The Hidden Hierarchy of Silences
On the night of February second, 2003, family members in thousands of U.S. households gathered together to participate in what is considered by many to be a great and important American tradition, the NFL Super Bowl. After kick-off, in most respects, everyone watched a game that had all the elements of a typical all American football game. Big muscled men threw a leather ball around, ran with it, and violently rammed into each other to the tune of a cheering audience. There were women on the sidelines wearing very tight, revealing clothing dancing for the crowd, and, after about two hours of all this, it was time for the traditional halftime performance of music and entertainment.
It was during this performance where many argue that things began to shift slightly from the norm. For the second year, the performance was going to be produced by MTV, and perhaps in an effort to get more female and younger viewers tuned in, MTV advertised its performance of Justin Timberlake which promised "to shock". Timberlake ended the performance with a singing and dancing collaboration with Janet Jackson, and faithful to MTV's reputation, there was not a lot of singing, but plenty of over the clothing – crotch grabbing and groping of the singers themselves and each other. However, it was Justin's final movement after the words, "I'm gonna have you naked by the end of this song", where he ripped off part of Jackson's costume exposing her right breast, that triggered enraged viewers across the nation to cover their children's eyes, and call the FCC for justice.
Although an account of these calls is not available for public scrutiny, their sentiments are probably of a similar range to what newspaper and magazine articles today are commenting on the recent incident in an NFL skit. Before the Monday Night Football game on November 15, Terrell Owens sees Desperate Housewives costar Nicollette Sheridan in the locker room wearing only a towel, and says in so many words that he will stay and have sex with her instead of going to the game. This event is now the most talked about obscenity broadcasting controversy since the Justin/Jackson event, and many are suspicious that it's no coincidence that the common denominator of suggested interracial sexual relations - is hiding deep within the public fury.
Foucault, an expert on the societal obsessions with sex in the 18th century, takes note of what the different public discourses about sex can say about a society and their private views on sexual controversies.
At the beginning of the 1900s, there was a “sexual revolution” in New York City. During this time, sexual acts and desires were not hidden, but instead they were openl...
In reference to Foucault studies, the relationship between truth, confession and sexuality is explored. This is because, these extent of these concepts bear on confession, which are perhaps more pawn instinctive now, than they were earlier. Confessional does not disclose the truth that it produces, neither does it liberate, but condemn shame. Thi...
...ked “the court, the church, the aristocracy, the academies, the salons, and the monarchy itself” through the lens of sexual sensationalism (Hunt, pg. 91). Sex in society was recognized as a political satire; however views that sex was to be shared privately between man and woman still lingered, for the actions of Marie Antoinette were scandalous for she was breaking the common view of proper sexual conduct.
Sexuality is a subject that has changed over times, the idea of sexuality and sex shifted from one view to another as people began to enforce different views in society. At the beginning of the 17th century there was little need for secrecy about sexuality and sexual practices as the idea was an open topic that could be discussed freely in society. Adult humour was not kept from children and ideas were open to all (Foucault and Hurley, 2008). However this times in society changed due to the power of the Victorian bourgeoisie. Sex and sexuality became confined and moved into the privacy of the home. People no longer spoke freely about it and secrecy became key (Foucault and Hurley, 2008).
Sexuality is often looked down upon by mainstream society. Embedded into culture and tradition, sex itself has been made to be seen as a taboo of sorts. Prostitution was made illegal; pornography was made evil. Rooted deep within the teachings of the most common religious morality systems, sex and sexuality is often paired with punishments. Those who explore their sexuality is often shamed, and labeled with words that can ostracize such persons from society. Kant’s view of sexuality almost destroys his credibility as a philosopher by providing unclear and unreasonable points of sexuality and objectification, yet he remains keen on trying to prove that sex, outside of marriage, is the worst possible sin. However, there are those who believe that expressing sexuality is power, and is exercising autonomy. Many existentialists see sexuality as a means of self-expression, and to not be comfortable with sexuality shows that the person inhabits the morality of the sheep.
The events that took place during the halftime show of the Super Bowl may have shocked and angered many parents for exposing such sexual behavior and nudity to their children, but there were also a great number of people who questioned why people were so upset over a few seconds of screen time that Janet Jackson’s left breast received. After all, it was simply part of the female anatomy. Many people argued that it wasn’t just nudity, that it was “softcore” pornography because of the sexual conduct that was behind the performance. It is understandable that Jackson and Timberlake’s routine was full of sexual innuendo, but the majority of young children usually don’t pick up on such behavior and thus a simple “wardrobe malfunction.”
The opposing side of prostitution involves extensive negativity. It may be the oldest profession in the world but numerous people feel that this line of work is wrong and refuse to change their opinion of the subject. In addition, many feel that this job is deemed too dangerous to be legalized. Women will experience more violence by choosing this profession. Also, by engaging in sex with a complete stranger it is considered selling a person’s body making prostitution unethical and inhumane (Wurth, Schleifer, McLemore, Todrys, & Amon, 2013). The rates for sexually transmitted diseases tend to have higher statistics in the prostitution ...
Prostitution has been as issue in many societies around the world for almost all of recorded history. There has been evidence of brothels and prostitution dating far back into human history. Many different societies have different views, ideals, and reservation about the matter. Some cultures around the world view it as a necessary evil for people who need to support themselves and their families. Others view it as morally evil and socially destructive; helping to rot our society from the inside out. Even still there are cultures who don’t view it as evil at all and even a normal part of life. A person’s view on the act is formed largely based on the culture they are living in. Even sub cultures inside of larger one can have different view on the matter, such as religious groups that denounce it, to some groups in the same culture that say it is okay. Even the gauge of how industrialized a country can determine how that culture views prostitution, with many third world countries being more lenient on the matter, and many first world countries being much more strict on the matter, such as the some of the countries in Europe and also the United States.
In the modern day United States the sport American football has become not only entertainment but also a tradition whether it’s watching the BCS college championship or watching the super bowl with the family. The sport of American football is unique to the United States and has grown and became iconic over the years and has become a part of many Americans lives. American Football was made in 1869 and was modeled after the sport of rugby. They took the basics of rugby and changed it to make it fit better for them. The game has changed over the years but it also affected many Americans as the tradition of Monday Night football has begun. The game has had problems with the United States government as it was said to be too dangerous to play, this lead to an upgrade in the equipment and they tried very hard to make the equipment well ensuring player safety throughout the sport.
Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity: The Reformation to the Present Day. 2nd ed. New York City, NY: HarperOne, 2010.
According to Frey, prostitution is defined as “acting against one’s convictions in order to get a reward” (Frey, 2003). Prostitution at one point of time and still may be a controversial issue within society, some may think it’s illegal for a woman to go out on a corner and sell her body and others may it’s an easy way to make a living. Prostitution is seen by many women as easy making money for their family, drug habits, paying off drug debts, etc. but could lead to many complications such as diseases, death, arrest, etc. In one study, 67% of a group of law enforcement officials expressed the opinion that women did not enter prostitution voluntarily (Raymond, 2003). Raymond also mentions that 72% of social service providers did not think that women voluntarily choose to enter the sex industry (Raymond, 2003).
Kramer, Lisa. “The Causes of Prostitution: An Overview”. Sociological Enquiry. Vol.73. (2003) pp. 511-28. Web. 27 November 2011.
The issue of prostitution has sparked different reactions from societies around the world, with each culture defining it in their unique way. However, most communities agree on the definition of prostitution as the act of directly engaging in sexual activities for financial gains. The practice has been in existence since time immemorial although the reaction of people in the society differs. Various theoretical approaches have tried to explain the concept of prostitution considering the principal causative agents and the sociological impacts and responses. This essay will describe the theoretical approaches relating to prostitution and the sociological understanding and effect of the practice to the society. Sociologically, prostitution is
Known to the world as a disgraceful, distasteful, and an immoral act of self pleasure, [prostitution] is recognized as a profession. Prostitution is also known to some people as freedom of choice and expression and those who choose that way of life and not allowing the influences of the normal sector to put a damper on their personal decisions (Spector, 2006). It has been around since the beginning of civilization. Not only is prostitution, itself is a controversial issue but defining it appears to have severa interpretations, both legally and socially. Despite the array of meanings, they all move toward defining the gender, personal gain, and the actions of the worker (Flowers, 1998). Because the definition only was pertaing to a certain gender, the term sex worker came into play to define all sexes and not excluding anyone who is associated with the sex world. There is not a specific gender in naming who is a prostitute. Prositutes can be children, women, as well as men. Sex workers come from all walks of life, from the child who was kidnapped and kept as a sex slave to the woman who need a fix, to the man who has experienced a fast way to obtain money. The environment in which prostitutes work are in all areas, the streets, bars, cars, dance clubs, hotel rooms, and private homes (Ditmore, Levy, & Willman, 2010). Sometimes depending on the home environment, the decision to become a prostitute is not a hard one, when there are many negative obstacles and variables that enhance the decision to enter the life of a prostitute (Barry, 1995). There are many
Lutzer, Erwin. The Doctrines That Divide: a Fresh Look at the Historic Doctrines That Separate Christians. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1998.