Cheap commercials don't make for safer sex

This brand, not in my knowledge, had been around in the market long enough to gain enough recognition to finally launch a steamy ad on television. Despite their best efforts, the ad still lacked the cinematographic class akin to the (in)famous Kamasutra ad of long ago, which many marvelled for its sensual appeal and most condemned for making their sets fume.

Manforce. The very name repels me. And this is almost the last straw of my frustration with the depiction of 'safe sex' by the Indian media for the mass. I don't know why are people still scratching their heads over how and why there as many cases of rape and abuse in this country as no other? With an advertisement that gives him poetic license and contraceptive ads showing pregnancy as entirely a woman's headache, the Indian lay man is roaring to go at her. Its, anyway, ironical how a means of 'protection' can be tagged as 'force'.

The contraceptive ads are only more parochial than the fairness cream ones. Even for married couples, sex is deemed as "Kal raat, bhool ho gayi" (We made a mistake last night). There are some, including those low budget Doordarshan kinds, that are shot with more sensitivity especially suited to the Indian mass and without the judgmental hint.

Strangely, though, I haven't heard a single social cause raising its voice against the messages (overt and the covertly hypnotic) that these advertisements are sending out. I don't deny that many of these ads are only replicating what is said on ground by almost everyone. However, there should be a sense of corporate ethics to not encourage those views that they do to make their product more homely but to revolutionize on rotten myths. The Govt. should play a moral police here, where it actually requires to, by not giving such product labels and ad concepts the clean chit. The greatest of contentions I have is with the Indian media, with all their liberty and opinion, are less into sensitizing and more into sensationalizing.

Sex and/or sexuality is too pertinent an issue in this country to be hushed or taken for granted or worse, hoaxely depicted. Existent rates and vile incidents of abuse, population accomodation, an impending AIDS epidemic, gendered violence are not humanitarian issues anymore but emergencies of survival, both physical and psychological. Its a clear cut choice of restoring maladaptive traditions at the cost of restoring humanity.

"Because they are of the gays and you are in the entertainment business"

"So what are you here for?" asked the curious reporter.

"Uh....are you one of them?" enquired another, looking slightly unsure of what he just said.

28th June, 2009 was not just one of the days in the year that I had the most fun, but also the most touching. The experience, still is, better felt than described. I owe it to my spontaniety and spirit of attending the event and OCDness in committing to keep it. I was nothing less than an excited li'l school girl going for a princess themed birthday party. And in this excitement, told one and all about it and invited a whole lot. The cliche hostile reactions amused me to the core. I, anyway, have a devilish bone to give people a horror once in a while.

The turn out was large and vibrant. The media fest was a bit too overwhelming for my liking. What was pleasing was to see a woman sporting a placard reading, "Proud mother" and one really old, bent couple wearing the colorful badge and holding the flag. What was amusing was to see the reaction on the observing populace' faces, for whom it was a rare Indian tamasha. What was putting off were a couple of creeps, namely pick pockets, silent haters/snickerers, ball-scratcher and an acitivist imploring me not to smoke on the side. What was cute was to see some of the younger lot, looking all giddy and proud to be taking a potential risk.

Even amidst the gaiety and festivity (yeah, twas like the mother of all baraats!), the cynic in me wondered, are really most of these guys (see, I don't even take the guarantee of all) are here out of a fashionable trend or because they are entirely resolved to think 'all out' for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual) community? Telling my stand, I dont believe I have an absolute position in this, atleast not even till now. I was there for the repeal of the IPC section code 377 (and carried a placard of that, i did) because I believe in basic human rights and fully feeling that one's sexual orientation is one's personal business and a chance occurence, be it relatively natural or influential. But I'm also realistic not to assume that the lot of social networking supporters, especially the naive 'cool' youth, fully comprehend their participation in something of a mass hysteria this could possibly be touted as. If this is simply a cause that the many 'rebels without a cause' have simply found, then it could fizzle out faster than it even caught on. Don't get me wrong, I'm the most up and about the progress of this cause. The verdict today is the first nail in the coffin.

The point that I'm getting to with this, perhaps, uninvited criticism for the moment is that the knowledge of sexuality, not just ideally but necessarily, should be the forerunner in this campaign for the 'acclaimed' sexual minority. Without it, it has only just an idealistic appeal to the young and restless, missing the essential support of the uncles and aunties, even as unbreakable as they are in their realism.

Until then, it will be 'Us, the normal heteros' and 'them, of the gay peoples'.

:)

P.S. For those of you who are comprehended my post and would like to support the cause for sexuality education alongside the grandiose of the greater acceptance of queerness in our society, please do so here - http://tarshi.net/programs/public_edu/open_letter_sexuality.asp