Google YouTube etc

[Question123]

Can we use these even though they provide an opportunity for others to watch pornography? What about things like Spotify that provide music that we shouldn’t listen to? What kind of cooperation with evil are they? I’m thinking at least for the first two it would be remote material cooperation, probably also for the last one?

Smarter people than me would be appreciated

 

[schaeffer]

To follow that idea to it’s logical end, first, you’d have to not use the internet at all.

Or read anything printed, since printing also makes porn available.

Or shop at any store that might sell books or magazines that could be porn or at least soft porn.

Or at any drug store that sells KY jelly, lest someone somewhere is using it to masturbate or in the making of a porn movie.

Or attend a school because sometimes at school kids pass porn mags to one another.

We cannot police the entire earth, or accept responsibility for the choices (good or ill) of other people.

We CAN make good choices for ourselves. And that might include staying away from certain internet sites if we are likely to be tempted, to use safe search etc options on the net. To not visit porn sites or porn stores. etc.

Most porn is money driven. If we don’t do anything to make porn more lucrative to the makers, then we are not supporting it. If we find a site we frequent to have ads for porn, then by visiting the site we are registering hits which encourages more porn sites to advertise there. So, if you notice ads for porn on sites you frequent. I do think it’s good to stop going to those sites.

I was shocked when a few months ago I started seeing ads for soft porn on a site with inspirational quotes… HUH? they don’t get my “hits” anymore.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

If you use Google, don’t search for porn. If you use YouTube, don’t search for porn. Etc.

 

[Question123]

I can see how those things could be remote material cooperation–the service provided, internet access, access to music, etc, is morally neutral or good and the reasons for going on to those are for a Catholic proportionate. I say for a Catholic because they would be doing moral things.

So I guess those would be like going to a store that sells contraceptives. So long as you don’t buy the contraceptives, it’s okay (usually–unless that store also directly uses your money to, say, perform abortions in the store, etc. but for 99.9999% of stores it’s probably good and no need to scruple).

I would guess tv stations with commercials or shows would be like that as well.

But what about newspapers that often have something, op ed or advertisement, that is antithetical to Catholicism? Because when you pay for that newspaper you pay for the stuff that it also has in it you don’t like.