This is a screenshot from my YouTube feed.

I was intrigued by the fact that the thumbnail of this YouTube short had the word sex in it. I mean, it’s only a HIMYM clip and it has over 4 million views. But it got me thinking about why the word sex is in the thumbnail.

Sex and Drugs

These two things own the world. Sex and drugs are the two things that people willingly do knowing the potential longterm effects of their actions. I know plenty of people who had children in high school because, clearly, the allure of having sex is more powerful than the thought of being a parent. Now is this all the way true, of course not. No one thinks it’s going to happen to them. In the same way, drugs are an ever growing epidemic. I asked my sister who’s in third grade if she has ever heard of Terrance the RAT (Reject All Tobacco) and she said no. I know people whose lives have been ruined because of drugs. Some people just can’t say no.

It doesn’t help that these two subjects are often glorified in pop culture; music, movies. If you want to be cool, you have to have as much sex as possible and do as many drugs as possible.

So what are we supposed to do about it?

Well, I don’t think there is much TO do. I mean, in a capitalistic economy, whatever makes the most money will reign supreme. It’s just kind of gross. Especially because a lot of people that clicked on that video are probably kids. Who else is watching a YouTube short about HIMYM? The solution has to do with the kids. I don’t know, the internet is a crazy place. It also has a lot to do with the post-COVID content boom. When COVID hit, everyone was on social media, which means it was easier to be a content creator, therefore leading to content over-saturation. THEY ARE ALL ATTENTION MERCHANTING. That is a term I learned in my Jour 101 class. Where did the ethics go?

That wasn’t a solution.

I don’t have a solution. But I think something needs to happen. It’s like a dopamine boost when you think of sex; is this just a human problem? Humans will always want what they want. And I believe that is okay. You can’t control your wants.

“No matter what it was or is or will become, you always want the things that you want.” – Mach-Hommy