Sexaggeration

Have you seen (or heard about) that viral video featuring the couple having sex on a subway train in Vienna? I only just recently found out about it myself. I wouldn't normally bring it up, since talking about it puts me in a tight spot: if I decried it I would be lying, but if I were to be honest and say that I support public sex, a lot of people would probably think bad things about me. (Oops :p)

Honestly, I don't see the big deal. Public sex is like everything else - you can do it in a way that's rude and clearly bothers other people, or you can do it in a way that's courteous and mindful of the public space you're in. Assuming, of course, that the act of seeing two people having sex isn't going to kill anyone. And I don't care how appalled you might be, nobody's going to get hurt beyond a little minor offense - nothing you can't turn your head from. And speaking of minors, there's no reason why viewing sex should traumatize a kid any more than watching somebody go to the bathroom or anything else - it might be something better left unseen, but it's a fact of life and witnessing it isn't going to kill anyone.

Anyhow, I read this other article that so badly exaggerated the 'shock effect' of the video, that I had to make a comment. The author describes it as "very graphic" when, after viewing it myself, my first thought was, "geez, you can't see a thing." In all seriousness, a professional wrestling match is more graphic than this video. You see more skin at a public swimming pool than you see in this video - and that's assuming that all the girls wear one piece swimsuits and all the guys wear board shorts.

There's no need to exaggerate, why not tell the truth? It's a video of two people having sex. But it's not graphic. I would rate it PG-13 at the most - and not because of what you can see, but merely because the motion is 'suggestive' of sexual intercourse. You unfortunately can't see any more of the girl than her knees. If I was having sex on a subway, in front of an audience, I'd at least make a good show of it, and we'd both be naked from head to toe.

But I'll admit I did feel slightly uncomfortable about all the people crowding around with their video phones. It's not that I have anything against the act being recorded - in fact I support that sort of thing, and hey, that's one of the risks of doing it in public. It's just, they acted like paparazzi or something. Can you not maintain some shred of decency, even in your excitement to record a live public sex session? I was, however, impressed at how 'professional' the couple was, who barely reacted to the presence of the videographers. Perhaps we could all learn a thing or two from them. ;-)