Isn’t it funny how the adjective “adult” in today’s world, instead of meaning mature, is a euphemism for lewd, inappropriate, and sexually promiscuous?
On June 8th, Slate issued the first article for its new column dedicated to IT advice called “Try Restarting.” After answering a question about the typical problem of asking IT for a new computer, IT admin Shasha Léonard gave advice about how to get away with watching “adult sites” on a work computer.
“Obviously a person should never view, um, adult entertainment at work,” the unnamed questioner began to ask Léonard. “But if a person has a work-provided machine they carry around, would it be a problem to use it for such purposes at home?” And the crux of the question was: “will IT know I’m using my work laptop to watch porn?”
Instead of saying “okay...next question” like anybody with professional self-respect would have done, Léonard dove right into giving some advice about “steps to minimize your risk of being found out.”
Here were some of her tips on how to engage in shameless behavior: “Make sure you’re on your own home Wi-Fi” and “don’t forget to check and delete your cache and cookies after the deed.” Leonard took a flippant tone while telling the questioner to “bring them [IT] a doughnut or some other delicious treat once in a while to appeal to their better nature.” Fitting advice, considering how porn practically treats the people on the screen like doughnuts, or objects for someone’s personal consumption and enjoyment.
Pornography is not victimless and has been an issue for awhile, so it is sickening to see it treated in such a trivial way. Bearing in mind how it revolves around sexually objectifying women, one wonders whether the liberal media are either hypocritical or just stupid when it backs the #MeToo movement while also condoning and even joking about “adult” entertainment.
“So IT might know” about the pornography, Leonard wrote. “The real question is: Does IT care?”
The real question is does Slate care...about women?
