No Subject

[Geert Lovink <geert@xs4all.nl>]

The following text is the first statement for a discussion that will take
place during the 'Next Five Minutes' conference in Amsterdam.
Please feel free to react. The discussion will soon take at the web site.
write to: mpadi@xs4all.nl   (geert)


         ARE THERE SEXUAL STRATEGIES IN THE NEW MEDIA?
             a proposition for the N5M2 conference
                       by Marianna Padi


Such a pity that sex-industry is not listed on the stock-
exchange. We can always only guess the amount of money
the lack of sexual freedom generates in our societies.  

Sexual revolution over, not to know what we don't know is
such a shame. And darkness increases by the second. And our
tactics are mainly: Ignore sex and violence! Just like this.
The two together. Ignored. Deserted. 
Or..... we present extreme sexual practices as avantgarde
"art". S&M relics are fashion accessories. We fight the
sexual attacks of Cotex, Libero, Mars, Coca-Cola etc. by
smearing shit and blood on our monitors. How clever. And that
is Not considered sex and violence. 

Does sexual liberation mean that we fuck our way up the
ladder real cool? Get married in a clever way? Yes. What's
wrong with it. 
Passion is over. Love is the exploitation field of the
Rock&Roll industry. The market for love: teenage-girls. Fine.
Love does or does not exist, we can live with that. But where
are the reform sex-shops? Why don't prostitutes have to do an
exam on sexual arts? What happenned to the sex-activists? How
did the cam-corder effect our sexual culture?

Christian sexual behaviour is definitely inferior to the
highly developed sensual art of numerous other cultures, yet,
the western type of cheap, fast sex spreads like pest all
over the globe. The gesamtkunstwerk recorded on Video-tape is
the main information carrier. What do the Japanese watch on
their Sonies?

Is the good stuff so private that we can only see the
garbage? There are so many brilliant culinaire programmes on
TV. What's wrong with sex? 

AIDS kind of made it imperative that we simply must use a
tool. And making children in vitro might be a better solution
than the good old alchemy of male-female sexual encounter.
Thus. Don't we have to let go of our own prejudices and rigid
moral views and contribute to a second revolution? 

Amsterdam's Tolerance Industry prospers. Millions per year
come hear to relax. But do we provide quality? XS4ALL but
access to what? Do we present How to use drugs? How to make
love? How to record what is so dear to us? Is it easier to
push a camera into a suffering than to a happy face? Is it
not decent to enjoy? Will someone kill us for our happiness
with so much suffering around? Are we scared to share our
riches? Our knowledge? Or are we scared that our ignorance
will be revealed and the rest of the world will laugh?