PORN IS TOO FAR OUTSIDE THE LINES

10 Replies

Stacie Halas is a teacher.  She also acted in some adult movies.  Her students and coworkers found the movies online.  Outrage ensued.

Jeff Chancer, school superintendent in Oxnard, California, had this to say about Stacie Halas:

“Halas’ decision to engage in pornography was incompatible with her responsibilities as a role model for students.”

Sounds pretty clear cut, right?  The only problem is that said material is 8 years old. And Halas has admitted that it was a mistake, and says she wishes she hadn’t done it.

For all you collegiate types, do you ever wonder if those Facebook kegstands will come back to haunt you?  They are, after all, incompatible with being a role model for students.  What about the profanity-laced Twitter rants from 2007?  Or the scandalous pics you gave your boyfriend in 1997?

What about the POTSC post you wrote 3 years ago about cheating on your wife — the one with your name all over it?   Does that make you incompatible with being a role model?

Situations like this are hard.  They represent extreme cases, but they establish precedent for all the more mundane ones.  If every Tweet … or Blog post … or tee shirt … or voicemail … or freaking AIM Status that we’ve ever represented ourselves with is fair game for judging our “compatibility” with a particular system at any time in the future, we’re all kind of screwed, aren’t we?

Where do we draw the line on what we should expect grace to cover?  Sexy things?  Boozy things?  Nasty things?  When has someone strayed too far outside the lines to be let back in?  Or if they can only be let back in to certain places, how do we decide what those places are?

These are hard questions, but ones that could benefit from some discussion.  Share your thoughts below!

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  • http://www.facebook.com/jasonwert Jason Wert

    Americans love to brand, dismiss and destroy someone else. The gossip mag/website industry proves it. It’s horrible what happened to that teacher. Grace is for all for all times.

  • http://twitter.com/kucharskijoe Joe Kucharski

    I’m thankful that God used a prophet that was married to a prostitute and an apostle that had murdered Christians. That kind of grace truly is amazing.

  • Taizen

    Why should it matter what anyone did in the past, no matter how recent or distant? People can change if they want to. I’ve been both a bully and a victim. I fought anyone who got on my bad side and got people suspended or expelled for annoying me. I’ve been knocked down, backstabbed and stepped on. Somedays I wanted to disappear, other days I wanted to destroy the world. It took some time, but I did a complete 180. I got through my dark past to bring love and light into my life. I even give advice to friends going through similar situations. If I can go from knocking people down to helping them up, why can’t a porn actress become a positive role model? “The past cannot be changed, but the future has yet to be written” – (not sure if remembering a quote or more automatic writing/typing).

  • http://billgrandi.com/ Bill (cycleguy)

    So glad my past is not broadcast for all to see. No, i wasn’t in porn movies or seen taking drugs (neither of which I did). but I still don’t want my past coming to light. What she did is over and done. Let it go. ‘Course if the church did that we might have to talk more about grace and forgiveness than condemnation.

  • http://twitter.com/marcallangrimes marc grimes

    In order for grace to be grace, it must be extended to every person! Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t define us by our bad choices, even if it’s an adult film from almost a decade ago!
    grace and peace, marc

  • http://profiles.google.com/thesaraheffect Sarah Brewer

    Has anyone mentioned the tremendous hypocrisy of those reporting this pornography? Excluding the unlikely scenario in which an innocent student or coworker “stumbled” upon Stacie Halas’ adult movies online, an underage student or another teacher was obviously watching porn when they discovered her material. Assuming that it was an adult teacher would that teacher also be disciplined? Obviously not, and for good reason, they were engaging in a private and legal (albeit, embarrassing and socially questionable) activity. However, if watching porn is “compatible” with ones position as a role model to students, then why is engaging in another private and legal activity (e.g. acting in porn) so IN-compatible?

    I don’t want to fall into the position of judging the judges for their judgmentalism :) This is a difficult situation and I don’t envy those who had to make it. Obviously when you’re dealing with kids, mistakes like this become more serious. But this whole scenario reads like a witch burning more than an attempt to protect children from a bad role model. I wonder how the students benefit from this and is it enough to justify the damage done to her?

    It’s just so upsetting to see someones mistakes or weaknesses paraded like this when we know that those passing judgement on her are as guilty as she is. I wonder how many times those cell phones were passed around. How long did the administrators watch the material when it was reported? How many of her former coworkers and supervisors still have copies of her mistake to watch on the private time?

  • http://www.mohan37.com/ mohan37

    “How many of her former coworkers and supervisors still have copies of her mistake to watch on the private time?”

    Wow…well said.

  • http://twitter.com/MikeFoster Mike Foster

    right on! so true!

  • http://twitter.com/MikeFoster Mike Foster

    these kind of stories break my heart….and its also why i love grace…i would rather be in the redemption business than the labeling business….just sayin :)

  • chance

    Why is it that some people find joy, fascination and excitement in others past, pain and regrets? What gives anyone at anytime the right to judge another person? Maybe if we worry more about how to help others instead of hurting we would have less time on our hands and stop harming.