Knocked Out by SexDailySun...
Knocked Out by SexDailySun
Date: November 18, 2009
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This article may be used in training:
- As an example of gender aware reporting
- Show people’s ignorance around irresponsible sexual activities
- As an example of an article with balanced sourcing
- Dispel stereotypes around gender and sexuality
Trainer’s notes:
This is an example of a gender-aware report, because there is gender-balance of sources or voices. There was no double standards, no moralising, i.e. the writer was fair in that he or she was not judgemental in this case. There was no open prejudice in way that the writer did not label the man as someone who is weak or the woman as a sick person which might be the reason for the man to black out. There was no placing of blame, thus the publication advised the two lovers to go for medical check up but they refused as they blamed each other for the man’s blackout.
This story shows how men think of women when embarrassed or under pressure. They always seek someone to blame for their failures. This is shown in the way the man is quick to blame the woman for his fainting. He does not even consider that he may be unwell.
The writer also highlights that women sometimes find a way to defend themselves. The woman in the story does not take her lover’s accusations that she wanted to kill him or she may be sick. By giving her a voice the writer of the story gives her agency which most women are often denied by the media. She is able to defend herself and even suggest that the man is just weak in bed. The woman’s voice captures the paradigm shift in gender relations. Women are now expressing their views on sexuality more and more.
What is interesting is that the woman seems to be sexuality independent. She tells the writer of the story that she has slept with other men and none of them had fainted in the process.
In most African cultures, men’s sexual prowess is a highly celebrated phenomenon. On the other hand women who can not satisfy their husbands are scorned. In this reversal of power dynamics it is the man who fails to live up to sexual expectations. This article therefore brings such an issue which would not be openly discussed in most societies to the fore. It is clear that men are also human and they tire just any other human being. Stereotypes around sexuality are therefore dispelled.
The writer of the story however missed on an opportunity to comment on the two lovers’ morals and their view of sex. After the disagreement they asked the concerned man’s friend to sleep with the woman so as to ascertain who the source of the problem was between the two of them. In a region with high statistics for HIV and AIDS, one would have expected the writer to question the couple’s casual approach to sex.
Even the woman herself was agreeable to the idea of sleeping with a man she does not love just to prove a point.
Discussion points:
- Ask participants to comment on the story’s headline, ‘Knocked out by sex’
- Comment on the writer’s writing style e.g. different style for first three paragraphs
- What does the article say about women and men’s approach to sex?
- Comment on the agreement by the two lovers to have another men sleep with the woman just to see if he would also faint or not.
- Is there anything that is missing from the story which you feel would have made it more interesting?
- In the community where you live, have you had such cases of either men or women fainting during sex? If so, how have these been resolved? Who normally gets blamed?
Links to other training resources:
Gender and HIV and AIDS: A training manual for Southern African media and Communicators https://www.genderlinks.org.za/page.php?p_id=168<br />Whose news whose views? https://www.genderlinks.org.za/page.php?p_id=49
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