Well, SEXetc has been on television for just over a month and just like
Moses parted the sea, the show has polarised the country into two factions.
There are those who are open-minded enough to hear the various points of
view brought across on the show, and then there are those who still believe
in placing their heads in the sand and pretending that people would never
really do what is shown on SEXetc.
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The irony is that neither the production company, MNET, nor I actually condone what people do or talk about on the show. We are simply creating a forum for debate. Sadly some people see a naked breast and straight away box the show as "sleaze". These are probably the same people who watch soft porn on a Saturday night (but never with their spouse!).
Mission accomplished
Wherever I go, people comment on the show. Simply by the way they inflect in
the sentence "Mark, I have seen your show", I know in which of the two camps
they belong.
Someone who bumped into me at a nightclub a few nights ago put it quite
nicely. She said: "those who are comfortable with their sexuality find the
show interesting. Those who are not that comfortable and generally
exaggerate any sexual experience they have, slate the show. Sadly it is
those people who need to watch it the most". Even though she was inebriated
at the time, she has a point!
At the end of the day though, the show is working. Whether you like to watch it
or not, it has got people talking about sexual health. Mission accomplished.
At a cost
Sadly though, achieving that objective does not come without its causalities
along the way. Personally, I had a substantial contract cancelled because one
of my clients believe that the image I portray on SEXetc is not in line
with the family brand values of their retain chain.
By inference then, should I assume that the medical professionals on the show are not providing a valuable social responsibility to the community? I have also had various journalists ridicule my reference to having testicular cancer as one of the
reasons for wanting to do the show. Oh that's right. Testicular cancer has
nothing to do with sexual health. My apologies.
If you are my age, or older, you will clearly remember the days when you
couldn't advertise alcohol on TV, or the cinemas were closed on Sundays. We
as a society have a come a long way since then - or have we? - (Mark Pilgrim)
Well-known radio deejay and television personality MARK PILGRIM is the host
of SEXetc. For more information about him, visit his website: www.markpilgrim.co.za.
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