By Graeme Dawson
Mark Twain and Benjamin Disraeli who both, at times, used the saying, “Lies, damned lies and statistics”. The saying means using false statistics,(lies and untruths) to baffle the vulnerable.
As smart as we believe we are, the professional advertising firms are paid millions to persuade us to buy what their clients have to sell.
Of course they target a particular audience to achieve particular ends.
If you are anything like average me, you were almost forced to believe, while watching the tennis or your favorite TV show, that you were part of the ‘All Australians’ who were waiting for ‘Married at First Sight’.
How many times were we told this every time a ball boy retrieved a ball or a player went for his or her towel, and what’s more, informing us that this was ‘Australia’s greatest social experiment’ – ‘a whole new level of love/(lust – my emphasis)’. The only experiment here was seeing if they could break advertising income records.
No, getting married at first sight was not the experiment – (damned lies).
Anyway, the term ‘first sight’ is a misnomer, as we were given titillating scenes of explicit foamed up steamy baths and G-string motel or bed scenes.
Make no mistake, I am a romantic and love a full expression of making love, but only within the bounds of fidelity and marriage.
Yes it is easy to fall into temptation, but we do need to learn from those pitfalls and stay on a monogamous path.
“There he goes” says someone about Graeme – “preaching at us”.
Prove me wrong. I have observed for many years relationship disasters and if you had read any of my articles last year you will have read the statistics of couples who are left with heart aches in the wake.
If you want to get a taste of romantic love making within the bounds of monogamy, read the bible book of the Song of Solomon. He was one of the greatest, wealthiest and wisest kings who ever lived.
Here are some excerpts of his songs to his beloved.
“Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle. Your neck is like an ivory tower – Your stature is like that of a palm and your breasts like clusters of fruit – I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit”.
God is not a prude. He invented sex.
In the ‘Married at First Sight’ shorts, one potential bride says, speaking like a child, “Oh I hope it lasts”. Another says in a totally immature and selfish way, “I get what I want, and if you don’t want this relationship, suck it up”.
Sadly these agencies have other targets too – young men and women encouraged to ‘get on the beers’, ‘gamble with mates’ and lately a well- known sedan car manufacturing company, show their cars at high speed doing tyre burning donuts.
I enjoy an odd beer but why does grog have to be synonymous with winning?
Shanna Whan, one of the candidates in the local hero category in the Australia Day Honors, was accolated for her work in giving blokes the permission to get off the grog or at least be strong enough to say no thanks at times and drink something else.
A great older farmer testified at the gala night to the success of her plan and the permission to stop drinking that saved his life.
God help us to be overcomers.
