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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Can you select all (CTRL+A) to be a Bangladeshi adult?

Yes surprise surprise! We have an adult only post for the first time on this blog. Please make sure you are more than 18 years old and take no offence, personally, emotionally, religiously, spiritually, socially by reading the content that follows. If you think you may be disturbed in any way, shape or form please discontinue reading and close this window now. (But I know chances are very high you will keep on reading). The text of this post is intentionally blanked out to respect our social values and preference for clandestinity, shyness, hypocrisy - whatever suits you. Assuming you are an adult and know how to select all text, only then you will be able to read on.


Very interesting debate was opened up in a management training I attended some years ago. Young male and female Bangladeshi executives were chit-chatting one of the evenings after a gruelling day of training when surprisingly the topic turned towards the situation of Bangladeshi adult industry. Whether or not something like this ever existed, or exists, the taboos surrounding sexuality, sex education, adult literature, movies, religious and social values, business ethics and all this range of topics came up one by one. After the initial light-hearted jokes were settled in relation to growing years in high school, college and after paying sincere homage and gratitude to Professor Roshomoy Gupto (Google it yourself if you are dull, I am not providing link to him as I am at work and results might show up something weird) the conversation focused on whether or not there are any opportunities in adult industry in Bangladesh. Interestingly the female participant expressed her experiences from dealing with different types of approaches - visual, physical, emotional – by different men from all walks of her social milieu in Bangladesh throughout ther growing years – both at work and home. So she was hell bent with the perception that like any other country and any other place – as long there is men – adult industry will be a hot cake, pun intended and men will continue to be like men. She also added some not so good adjectives to describe men in general and their tendencies.

The ideas surrounded around a bilingual adult magazine, in both Bangla and English, to have a little bit of everything for the Bangladeshi adult market, more specifically the male readers. Topics could include fashion, health issues, sex education, personal problems, and most certainly pictures of Bangladeshi women in appearances enough to raise readers’ mercury levels. It was at this point that the issue of business ethics and social values in Bangladesh took a crucial turn. Should you start a business just for making money at the cost of your social norms and values? On the other hand, some argued that when men in Bangladesh are already groomed and trained on the natural instincts of life - previously via print materials and friends and now via internet – then what is the harm in calling a spade a spade and in spitting out the most natural thing of being a human? One interesting remark was made by a participant that Bangladeshi male readers would be so curious and overwhelmed to see Bangladeshi young women in compromising photo shoots or raunchy stories that they will want to dig down deeper by finding out who she is, where she studies/works, her family history, address etc. etc. Being a small place with too many people who know each other, this might cause social stigma and may lead to models being marginalised in public.

The conclusion of the adda was that even if there are business opportunities in this domestic adult male market in Bangladesh, we should stick to being socially hypocrite at the cost of holding up our social norms, values, ethics, family, religion etc. As for ‘special male needs’ we have historically relied on foreign materials and have preferred to be clandestine about it – so lets continue that. As long as life is moving on , our women are wrapped up, covered up and we are having kids – why bother about a Bangladeshi adult magazine?

Creative poetry image taken  from http://shafiur.i-edit.net/?cat=7 

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