A Few Words About Egypt, Porn and…. Bravery?

by Calico Rudasill, Sssh.com Porn For Women and Couples Movies

While there’s nothing unusual about addressing the subject of bravery on the week of Veterans Day, it’s not valor on the battlefield or exceptional training ground fortitude I want to talk about today, but bravery on the airwaves.

To be clear, under ordinary American circumstances, there’s typically nothing particularly courageous about speaking freely on just about any subject of controversy, be it a hot button political issue, a ticklish area of social concern, or whatever else might pop into our minds.

Read on…

Sincerely: Thank You, Founding Fathers, For The First Amendment

Thanks to the extensive and court-sanctioned protections of the First Amendments, I could go on the radio or TV right now and talk about porn, for example, to my heart’s content, knowing that even if I use some pretty strong and unfiltered language, the worst consequence is likely come in the form of a fine for the radio or TV station foolish enough to hand me the microphone.

Yes, if I really went overboard while on the air and started describing sex acts in terms sufficiently graphic and profane, it’s conceivable I could be prosecuted under state or federal obscenity laws, but given how infrequently people get indicted on obscenity charges without a visual depiction of some kind being at the heart of the matter, I’d really have to go too far to make a prosecutor even consider drawing up an indictment.

Elsewhere in the world, however, free speech is far less of a priority than is governmental and social control. Elsewhere in the world, it’s not just theoretically risky to talk about porn on the airwaves, it’s downright ballsy.

Foolhardy? Maybe. Brave? You Bet Your Porn Ass

Over in Egypt, a woman right about the same age as me has been taking some risks on the air lately which wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow on my local stations, but which could land her in seriously hot water, including up to a year in one of Egypt’s infamous jails.

What is it which has caused the Egyptian government to set their prosecutorial sights on Entsar Abdel Baset Ali Mohamad? She had the audacity (and under Egyptian law, possibly the criminality) to talk about pornography in terms which weren’t just less than condemnatory, but which left the impression she thinks Egyptian men might even benefit from watching the stuff.

“Most Egyptian men know nothing about how to have a real sexual encounter, therefore they must watch porn to learn how to act during their first time,” Entsar recently said. “He who fears falling into sin prohibited by religion can cool down by watching porn films. These films, in addition to books, help explain sexual relationships to many men before marriage which will prepare them for marriage.”

Now, while I think Entsar must be watching different porn than I have seen if she sincerely believes it’s good preparation for marriage (while it might be fun to fantasize about, I’d prefer my husband not actually invite over four friends to help him fuck me on my birthday, thanks), it’s hard for me to see how her comments could be construed as criminal.

Of course, all this proves is how ignorant I am of Egyptian law.

When In Rome…. Wait; Fuck Rome, I’ll Say What I Want, Dammit!

According to the prosecutors pressing the case against Enstar, what she has said during various broadcasts amounts to “lewdness, debauchery, and blasphemy” – or, as translated into terms more relevant to my American existence, “an enjoyable Friday evening.”

For her part, Entsar says she’s “not afraid because I did not say or do anything wrong.”

“I detected a state of many people who resort to sexual films and books before marriage,” Entsar said. “It is not my problem that we are a society that likes to bury its head in the sand.”

While I absolutely agree with her that she has done nothing wrong, I’m a bit more fearful for her immediate future than is Entsar herself.

In the complaint asking prosecutors to investigate Entsar, the complainants claimed the Entsar’s comments and the content of her show “would lead to the destruction of an entire generation, creating youth of unknown parentage with no principles or ethics.”

Were this a comment from an American social conservative aimed at some late night talk show host, we’d all just laugh him off and tune in for the next episode, or avoid watching it, of our own volition.

In this case, though, the over the top rhetoric is no joke; it’s pretty likely to be included, word for word, during the initial hearing of the complaint.

In addition to being adamant she hasn’t done anything wrong, what I really respect about Entsar is she has done nothing to walk back or recant her comments. This might change if she’s offered leniency in exchange for such a recanting (I have no idea if this is even an option for the prosecutors, quite honestly), but so far, she’s standing by her comments in the face of the pretty daunting prospect of spending a year in prison.

Like Misery, Bravery Loves Company, Too

Unfortunately, Entsar is far from the only Egyptian to be prosecuted for saying or writing things of which the government there did not approve. To cite just one contemporaneous example, investigative journalist Hossam Bahga stands accused of “publishing false news aimed at harming national security” and other “clear violations” of Egyptian law – violations the government has thus far declined to name or specify.

Bahga’s crime? Being a fucking reporter, essentially – and more to the point, being one who is not inclined to shy away from subjects and critiques the government isn’t fond of hearing about from anybody, let alone domestic journalists.

While Bahga’s case has become something of a magnet for international condemnation and controversy, Entsar’s seems to have been relegated to novelty status – probably due to the clickbaitish use of ‘porn’ in every headline about the situation.

Both Bahga’s case and Entsar’s are cause for alarm, another indication that whatever else the recent social upheaval in Eqypt might have created, a more open, transparent and tolerant government is not one of them.

Whatever may happen next – and I’m rooting very hard for some kind of miracle acquittal for both Entsar and Bahga – let’s not forget the bravery and personal fortitude shown by either of them.

It takes guts to stand up and raise your voice, even when the law of the land explicitly says you have every right to do so; it’s all the more admirable when the law clearly isn’t there to protect you, but to keep you in your place.

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