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Unlike almost everyone else around me, I haven’t actually watched those racy Ariel “Peterporn” videos. To be honest, I’m not really interested in watching other people cavort in bed, especially artists and celebrities. That’s not because of my higher moral standards or prudishness, but simply because I can imagine it would all be pretty tame. I mean, let’s face it, what mysteries could there be in real people having sex? It’s an act that has existed since the beginning of humankind and it’s how we all ended up on this planet to begin with.

When it comes to watching good sex, they do it so much better in films, especially French ones, and it’s certainly a lot more aesthetically pleasing to watch, particularly if the actors are good looking, the acting convincing and the close-ups and soundtrack are good.

Peeking at someone’s homemade videos of themselves having sex, however, even if they are celebrities, would be like peeping through a keyhole in order to catch your neighbors in flagrante delicto. It’s really not a very nice thing to do, especially when you invite the entire neighborhood to also take a look and maybe have a bit of a laugh.

And then you say that those people are committing a crime for engaging in a pornographic act. Oh, and by the way, they were not married to each other and so they are immoral and should be locked up.

With so many people in the country downloading the videos, how is it that the question of morality even comes into it?

A lot of reactions no doubt arise from watching such displays of sexual activity — including, I bet, a fair amount of envy of this local Don Juan by many males — but moral offense should not be one them. How could people go out of their way to download or obtain the video, watch it and perhaps share it with friends and talk about it, and then judge what they’ve seen as immoral?

Does the impulse to watch sex videos come about because we all feel the virtuous need to uphold our society’s unblemished moral behavior, or rather because when it comes to sex and other naughty things, we’re all just voyeurs looking for cheap thrills?

Remember the video of the House of Representatives member caught on the cellphone video with his mistress and his pants down? As I recall, there was no cry for him and the woman to be investigated by the police for producing porn. But then again, maybe the sense of moral outrage was eclipsed by both the sorry performance and his public contrition.

We seem to like it when people show proper remorse, especially if there’s a forgiving spouse thrown in, as if we’re the Almighty, dishing out judgments and rulings on what is and is not morally proper. I wouldn’t be surprised if after all this palaver, Ariel’s girls feel the need to step into public wearing headscarves and talking about how they’ve repented and are back on the straight and narrow.

Let’s be honest, the actors in these homemade sex videos are already being punished enough by the whole country for being caught naked. Their bright young careers, especially the females involved, are most likely on the line. At this point in their lives, that’s probably the worst thing that could happen to them. Whether they might end up burning in hell when they die is really none of our business and should not keep us awake at night. That’s what God is for, and how God works will always remain a mystery to us.

Whether these celebrities feel remorse or not, it’s not our job to police them. If we were to put all adulterers in jail, there would hardly be anyone left walking the streets. In truth, they themselves have not done us any wrong or harmed us in any way. Instead they have had the misfortune of having their private acts made public. If anything, in a nation that our communications minister says is home to the most viewers of online pornography in the world, it would seem they should be commended for providing free entertainment.

They should not be the object of our moral censure. On the contrary, those who watch the videos for their sexual content should be branded Peeping Toms.

The police, the jails and our moral indignation should be employed against those who actually inflict harm and injury upon others; the criminals, the rapists, the murderers, the pedophiles, the corruptors, the thugs, the terrorists and the perpetrators of hate and conflict.

Because if there is a jail reserved for those who supposedly commit immoral acts, there should also be a jail for those guilty of hypocrisy and of playing God.


Desi Anwar is a senior anchor and writer and can be reached at www.desianwar.com and www.dailyavocado.net.