5 July 2005

Bashed by Big Brother

Dear Friends,

I don't normally write to you about pornography. I guess I really don't
want to think too much about things that could debase and destroy my mind
and even my marriage. But in the last couple of days I have realised I
need to share some important things with you.

On Saturday I talked to "L J", a courageous girl who until recently
worked
in the (legal) Canberra sex trade. She is recovering with the help of
Linda Watson in her Perth House of Hope, but it is a hard road back to
sanity. She said she was generally happy until the age of 11, when her
mother married her stepdad. He left X-rated videos lying around the
house. She and her brother watched them.

The pornography both intrigued and repelled her. It destroyed her sense
of who she was and how women relate to men. And when, at age 18 she
needed money, prostitution seemed a natural way to go - it was legal in
Canberra, after all.

L J was damaged by her childhood, and the damage has been compounded by
prostitution and the drugs which seem to go with it sooner or later.
Even
though she is in the House of Hope, L J is still in deep depression and
is
at times suicidal. She very much needs our prayers.

Then, last night, I watched all of the Channel 10 program "Big Brother
Uncut".

I am still reeling. I felt sick.

As you might guess, I am no stranger to pornography which during my
(honorary) job as research officer I have had to view from time to time.
But I would have to say that "Big Brother Uncut" contains the foulest,
most debasing scenes that I have ever seen.

The program began about 9.40 pm. Many thousands of teens watch it and we
are getting reports from parents and teachers about the effect on
children
who are under pressure from others to be part of this latest fad.

No - there was no explicit actual sex. But the actions and words were
enough to convey it, and they were the most demeaning actions and words I
have come across. The guys talked non-stop about what they regularly did
to women on the outside and the girls weren't very different. They seem
to have been selected for the program because of their exhibitionism and
their promiscuous past. There was full-frontal nudity, blatantly
displayed for the cameras in the showers. There was deliberate fouling
of
the girls' toilet by the boys. I simply cannot describe the worst parts.

But it has all been passed as OK for "M15+" by the Channel 10 censor -
and
indeed, despite all its debasement it appears to conform to the vague "TV
Code of Practice" (see http://www.freetvaust.com.au) which like the film
classification guidelines is in urgent need of an overhaul.

I noted the advertisers during the commercial breaks - and H&R Block tax
accountants were the most frequent sponsors of "Big Brother Uncut" in SA.
I phoned their Adelaide office (8443 5944; 298 South Road Hilton, 5033)
and Karen relayed my message to the manager.

But although the manager was sorry, he said he "could not do anything
about it because the Sydney advertising agency had placed their ad in a
high rating program - which I may not like, but others did". Moreover
Karen did not know the address or details of their Sydney head office so
I
could not complain there.

Then I looked up their website (http://www.hrblock.com.au). H&R Block don't
list
their head office or email address, but they do allow you to send them an
email through the website.

So I sent them an email - politely expressing my concern and asking them
to withdraw their support for "Big Brother Uncut". I said I hoped they
would respond positively so I could share the good news with others.

Perhaps you could spare five minutes to do the same - on:
http://www.hrblock.com.au/contact_us.asp .

I'll also be talking to some federal MPs about the best way to tighten up
film and TV classification - and the Queensland government, who (would
you
believe) subsidises the Gold Coast producers of Big Brother.
Queenslanders need to let Premier Beattie
()
know how they feel about their taxes being used in this debasing way.

Stay tuned.

God bless!

ROS


Mrs Roslyn Phillips, B Sc Dip Ed
Research Officer, Festival of Light Australia