Call me a killjoy, but I have to complain.
My last column predicted that Aids would henceforth get less play given that the politics of anti-retroviral provision are over.
Little did I know then that front-page coverage of the Durex global sex survey would push the latest figures of the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids) to the inside pages. Both sets of stats were timed for release around World Aids Day, and the contrast in their treatment was stark.
But Durex coming out on top is not what really annoys me. It’s the way their data got presented that got my jocks tortuously twisted. Here’s a sample of some headlines:
”SA riding high on the sex charts” — Eastern Province Herald
”SA sex secrets revealed” — Business Day
”S Africans just love sex” — Sowetan
”SA a no-show in world’s sexiest survey” — Daily Dispatch
”South Africans do it digitally” — IOL.co.za
”South African sex lives in the spotlight” — Iafrica.co.za
”South Africans score high in one-night-stand stakes” — The Star
There were a few serious side takes on the survey as well:
”SA unconcerned about sexually transmitted infections” — both on SABCnews.com and IOL.co.za.
”South Africans take risks despite Aids concerns” — Allafrica.com
What irks me in all this is not the news bias towards favouring frivolity. We all want some light stories. But just who are these ”South Africans” claiming to have all the fun? The headlines suggest, even when jesting, that it’s a tale about the sex lives of us as a nation. There’s a story behind that message, however, and it originates with the spin — perhaps oily lubricant — put on things by Durex.
As may be expected from a company selling condoms, Durex’s press release has, at the top of its key findings, the statistic that ”30% of South Africans have had unprotected sex with a new partner”. The company goes on to intone: ”Despite rising rates of HIV and Aids, many South Africans are still taking chances with their sexual behaviour.”
Yep, 30% certainly is a high number, but, again, 30% of whom exactly? Who are these careless folk who really ought to be doing it with Durex?
Naturally, the press release also includes sexier information than that about unsafe intercourse. Take the factoid ”South Africans have sex on average 123 times a year”. This is the kind of tidbit that gets plucked out and given priority in much of the media coverage of the story.
Not that Durex should mind too much about this changing of emphasis — its corporate brand name is still featured. Think sex, think Durex. Whether the angle is risk or risquÃ