censorship cont....

[Birgit Kellner]

On the subject of "sexual expression" in Japanese society, Max Bliven
wrote:
> 
>         Well, I only lived there for one year as an exchange student from
> '89-90, so I guess I really can't say from the amount of time that you
> have lived there I'm sure you have a much more realistic grasp of these
> things. I'm not sure that repression was exactly what I meant, but it
> was definitely in the right area. .
<skip>

> What I noticed is an extreme
> segregation between the sexes, and this fundamental element is echoed
> in all aspects of the society, from lunchtime in the classroom all the
> way to the horny business man who picks up porno from a vending maching
> on his way home from work.

I am not sure what is meant by "sexual expression" to begin with, that
is, whether this refers to the way in which individuals express
themselves as sexual beings with desires and wants, or whether it refers
to the way in which images which aim at sexually arousing spectators are
placed in visual media (or sounds, etc.). Maybe the original poster
could provide some clarification on this? 

Also, it seems (at least) useful to draw a distinction between the
social segregation of the sexes on the one hand and such "sexual
expression" on the part of different individuals or social groups on the
other, however the latter might be understood. Surely, these two things
are not the same, nor (as I would believe) is a comparably strong sense
of gender-segregation necessarily related to the type of pornography, or
reception of pornography, that takes place in society. 



-- 
birgit kellner
department for indian philosophy
hiroshima university