Something I have been pondering for while is the steady but definite lowering of the boundaries in who can access and even what qualifies as sexually explicit material.

While this is something that has been a growing issue for a while several recent things have brought it once again into my thoughts. Apart from anything else the continued rise of SPAM emails received offering the material is always there. Also, as soon as you leave the beaten track as you surf the web the banner ads to such sites are there. Such material on the internet is expected these days are there are many ways help prevent yourself coming into contact with it. However, the even more obvious sign that the issue is growing has been from the media (film, TV, Magazines) and, possibly even more concerning, the attitude that has been demonstrated by a number of my pupils in a recent Homework excercise (more of that later).

The moving of the boundaries in the media is there for all to see; only last night I saw an advert on TV for a men�s razor. It consisted of a guy showering with two girls all shaving various parts of their anatomy together. When I first saw the ad I did think that is was porn and quickly changed channel but when it appeared on another channel as I was flicking around I realised it was an advert. All I can say is that it didn�t leave anything to the imagination. This is a continuing trend with companies as our advertising seems to become more and more European.

Itââ?¬â?¢s not just advertising thatââ?¬â?¢s the problem. Main stream cinema has been becoming more and more explicit for some time with early this year another major milestone was past in the release of the film ââ?¬Ë?9 Songsââ?¬â?¢ which, for the first time contained actors having actual sex.
Now, it could be argued that while the limits of what can and canââ?¬â?¢t be shown are falling to some obscene levels at least these films have an 18 certificate and such explicit advertising is reserved for after the 21:30 watershed. However, the other disturbing rise has been in the nature of so called ââ?¬Ë?menââ?¬â?¢s magazinesââ?¬â?¢ (FHM, Loaded, Maxim, and more recently weekly publications such as Zoo). I can remember a time when FHM actually did have interesting articles with only a sprinkling of scantly clad ladies. I was shocked to see some of the more recent editions of these magazines not only contained mostly naked women but also came with additional booklets of women and even a DVD with two lesbians on the front called the Kama-Sutra.

Some people at this point are calling me a prude I�m sure. And please don�t mistake what I saying, I am well aware that this kind of material has been available from the top shelf of most good stockists for some time. What really concerns me is the freedom at which this is now accepted and available, especially to young people.

There has always been a taboo about buying from the top shelf. While I know of many people, including lots of my friends who have owned so called girlie magazines I know of very very few who have been able to bring themselves to actually buying the material themselves. However, with this new breed of publication, anybody of any age can freely and happily buy them with out any question or second thought. This type of material is accepted, even expected. You only have to turn on MTV and watch the latest rap and R�n�B tracks to see how accepted such material is.

Some work was submitted to me recently by some year 8 pupils; 12-13 year olds. The task was to write about what sort of things make a good web-site for teenagers. I was shocked when I received a very similar answer from a good number of the lads and even a few girls in the class. They said that the web site should contain rude pictures and rude games because that is what teenagers find interesting! The answer itself didn�t shock me. What shocked me was their willingness to convey it to me. They felt that this was an acceptable response and in fact their way of making it acceptable was to use the term rude rather than another term more in keeping with the times.

So what exactly am I rambling on about? I wonder if it is time for somebody to stand up and simply say that this is wrong. Not only wrong for the individual consumer but that it is actually bad for the health of society as a whole. I don�t really want to get into a debate about the men and women in the industry that generates this stuff. About whether they are right or wrong, good or evil, trapped into it or freely choose to be a part. I simply feel that, Christianity and God�s view of this aside (although when you actually think about it it is very difficult to separate the two), there is a real case for this problem as I see it having a serious effect on marriage and families, as well as warping younger minds about the nature of women and relationships as a whole. Add this to the growing evidence for a link between the available of pornography on then internet and the rise in increasingly more violent sexual crime and paedophilia and I think there is a case to start working towards closing this industry down.

I�m sure at this point, if you are still reading, that I have been written off by some of you as a crazy guy living in a dream world who just wants take away peoples freedom of expression and apply censorship all over the place. I would agree that I have not thought this through however I am under no illusions about the fact that we are talking about a very long road. I wouldn�t even know where to start. All I am saying is that pornography, and society�s slide towards acceptance of it is simple wrong and is very damaging.

When Wilberforce spoke out against the slave trade it was at a time when slavery was socially accepted and on the increase across the whole of British Empire. Forty years later slavery was made illegal and while many still wanted it to be allowed the government acted on behalf of the people for the greater good. I am coming around to the idea that it maybe time for somebody, or a group of people to speak up against this and see if governments are still willing to act, against a growing tide, for the sake of the greater good.

We have seen something similar recently with the Make Poverty History campaign. While we have not seen that come to completion yet, the world�s powerful people have stood up and taken notice.

Maybe it�s time for something similar here?