rapist.
A more apt comparison to the spread of nude photos, however, is drunk driving and crashing... or an unexpected pregnancy. These are events you had control leading up to, and still chose to partake in. Society, to varying degrees, has sympathy for the driver or hapless parents, but ultimately holds them accountable for their own poor decisions. A drunk driver hitting someone is still going to pay for it. Perhaps the claim could be made that peer pressure led to some number of nude selfies, but ultimately the responsibility for those photos lies with the person who took them.
Secondly, we are taught from a very young age to examine and weigh the consequences of our actions before we take them. Probably the largest difference between children and adults is the abstract thinking required to weigh the pros and cons of potential outcomes of a given scenario. Part of it is brain development, part of it is simply life experience. Regardless, young people often struggle to realize the full implications of what nude photos could do to their careers and/or lives... and, additionally, how difficult it is to "remove photos from the internet" (ask Beyonce's publicist!). I would argue that education about these dangers is the proper solution, rather than a half-hearted attempt at censorship and a hilarious attempt by the media to guilt trip people for invading the privacy of celebrities (despite doing it on a daily basis, and often making their livelihoods on the deed). Education - properly teaching people just how damaging explicit photos can be, allowing them to better grasp the potential risks associated with them.
Any children raised in the 80s or 90s with any connection to technology can tell you - privacy was important, both for your immediate personal safety and for your future well-being. "Don't tell anyone your name, age, or location. Don't agree to meet anyone you've only talked to online." These were *basic* tenants of the internet age - because we (and our parents, who guided us) realized, even in the internet's infancy, that the world is full of creepy motherfuckers, and avoiding falling into their path is entirely doable with a little bit of personal security. "Don't take nude pictures of yourself and post them online" falls in the same category of basic internet security, and anyone seriously concerned about the potential outcome of that action will stay way the hell away from it. If someone is truly ignorant of basic internet security, they can be taught; "don't reveal who you are to people you don't know, don't post nude pictures of yourself. The internet is full of weirdos, always has been, and likely always will be. Protect yourself and practice truly basic internet security." It's not unreasonable to expect this of any rational adult, and is just generally good common sense.
In conclusion, when someone says "just don't do it, then" the implications aren't that a nude selfie poster is a dirty whore for being comfortable enough to send nude photos... rather, the implication is that this particular problem is completely within their power to avoid, and if they're at all uncomfortable with the possibility of those pictures going viral, they should refrain.
Naked pictures can be a fun way to spice things up, but (personally) I never reciprocate because I'm not okay with the risks involved. Much in the same way I avoid sex without condoms or drinking then driving, I don't send nude pictures of myself, even to someone I trust, because even the chances of something happening to those photos is too great. Again, I'm in no way supporting those who upload these pictures (for fake internet points or real life money), as they're scumbags on par with the invasive celeb-obsessed media, but I am saying there's a nearly 100% guaranteed way to never allow that to happen. And that guarantee can't be said about rape, robbery or sexual harassment... because those are never in your control. Don't you have enough shit to worry about in your life without stressing out about nude pictures you yourself made and spread around? Don't do it to yourself.
TL
R: if you don't want your nudes to go viral, the "basic" solution is not to take them. If you still take them, do so with the understanding of the risks... and know once they hit the net, there's not a goddamn thing you can do to stop them. A hypocritical media guilt-trip isn't going to stop shit. Thanks for reading, and hopefully some of you will be a little less quick to say "omg don't blame the victim!!!!11!!111" next time. We're empathetic, but we're also security-minded. We expect other adults to be able to make decisions like adults. It's sad that dozens of celebs had their photos leaked; intense embarrassment, fear, anger and other feelings must have run rampant in the days/weeks following the leaks, and those feelings aren't fun. We understand that... and we also understand it could have been completely avoided. To aid in the prevention of future similar SNAFUs, spread the word; educate those who are ignorant of basic internet security, and make it plainly obvious their lives or careers can be massively impacted by those pictures going viral.
If they still do it? Well... they're fucking adults. They chose that path. Just like a drunk driver or a horny guy who forgot his condom. Now they have to live with the consequences.
