Value Life, Please.

---

---

Let's talk about virtue. Not just virtue but the value of it. Sadly, we live in a world where one's virtue can have a dollar sign attached. 'Value' itself is also a malleable term, especially on this subject, so we'll delve into it as well. My goal isn't to illicit shock or fear, but action. The following story isn't a look at just an individual, but the society he was able to operate in. How vices easily wash away years of warnings and consequences on a sea of iniquity. How one man used his hatred and inquities like a plague:

Meet Jason Pope, aka DJ Kidd

Pope was recently charged with with three counts of trafficking in persons, three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, promoting prostitution of a minor, and kidnapping back on August 29. This following a long and woefully mishandled history with the law, as reported by ABC 15. As horrendous as these crimes sound, it is dwarfed by the fact that Jason is a racist and self-professed serial killer. With a claim of nearly 700 victims.

"Bodies" is slang for "murder or assault victims" in some circles.

Yes, all his victims were predominantly African-American women. His murder weapon? The HIV virus. Pope, a popular nightclub DJ, used his percieved influence and money to lure both willing and unwilling victims into unprotected sexual encounters. Pope kept his illness and his hate for people of color a secret for years solely in hope of spreading the virus through his many victim's community.

The vices of fame and money are legendary in black music culture, especially today. So are the horrors that accompany them. A shocking percentage of young women will fall victim to promises and prizes like those used by DJ Kid, throwing caution easily to the wind. For what? Fun, maybe. Clout, assuredly. Money, of course. Vices that are a poor man's replacement for joy, faith and wealth. Vices that are a shortlived versions of their greater.

We don't want to blame the music, that was a battle we'd fought too long ourselves, so let's not. I do believe something that's played daily in a set of headphones can be proven to alter behaviors, but so can the teachings of a caring and patient parent. It's said "you can't pour into a full cup". So, we have to saturate our children in the truths and values that combat modern vices. Virginity is often lauded as something you can never get back. That line of thought is actually very muted. EVERY sexual encounter you share with someone is an exchange that is final and inherently lasting. This becomes even more evident when it is taken forcefully, through acts of molestation and rape. In the case of Pope's victim's, it has proved greater then fatal. Think for a second: this was a first and a last for some of these young women.

I'm not asking you to be a bother to your child, I'm asking you to be involved. If you can't be, then make sure you know well what their involved with. Tap into their interest and find resources, like The BYG Foundation, that set them up for healthy, virtuous pursuits of their actual passions. 18 years. You have 18 years to make sure the love of your life never repeats the mistakes of the past.