Disgusting flyers deface Barberton
Barberton Times would like to know how Barbertonians feel about this matter and what they think should be done to keep these flyers out our children's reach.
According to statistics from 2012, 144 South-African women get raped per day. This figure reflects only incidents reported and amounts to about six every hour. No other sexual offences or cases of males who are raped are included.
Some research studies estimate that the figure for the country would be as high as 500 000 per year if all cases, rape as well as other sexual offences, were to be reported.
Unfortunately, even in this educated era we live in, the acceptable belief among many cultures is still that a man who is sexually active with several women is a stud.
In civilizations around the globe, pornography is viewed as destructive to human ethics and as such is seen as an assault on society. Feminists condemn pornography as something that promotes rape by supporting the cultural myths men have about being studs.
Although there are no statistics to support these beliefs, studies however, do indeed show that pornography does promote rape. During one of these studies done on male students (Ferguson, C J, & Hartley, R. D. 2009), one group were asked to watch violent pornography and another to watch sex via consent or platonic interaction.
The group of guinea pigs who watched the violent pornography, demonstrated more aggressive and antagonistic approaches to women than the other group. Whether this has a long-term effect beyond such research laboratory surroundings, is still debatable.
Living in an uninhibited society as far as public rights and censorship goes, however, makes it difficult to ban pornography altogether, because where do you draw the line?
With this in mind, it is no wonder Barbertonians have reached the point where they are fed up with what is going on in this town. Over the past fortnight, this journalist has been sent from pillar to post to find out how Barbertonians can stop flyers that have caused much concern in the community.
These flyers not only boast about how a certain Dr Dani can increase male libido, but have huge, clearly printed before and after photos of a penis, and of a topless woman. It clearly shows that – yes indeed – the belief that men are studs when sexually involved with numerous bed partners, because according to Dr Dani, you can ‘Be a superman at any age’.
“Grownups can deal with this kind of thing, children shouldn’t,” said a very upset resident.
The person who brought the flyer to the offices of Barberton Times, said that the kids were playing with it.
According to Col Deon Höll and Const Tutu Nkosi of the Barberton SAPD nothing much can be done. Any resident can open a case against the distributor of these flyers, but as Höll told us, such a case has recently been thrown out of court in Mbombela. Höll also assisted us in making contact with the child protection unit in Mbombela. They had pretty much the same thing to say. Nothing can be done.
On Thursday, hundreds of flyers were distributed around Barberton, mostly stuck under the windscreen wipers of parked cars.
Barberton Times would like to know how Barbertonians feel about this matter and what they think should be done to keep these flyers out our children’s reach.
Email us at editor@barbertontimes.co.za
