Devout Catholic dad returns home from Afghanistan to find daughter is a porn star

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From news.com.au:THE dad of Duke University’s famous porn-star co-ed is an Army doctor, who learned of his little girl’s racy off-campus work after returning from duty in Afghanistan.

Dr. Kevin Weeks had just come home from one of the world’s most dangerous corners, only to be hit with the stunning news on the home front, according to The Daily Mail.

Weeks was shocked that daughter Miriam Weeks — known as sex kitten Belle Knox in her porn moonlighting — was doing the deed on film so she could help out with Duke’s massive tuition.

(read the rest there)
Also see related pieces in the NY Daily News, NY Post, and the Mail.

The NY Daily News article quotes the daughter Mirian as saying:
“My parents aren’t upset,” Weeks told the Daily News Monday in between filming scenes for an upcoming adult film.
As a parent of a daughter around the same age as Miriam Weeks, I can’t imagine not being upset over such a situation. (No, if it was my daughter, I highly doubt that I would cut her off from the family, but not being upset???)

My personal reaction would likely be of grave concern for the state of her soul. Likewise, I would be gravely concerned for her health and how she has likely ruined her future.

Not upset? I can’t even visualize the possibility. The possibility of me saying, “gee, honey, that’s neat. Maybe you could take me to work and introduce me to some of your friends” doesn’t even enter into the equation.

So if you were a devout Catholic parent of a child who took up this for a living, how would you react? Do you react with shock and tell her to get out? Do you embrace her new career choice and express hope that she work to rise to the top of her chosen profession?

(Note: I can imagine that such a thread would be immediately deleted if it was a hypothetical…but apparently it’s real, and, frankly, it may happen more often than any of us like to think)

BTW, the back story on this, apparently, is that her parents weren’t financially capable of coughing up the full amount of tuition for Duke…and she decided to do this to make up the difference.
 
markomalley said : "[Are you] Not upset? I can’t even visualize the possibility."

Yes, I can tell you are Upset, by the 6 times you mentioned that you were upset (or suggested that we need to be Upset).

Certainly most parents would not be Happy to hear that their Daughter is a Drug Addict … or, a Prostitute … or, a Porn Star.
I see why dear-old-Dad might be Shocked-Angry-and-Horrified about his “Little Baby” having sex on TV… but he isn’t.
This is especially so, because his neighbors may get to see her Naked in the Video.

But, you seem to stretch it out MUCH further than that, by talking to me (and the others on the Forum) like I am un-Human for NOT being Upset.
Personally, I do not mind that a girl needs to work in order to put herself through College (and a good College at that).

And, if she decides to star in a Porn movie, then that is her choice of Employment.
I am pretty sure that she gets paid MUCH MORE than if she was flipping burgers at McDonalds.

So, she works a few hours a month, and lives like she was working full-time at a decent Job.
This makes it much easier for her to do her Class Time and her Homework.

A different (and perhaps Better) Question to ask is : Are you Happy that this girl is acting in Porn Videos?
To that, I would say NO … I am NOT Happy about it … just understanding.

If she was my Daughter, I would feel sorry for her, more than allowing myself to run around being Upset about it.
(I would probably feel guilty for NOT having enough money to put her through College.)
Then, I would Pray that after she stops making Porn videos that she “gets over” any Guilt she feels for doing them.
Lastly, I would hope that can find a good husband one day, and live out the rest of her Life in a more-Normal manner.
 
4love2God said:
But, you seem to stretch it out MUCH further than that, by talking to me (and the others on the Forum) like I am un-Human for NOT being Upset.
Click to expand...
Where in the world do you get that?

The question I asked was: So if you were a devout Catholic parent of a child who took up this for a living, how would you react? Do you react with shock and tell her to get out? Do you embrace her new career choice and express hope that she work to rise to the top of her chosen profession?

Is asking a question what passes for treating somebody as un-Human these days?

Interesting logic.
 
One of the things that would upset me most about the situation is that she’s 19; she has no clue how this is going to impact the rest of her life. If she manages to get out of the industry without a drug addiction or an array of diseases, she’s still going to have to deal with the fact that this is going to follow her for the rest of her life. How is she going to feel when her teenage kids’ friends find her videos? How is she going to feel when she finds out her parents’ friends, or even some relatives, have been using her videos? How does she talk to her kids about sex and making good, moral decisions when their friends have all been teasing them about their mother’s past? How does she talk to her kids the first time they see one of her videos? How will she ever know that a guy has an interest in her and not her porn star persona? How does she explain to potential boyfriends/spouses that the disease she’s going to infect him with isn’t a big deal because she got it for a good reason? I think she’s far too young to really comprehend what this is going to do to her life, not to mention how it’s going to impact her family.
 
Dear markomalley,

I misunderstood why you kept saying you were Upset.

And, it seemed that the times you were asking if I was Upset, that you were trying to get a pre-Determined answer.

So, I apologize for not grasping what the REAL purpose was for your comments.
 
4love2God said:
Dear markomalley,

I misunderstood why you kept saying you were Upset.

And, it seemed that the times you were asking if I was Upset, that you were trying to get a pre-Determined answer.

So, I apologize for not grasping what the REAL purpose was for your comments.
Click to expand...
Not an issue.

When online, the responsibility for the clarity of a message is the sole responsibility of the sender. So I apologize for not being clearer in my statement.
 
When I think about this type of thing, or related things such as a strip club perfomer taking money so that any guy can grope her, I only see one thing. This is the ultimate consequence of the logic of deregulated capitalism, of the teaching that everything is a commodity and that everything that has a value also has a price.

This girl’s dad was in Afghanistan, fighting to protect that capitalist system under the disguise of defending freedom. He was fighting the religious guys there who are actually fighting back precisely because they don’t want Afghan women to one day act in porn films and dance in strip clubs.

And then he’s surprised that what goes around comes around?

I know a lot of you are going to hate me for having said this. But please think about it before flaming me.
 
Cirdan_XII said:
When I think about this type of thing, or related things such as a strip club perfomer taking money so that any guy can grope her, I only see one thing. This is the ultimate consequence of the logic of deregulated capitalism, of the teaching that everything is a commodity and that everything that has a value also has a price.

This girl’s dad was in Afghanistan, fighting to protect that capitalist system under the disguise of defending freedom. He was fighting the religious guys there who are actually fighting back precisely because they don’t want Afghan women to one day act in porn films and dance in strip clubs.

And then he’s surprised that what goes around comes around?

I know a lot of you are going to hate me for having said this. But please think about it before flaming me.
Click to expand...
I actually thought the same thing. No flames from me. Thanks for saying it. Now we’ll both get flamed.
 
No, those Afghan guys are fighting for their own power base and their ability to shut women up in their homes, run roughshod over society, pillage with impunity and then hang women who have been convicted of “impurity” because they were forcibly gang-raped.

Our society has problems to be sure, but don’t compare it to the travesty that is the Taliban.
 
Cirdan_XII said:
This girl’s dad was in Afghanistan, fighting to protect that capitalist system under the disguise of defending freedom. He was fighting the religious guys there who are actually fighting back precisely because they don’t want Afghan women to one day act in porn films and dance in strip clubs.

And then he’s surprised that what goes around comes around?
Click to expand...
If you state this because you misunderstand, then I’ll say a prayer for you. If this is truly what you believe, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Consider yourself flamed.
 
markomalley said:
Likewise, I would be gravely concerned for her health and how she has likely ruined her future.
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Me, too.

And I’d be heartbroken. Truly heartbroken.

I got into a long, protracted debate on another forum over this story. The opposition argued that she is free to make her own decisions and shouldn’t be judged for it. They also argued that she ought not be faulted for trying to earn money for college. I argued that she made the wrong decision from the perspective of contributing to the objectification of women and that there had to be other options for making money.

It came to an impasse. So I’m really interested in what others have to say from a Catholic perspective.
 
on_the_hill said:
Me, too.

And I’d be heartbroken. Truly heartbroken.

I got into a long, protracted debate on another forum over this story. The opposition argued that she is free to make her own decisions and shouldn’t be judged for it. They also argued that she ought not be faulted for trying to earn money for college. I argued that she made the wrong decision from the perspective of contributing to the objectification of women and that there had to be other options for making money.

It came to an impasse. So I’m really interested in what others have to say from a Catholic perspective.
Click to expand...
I hope you realize that Duke University is an incredibly expensive school, costing upwards of $45,000 to attend just for room and board. I think of it as one of the ways college in America has started to fail us - by forcing people to do egregious things in order to afford a quality education at an expensive school.
 
VanSensei said:
I hope you realize that Duke University is an incredibly expensive school, costing upwards of $45,000 to attend just for room and board. I think of it as one of the ways college in America has started to fail us - by forcing people to do egregious things in order to afford a quality education at an expensive school.
Click to expand...
Which led to part of my position in the other forum: There are less expensive alternatives.

My wife is an instructor at a community college. Most of her students are women. A lot of them are single moms, many have histories of drug & alcohol abuse, backgrounds of domestic violence, grinding poverty, from failed public schools…a few have criminal records, and even some are there on work-release programs.

These women have to make a lot of sacrifices that most of us will never face, and they’re trying to do their best with what life has dealt them.

By all means, go for the best education you can get, but if the choice is Duke U and porn or State College and waitressing, make sure you know where your priorities lay.
 
If she turned to porn to afford college, as her father, I would have immediately found a cheaper school she could afford (Duke is extremely expensive). Probably a Catholic college. Although, this was probably the school she chose knowing the cost ahead of time.

I can’t imagine what is going on in that poor mans mind. What a disappointment. I have a sincere fear for our young people today. It isn’t just a path of sinful destruction anymore. It’s an express way with grease poured on top. They are set up to fall the moment they step out on their own…or sooner if subjected to the public education system. It is unbelievably difficult to be a parent these days. I know it must be even more difficult being the young person having everything in this world set against you. Talk about a heavy burden!!! Luckily, there is someone who is prepared, willing and even asks us to place that burden on Him. Sadly, it’s all but illegal these days to tell young people.
 
Mark,
In the first article you linked, it sounded like they were very upset. Maybe because her parents refrained from tying her up and taking her home and locking her in a tower, the daughter got the idea they weren’t upset. IOW, the parents are trying to keep communications open with their adult daughter. This is good–it will be easier for her to pull out of what she is doing if she has their support.
markomalley said:
From news.com.au:THE dad of Duke University’s famous porn-star co-ed is an Army doctor, who learned of his little girl’s racy off-campus work after returning from duty in Afghanistan.

Dr. Kevin Weeks had just come home from one of the world’s most dangerous corners, only to be hit with the stunning news on the home front, according to The Daily Mail.

Weeks was shocked that daughter Miriam Weeks — known as sex kitten Belle Knox in her porn moonlighting — was doing the deed on film so she could help out with Duke’s massive tuition.

(read the rest there)
Also see related pieces in the NY Daily News, NY Post, and the Mail.

The NY Daily News article quotes the daughter Mirian as saying:
“My parents aren’t upset,” Weeks told the Daily News Monday in between filming scenes for an upcoming adult film.
As a parent of a daughter around the same age as Miriam Weeks, I can’t imagine not being upset over such a situation. (No, if it was my daughter, I highly doubt that I would cut her off from the family, but not being upset???)

My personal reaction would likely be of grave concern for the state of her soul. Likewise, I would be gravely concerned for her health and how she has likely ruined her future.

Not upset? I can’t even visualize the possibility. The possibility of me saying, “gee, honey, that’s neat. Maybe you could take me to work and introduce me to some of your friends” doesn’t even enter into the equation.

So if you were a devout Catholic parent of a child who took up this for a living, how would you react? Do you react with shock and tell her to get out? Do you embrace her new career choice and express hope that she work to rise to the top of her chosen profession?

(Note: I can imagine that such a thread would be immediately deleted if it was a hypothetical…but apparently it’s real, and, frankly, it may happen more often than any of us like to think)

BTW, the back story on this, apparently, is that her parents weren’t financially capable of coughing up the full amount of tuition for Duke…and she decided to do this to make up the difference.
Click to expand...
 
First, I don’t want to judge, but common sense leads one to assume that '“devout parents” would be appalled and do anything they had to do to help their child pay for college. Secondly, how many college students in the US are burdened by high loans? if all of them turned to the sex industry to help pay their loans, sex workers would be making less than fast food employees. Thirdly, porn movies are not what they used to be. Sex is no longer simulated, condoms are not used, and every orifice is free game. I won’t go further for decency, but this girl is not just parading nude for the camera.
 
Not my cup of tea for a job, but I’m lucky in that I don’t need to do this to get a good standard of education hence I’m not going to criticize her for it.

Not pleasant, but I can see the reasons. We can talk about state college as much as you want but the sad truth is an employer will always favor qualifications from an elite institution.
 
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