Sex in Media for Distraction

I couldn't see any topics covering this subject yet, so I'd like to introduce a theory of mine.
Sex portrayal in the media is used to distract you from the current events going on. We all have sex because it makes us happy right. But other things make us happy as well, such as the society we live in. Do you think this bombardment of sex is to make us rely on sex alone as a source of happiness and ingrain a sense of depreciation of other things that are going on?
I was just hoping for some people to either expand this theory and give some other comments on this (criticism appreciated as well)...

Jamuhn,

Sex is a major distraction - I mentioned it concerning the conspiritors' slight of hand in persuading us into forgetting about our thoughts.

They know a man thinks of sex roughly every 8 seconds - they convice the girls to act and dress the way they do to control the men and vise versa until both are doing the horizontal mambo in their handbasket.

< B

Well it makes us happy and it sells as well. I recently got back from a trip to Germany. I was watching tv and this commercial came on. A naked lady climbs on top of some naked guy in bed. She proceeds to handcuff him to the bed. What happens next? She climbs off of him and goes to the table (may have included a stop to the fridge.. I was a bit distracted) and opens a bag of Burger King. Im like.. wtf. You don't see that in commercials here. It kind of makes you forget how bad their food is. lol

Yep,

Let's all go to BK now 'cause a naked chick was eating it.

Maybe SEX in the media is what will convice most to take the MOTB?
I mean - it could be the trigger for it - you cant buy, sell or trade w/o it, right?

< B

What's the MOTB?
Sex seems to perpuate itself when used for selling stuff. Obviously, we will never tire from it. So it just becomes more engrained and people more focused on it.
Not to mention the fact that now everyone wants to marry a supermodel, I mean its like personality doesn't matter anymore. Maybe thats why so many marriages fail.
BTW, my personal life may conflict with what I'm talking about because I'd sure as hell marry Brittney Spears even if it turned out she was a bitch...but that's why I think something is up, it just doesn't seem very civilized, almost like we are trying to breed our own Aryan race...

Also comes to mind Bush's opposition to Gay marriage, I mean shouldn't it be their choice? If it's based on religion he shouldn't have let it come up, but if its for legal reasons, than that makes me think the government wants to control us even more.

[edit on 10-6-2004 by Jamuhn]

MOTB = Mark.Of.The.Beast.

I'm blessed, my wife is beautiful (like Reese Witherspoon) and she has a great personality (that doesn't mean she's fat :lol

But I do feel that we are all being led about by our pants...

... or lack thereof.

< B

Sex is there because the media is a business and they give the public what they want. The public has always wanted sex and always will, the only thing that's changed is how much the media gives us.

You're on the right track though, its MEDIA that's the distraction, not sex. The talking heads babbling on TV aren't going to tell us anything important or useful on purpose. They have to give the illusion that they are though so they fill their time with sex and gossip and occasionally throw us a bit of info about something interesting, but not nearly as much as Britney Spears breaking her leg, which as I write this is a top story on every channel, and every news website.

People always talk about how much men think about sex and all the adds triggered towards them using sex, but in truth, women's adds have SO MUCH MORE sex appeal, its amazing!

You see, in men's adds, if they overuse the sex appeal, men dont give a # what the product is, they just think about the sex aspect. Thus, too much sex DOESNT boost sales.

But women, seemingly having more controll over their sex fantasies, can handle so much more sex appeal then men and remember even more what the p[roduct is! Now, remember, sex appeal isn't simply big boobs in small bikinis. Sex appeal can be anything from lust of another's body, to jealousy or pleasure. When men see really hot chicks in commercials, they want the girl. But when women see really hot chicks in commercials, whether or not its in a sexual way, the attraction is even stronger, not because of homosexuality, but simply because women want what other women have. Women want the perfect body, the flowing hair, the radiant skin. Sex sells to women, not men.

DITTO
I bet, if you right now, watch commercials with a pen and paper and you write like, the product and then the sex appeal on a scale from 1-10. Most of the Tens would be Herbal Essence and lady razors etc. Now if you excuse me I have to watch shampoo commercials.

well, after that 5 day coverage of Regans funeral I look forward to seeing some good ole fashion sex on tv. As long as it doesn't have Regan in it, or his wife, or any of his extended family.

Sex is use to sell food or anything else because sex is as gratification as the feeling you get went you buy something you want or eat something you like.


Sex and self gratification goes hand on hand.

Whe i was on holiday in denmark there were shampoo adverts featuring full frontal nudity on during kids tv! Radox and yes NAKED HERBAL ESSENCES ADVERT!!!!

Sex sells to women, not men.

My whole point that is that its a distraction from what may really be going on in people's lives. We now know how it works with women, maintaining their beauty. But even more than feeding off instinctual urges of people, I think it plays a dual role in keeping people happy from thinking about sex, so that other ill effects of society go unnoticed.

Originally posted by Scat
But when women see really hot chicks in commercials, whether or not its in a sexual way, the attraction is even stronger, not because of homosexuality, but simply because women want what other women have. Women want the perfect body, the flowing hair, the radiant skin. Sex sells to women, not men.

I see your point but they are selling a product, they want you to associate beautiful women, perfect smile, popularity, wealth and success with their product. When a man views a commercial with sexual overtones they want that man to believe all of these things are possible if only they were wearing their jeans, cologne or drinking their beer. The prize is the women in the commercial but the road to the prize is their product.

Originally posted by el_topo
Sex is there because the media is a business and they give the public what they want. The public has always wanted sex and always will, the only thing that's changed is how much the media gives us.

You're on the right track though, its MEDIA that's the distraction, not sex.

Herbert Marcuse discusses this in 'One Dimensional Man'. He refers to the process as 'repressive desublimation'. It is the desublimation, ie. gratification, of desires in order to repress the population. It does this, as you say, by preventing people sublimating their psychic energies into some more productive goal, such as dealing with the problems that exist in the world. The violence in films and on TV serves the same function, though in this case it is the death drive rather than the sex drive which is subjected to this process.

Wow, Yog, good point.

But, what about those of us who channel surf to avoid all commercials and are cynical enough not to buy in to the claims presented in 99% of ads?
Also, women are not generally as visually stimulated as men, so who are their target audience?

I'm trying to remember the last product I bought because of a commercial...oh, yeah, "Reality" by David Bowie. Should have switched channels
Truth in advertising is almost non-existent.

[edit on 15-6-2004 by DontTreadOnMe]

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe
But, what about those of us who channel surf to avoid all commercials and are cynical enough not to buy in to the claims presented in 99% of ads?
Also, women are not generally as visually stimulated as men, so who are their target audience?

Good call dodging ads, but the process is not restricted to advertising. HOw many celebrities are unattractive? Would Friends have lasted what, 10 series if the central characters weren't all desirable? OUr sexual desire is used to draw us into the show. We may then stay with it because it entertains us, but sex is there as an extra hook.
The same is true of films. I have seen reviews of 'Troy' which cite Brad Pitt in armour as one of the reasons to go and see it.
And music, particularly now that it is pimped primarily through music TV rather than radio. In radio, the music itself is of the utmost importance. With videos, this changes. It is just part of a whole package, which includes highly sexually charged visuals in most cases.
All the media tug at our desire. It is just that in ads this process is particularly overt.

Originally posted by Birkhoff
Yep,
Let's all go to BK now 'cause a naked chick was eating it.

Maybe SEX in the media is what will convice most to take the MOTB?
I mean - it could be the trigger for it - you cant buy, sell or trade w/o it, right?
< B

No, I don't think the chick was fat. I noticed the sarcasm in your post and thought it would be funny to point out

[edit on 17-6-2004 by websurfer]

Originally posted by J0HNSmith
well, after that 5 day coverage of Regans funeral I look forward to seeing some good ole fashion sex on tv. As long as it doesn't have Regan in it, or his wife, or any of his extended family.

Ouch, I need a brain purge now.

Well can only talk for Europe (mainly german and italian TV)

every 25-35 Mins in every movie there is a commerical brake for about 4-6 minutes, There is atleast always one spot with nudity , sometimes even more and if you watch german SAT Tv after midnight there aleast 2-3 spot for certain phone numbers where you can reach hot girls what just wait for you (lol)

What i saw in the italian TV a few years (6-10 years) there where alot of shows
with "veline" (one or more good looking girls with just a bikini on and sometimes a couple inches of skirt aswell) they where mainly there for the eye to look at, in the last years this veline kind of vanished and made place to more Dressed girls (still most of the times the skirts/dresses are short and tight) there still just there to look at and chit chat with the guests and the entertainer.

Sex sells at the end, i mean you guys all remember the spots with nudity and remember even the name of the product

Wolve