We Need To Write About Taboo Topics More

I am a casual listener of the Joe Rogan podcast. Before you write me off as a elk-eating, deer-hunting MMA nut who has testosterone practically oozing out of my pores, you should know something else..

I like some music by BLCKPINK.

Oh my gosh, that was very hard to admit.

How can I flip through BLCKPINK, Elvis Presley, Toto, Lil’ Wayne, Ariana Grande, and Post Malone so quickly?

I have no idea. Ask my brain. This is the same brain that’s somehow convinced my fingers to tell you, the reader, that I enjoy listening to BLCKPINK, a “band” that is mostly listened to by 9–14 year-old girls.

This is the sort of stuff I shouldn’t write about, right? You don’t need to know about my mild stanning of BLCKPINK, however I bet it came as a surprise. I bet it’s more intriguing than telling you all about the ways you can make your life better in 2020.

I, a 26-year-old American, enjoy listening to K-POP.

I tell you this for a reason..

“Taboo” Topics Are The Most Fun To Write About (And Read)

I’m not saying my K-POP “confession” is like, super taboo or anything, but I needed an example since my life is actually boring.

To give another example, you can go ahead and write off all the “How I Made $___ This Month” articles as annoying and boastful because of commonly held societal beliefs that we shouldn’t talk about how much we make, ever.

However, did you think to stop and ask yourself why these articles get so many clicks?

Whenever I write an article about how much money I make, it spreads like the Black Plague.

Maybe it’s inspirational, I’ll give you that. Maybe people want to learn how I did it so they can do it too. But I wager that a big reason why these articles do so well is because it’s sort of taboo to talk about how much we make in the first place.

I’ve known my parents for 26 years and they have never once divulged how much they make to me. I don’t blame them and I don’t care that they haven’t, however it proves my point a little bit.

People don’t like talking about how much they make. Why? Well,

1. They might be ashamed at how much they make.

2. Society typically does not condone talking about earnings because it’s seen as “bragging.”

So when somebody does step out of the shadow realm and talk about, GASP, how much currency came into their hands last month, the entire world stands back in horror!

Then they click the article and read it.

Why Are Taboo Topics So Readable?

Because it’s uncharted territory.

Let’s take sex, for example.

How many times do you talk honestly about the sex you’ve had with other people?

I’m not talking about typical locker room conversation amongst 16-year-old boys about all the girls they hooked up with last weekend.

I’m talking about an honest conversation.

You NEVER do if you’re a normal person like me. So when somebody decides to step out from the crowd and confront the villain that is societal expectations, comfort zones, and topics we “shouldn’t” talk about, all the rest of us can do is stare in amazement.

The authors of these types of stories are incredibly brave. They might not think they’re all that brave, mind you, but they are.

I’ve come to understand that articles about taboo subjects are actually the most valuable articles on the internet.

The same goes for taboo conversations, taboo books, and taboo posts on social media.

We Need To Talk About What We Aren’t Talking About

The things we don’t talk about are crushing us.

For instance, toxic masculinity can hold some poor men back from expressing their fears and feelings. Then they keep it bottled up their whole lives. In some ways, men can be viewed as the most scared creatures on the planet.

They’re scared of how they will be seen should they let their feelings out. I know I am at times. Maybe everybody is, but the amount of heart-to-hearts I’ve had in my life with women is considerably larger than the amount of heart-to-hearts I’ve had with men.

The truth is, what we aren’t saying is killing us. Talking about taboo subjects needs to be looked at as less, well, taboo.

They are some of the most fun topics to discuss in both my videos and my blog posts.

And that’s because it’s uncharted territory.

Taboo bloggers, vloggers, authors, and anyone who creates something to be consumed for other people will always have an audience. Because no matter how hard we try to impose comfortable societal “norms” onto ourselves, we can’t deny the fact that we have many thoughts, feelings, and experiences that might frighten the average person if we told them about it bluntly.

We’re animals at the end of the day.

I’m not saying you need to go around and shout to everyone about the sex you had last weekend in a public square somewhere.

I am saying that when it makes sense to push a boundary, and dabble in the realm of “taboo,” that you should feel liberated to do it.

If you feel it will make society better, or just change a few minds, then broach the subject. If it’s just an excuse for you to brag about how great you are at sex, then maybe you should just keep that inside.

But then again, why is bragging about sex looked at as a bad thing?

Questions, questions. Maybe somebody should push on that boundary?