Sex and Socialism

There are many ways to measure how a society views itself, the world and its place in it...

We can of course first look at the prevailing political system; how much political freedom citizens enjoy, how well the democratic process work, how well the state provides for its people in terms of socialist values etc. Another almost universally valid yard stick is that of the economic state of society and the distribution of wealth within in it. Do we see a polarised and proportionally unbalanced distribution of wealth amongst social classes, is there a huge gap between the rich and poor, what percentage of the population are considered economically disadvantaged, how large is the middle class and is it expanding or contracting? These are all useful parameters to help dissect and analyze the way societies order themselves and their resources.

However there is one element that is often completely overlooked when trying to ascertain the developmental level and political and social maturity of a society and that is the degree of sexual freedom enjoyed by the average person. The principal problem with such analysis is that data it is not readily quantifiable in numerical or statistical terms. We may have a birth rate or data on infant mortality and so on but this is a purely clinical measurement of the reproductive status of a society. We can of course infer a great deal about the developmental level from this data but in terms of sexual satisfaction, liberty and choice we are left sadly wanting. There are any number of surveys available in the western world about sexual attitudes, preferences and taboos. People are very willing to participate in such data gathering and can do so freely and openly if they so choose. Unfortunately in the majority of countries in the developing world the fundamental lack of freedom is often an insurmountable obstacle in determining the actual level of sexual suppression that exist. Not only are people simply not able to openly discuss sexual matters but in many cases even if they did enjoy the freedom to do so, such topics are completely culturally inaccessible to them and they would choose not to elaborate personal details for public consumption even in a situation where they could do so anonymously.

The profundity of the problem is perhaps best illustrated by viewing developed, politically balanced and exceptionally open and tolerant societies in the west. The inconsistencies between European countries for instance are huge when it comes to sexual attitudes and other even more marginalized (but widespread) areas of human interest such the use of drugs and pornography. Holland for example is renowned for having one of the most liberal and open minded societies in the world. The use of "soft" drugs is widely permitted, pornography is widely available and used openly and sexuality, at least public sexuality, is something that is simply part of the everyday rhythm of life. A close European neighbour Germany, that slightly staid but mighty economic powerhouse of the EU, has almost universal acceptance of prostitution as a genuine need within society. Because of this, brothels have been legalized and are openly present and advertised in all major cities. They are tightly controlled by the government and all sex workers have access to appropriate protection and sexual health care so that sex establishments can fulfil a consumer demand in exactly the same way any mainstream consumer need would be met.

To pick somewhere outside of the limited European experience of sexual values, we can turn to our neighbours in Australia for a deeper understanding of the dilemma facing otherwise liberal and politically and socially mature societies. Australia cannot decide for example, if the purchase of adult DVD material is socially acceptable or not. In some states it is legal to purchase and own adult films, in others it is permissible to view pornographic material but not to purchase it. Legislation on actually owning adult movies is not at all clear - how should one view such material if one does not own it and how should one own it if it has not been purchased? Upon examination the law very quickly degrades into a monumentally inconsistent and chaotic set of contradictions that ultimately harm the consumer and society as a whole. It is entirely unreasonable to suppose that buying adult DVDs in one state should be illegal whilst in another it is legal. How should society respond to this set of challenges to common sense, particularly when there are Internet adult retailers that will sell all manner of uncut, hardcore material to anybody, regardless of their physical location within Australia.

Retailers work around these innumerable grey areas in the law buy shipping adult DVDs from the US under the premise that it is not illegal to purchase adult material from outside of Australia. However, in practical terms this serves only to compound the legislative dilemma because the government body charged with upholding the law with regard to such importation is largely unaware of the subtle details of the law and their differences on a state by state basis. For example if the DVD arrives in Australia in a state in which it is illegal to purchase pornographic material, should is be seized if it's final destination is a state in which purchase and possession of such material is perfectly legal.

All too often the burden of responsibility for safeguarding the nation's moral wellbeing rests with people on the front line who are poorly trained and are unaware of the letter of the law. Given its overwhelming complexity, the lack of legal support or council readily available to help with informed decision making on a case by case basis is something of a weak point in the system. This difficulty is further compounded by the fact that all adult films in Australia need to be passed and classified by the authorities before being made available for public consumption. It is simply not practical for each and every adult DVD entering the country to be compared against the approved list before being allowed to enter Australia and this again leads to laws not being enforced and the consumer being left vulnerable time and time again.

In summary it seems that even in the most open and progressively tolerant societies there is considerable scope for the rights and freedom of choice of individuals to be lost in the ebb and flow of political indecision. Viewed against the backdrop of a fundamental lack of rights and choice in less liberal societies, we are faced with the reality that whatever small steps individual countries may make towards freedom of speech, thought and sexuality, the overall global prognosis is regrettably bleak in the foreseeable future.