By Farida Shiabu
As a kid, do you remember watching a movie with your parents
where you had to close your eyes immediately there is a sex scene?
Sometimes you may pretend doing something just to feel distracted or
perhaps your parents may suddenly flip the channel to prevent you from
watching right? Well, that was then. Not anymore in the 21st century or
so called computer age.
Pornographic materials are out of
control now and it’s either you watch or take your eyes off once its
slapped right on your face. It is everywhere- in our movies, newspapers,
dressing and even on the internet. We are exposed to it at least once
in our everyday lives. But if indeed the Holy Book tells us that sins
committed by watching provocative materials are just as much as engaging
in them then maybe I can say that most of us are already porn stars.
May God forgive us...Amen!
A heated debate on the BBC
radio a couple of weeks ago got me engrossed in the argument.
“Pornographic films, should it be banned?” asked the host to his
panelists in the studio. The focus of discussion was on the
indiscriminate use of the internet by these sites and whether it is even
legal to expose such obscene videos on the net. Could there be a
solution to reduce it by way of censorship or ban it outrightly?
Don’t
pretend you haven’t seen any of these “blue films” before. This is a
topic worth discussing so let’s get talking. Many will agree that
uploading of pornographic films on the internet dated way back into
decades but the advancement of technology has made it possible for
everyone to access it anywhere these days. Instead of using the internet
as a learning centre, some children even go to the internet cafés just
to pay monies and to log into these porno sites and feed their eyes.
That is purely moral decadence if you ask me.
According to
panelists on the debate platform, research has shown that there are
over 1001 sites on the internet where some of these films can be
accessed. So if technology has made the internet so accessible, imagine
the number of people who will be exposed to any of these sites every
day.
The first argument from the proposing side was that
whereas more and more young people are getting access to view these
contents, they are picking up some new tutorials and are applying them
in their sex lives. That should be a good thing, some will say. However,
research suggests that most relationships and marriages of today are
failing so much because partners tend to prioritize sex more than
anything else that will bond the union. The influence of porno films
makes them view sex in a totally different way.
For some
ladies, you either have to be familiar with the wheelbarrow, 69, doggie
or be a diva in oral sex before you are fully considered a marriage
material. Once you cannot satisfy your guy, he tends to look elsewhere
for a better alternative. Same thing applies to ladies who feel their
guys cannot rock their beds enough. Usually, the end result is cheating.
Whereas
most of the scenes are set to amuse viewers, it was also argued that
contents now relate to sexual abuses on women in these films. The
brutality and the maltreatment are just too much for some to bear.
Studies have therefore shown that men who are exposed to such scenes
tend to regard women as sex idols. Some partners are sometimes inclined
to take the same practice into the bedroom; all in the name of changing
the status quo to make sex more exciting.
As for the
aphrodisiacs and all the other performance boosters, they only tend to
weaken the sex organs and make it less fertile.
On the
contrary, views from the opposing panelist who happened to be a porn
star was apparently directed at portraying sex as an everyday phenomenon
and as such should not be viewed as a big deal. In her defense she
argued that most of the sexual abuses were just acts to make the scene
interesting. Therefore, actors are trained to act in a way that makes
the whole scene look exciting and erotic. However, no lady is forced
into the industry against her will. Also, none of their viewers are
forced to practice whatever they watch at home. Therefore it is a matter
of choice for viewers to decide on what happens between the sheets in
their bedrooms.
But let’s try addressing the issue. Should
pornographic films be censored on the internet, maybe children will
have to log in with a credit card account before they can have access to
it. This will probably instill some level of discipline and
responsibility even in the industry and also prevent young ones from
engaging in such illicit acts.
What about our print and
electronic media? Movies have always been rated PG18 but are shown in
broad day light when kids are back from school. Maybe it’s about time
the media fraternity address some of these issues to make the system
less polluted.
Too late for a solution some will say but
whichever way- in fact whether a ban or censorship we can prevent the
vulgarity and obscenity in our system. Perhaps children won’t be so
eager to practice what they learn on the internet and we will save our
young ones from becoming parents at age four and five.
Let’s continue the debate. Do you agree or not? Share some views and solutions.
