Undercover Ireland - The Sex Trade - TV3 21 October 2008

rozeboosje

Interesting programme, but at the conclusion I saw red. The narrator listed a number of contributory factors to exploitation of women. One of these factors was "growing secularism".

The reason I am posting this is that when I commented this, my wife asked me what the problem was. I was amazed that I actually had to explain this, but then I realised it is because statements like this are based on a prejudice that in the Ireland of today is still so widely held that most people do not even realise it is there. It is the tacit assumption that people who are not religious are inherently immoral or amoral. And that is just plain wrong.

I have complained about this to TV3, and I would urge many more people to do the same. If the programme maker had listed "growing Islamisation" they would, rightly, have been accused of religious bigotry. And if they had blamed it, say, on an increase of the number of Jews in the population, there would have been uproar and they would have been exposed as anti-semitic. And, again, rightly so!

If the programme maker had blamed the problem on foreigners, blacks or travellers, there would have been ructions and they would, quite rightly, have been accused of racism.

But the prejudice that people who do not subscribe to a religion are lacking in morality is still one that can be expressed without anyone batting an eyelid. And it is totally incorrect.

A sense of morality is innate in ALL emotionally healthy human beings, even if based on what we do or do not believe in we might have different ideas of what exactly is or isn't morally right. So atheists, agnostics, humanists and other non-religious people are just as moral as anybody else.

And we have had enough. We will not tolerate being made the scapegoat for all the ills in today's society any longer.

To complain, visit http://www.tv3.ie/feedback.php or e-mail to info@tv3.ie

Many thanks:mad:

EKRIUQ

Define "secularism" please

Our man in Havana

This could be getting moved real fast.

bipedalhumanoid

I'd like to take this opportunity to protest towards a grossly bigotted view perpetrated recently in a documentary aired by TV3.
During your program 'Undercover Ireland - The Sex Trade' (which aired on TV3 21/10/2008) a view was presented suggesting that 'growing secularism' was in part to blame for recent growth in the sex trade in ireland. The view implies that religion is a requirement for a moral society and therefore that a lack of religion leads to immorality. As an atheist I find this view not only offensive but also incredibly ignorant. There is no evidence to suggest that this is the case, in fact there have been a number of studies completed that show absolutely no correlation between morality and religiosity.
If you are going to insult one of the fastest growing groups in Irish society you could at least make some attempt to back up that insulting claim with some kind of source. In this case no source was provided... most likely because the claim has no factual basis.

rozeboosje

Bond-007 wrote: »

This could be getting moved real fast.

Why?

Our man in Havana

If this turns into a religious debate I shall move it to the appropriate religion forum.

rozeboosje

Bond-007 wrote: »

If this turns into a religious debate I shall move it to the appropriate religion forum.

Fair enough. But it's not about religion, it's about statements made in a TV Programme that are based on unwarranted assumptions. I am asking people to protest to the makers of the programme by contacting the station that aired it.

Pepe LeFrits

Ignorant ****s

tintin67

It's traditional at the end of most tabloid exposes of prostitution for the reporter to say "I made my excuses and left." At the end of this I thought the tarts should have been the ones saying "I made my excuses and left." How bad was the shock-horror male 'undercover investigator'? Pitiful attempt to try to recreate the type of stuff that has kept the Sunday World in business for 35 years.

tintin67

BYW, 100% agree with OP. Just trying to keep this on track.

CodeMonkey

Someone should complain about the fact that this programme was giving the escort website fantastic advertising. The logo of the site was clearly visible on all the pictures they showed. If you didn't know where to go to order a hooker online then you do now.

Charlie

CodeMonkey wrote: »

Someone should complain about the fact that this programme was giving the escort website fantastic advertising. The logo of the site was clearly visible on all the pictures they showed. If you didn't know where to go to order a hooker online then you do now.

Bookmarked.

Tomk1

rozeboosje wrote: »

Interesting programme, but at the conclusion I saw red. The narrator listed a number of contributory factors to exploitation of women. One of these factors was "growing secularism".

The reason I am posting this is that when I commented this, my wife asked me what the problem was. I was amazed that I actually had to explain this, but then I realised it is because statements like this are based on a prejudice that in the Ireland of today is still so widely held that most people do not even realise it is there. It is the tacit assumption that people who are not religious are inherently immoral or amoral. And that is just plain wrong.

I have complained about this to TV3, and I would urge many more people to do the same. If the programme maker had listed "growing Islamisation" they would, rightly, have been accused of religious bigotry. And if they had blamed it, say, on an increase of the number of Jews in the population, there would have been uproar and they would have been exposed as anti-semitic. And, again, rightly so!

If the programme maker had blamed the problem on foreigners, blacks or travellers, there would have been ructions and they would, quite rightly, have been accused of racism.

But the prejudice that people who do not subscribe to a religion are lacking in morality is still one that can be expressed without anyone batting an eyelid. And it is totally incorrect.

A sense of morality is innate in ALL emotionally healthy human beings, even if based on what we do or do not believe in we might have different ideas of what exactly is or isn't morally right. So atheists, agnostics, humanists and other non-religious people are just as moral as anybody else.

And we have had enough. We will not tolerate being made the scapegoat for all the ills in today's society any longer.

To complain, visit http://www.tv3.ie/feedback.php or e-mail to info@tv3.ie

Many thanks:mad:

Real news journalism vs cynical presnter's opinion. The presenter/journalist should presnt real facts and not their personal non-factual conclusions.

Fighting Irish

rozeboosje wrote: »

To complain, visit http://www.tv3.ie/feedback.php or e-mail to info@tv3.ie

Our man in Havana

If you really want to complain properly you should contact the Broadcasting Complaints Commission.

rozeboosje

Bond-007 wrote: »

If you really want to complain properly you should contact the Broadcasting Complaints Commission.

I'll keep that in mind, but I would like to think that perhaps they might take my comments on board and think about them rather than me having to escalate it straightaway...

That undercover guy was getting fierce nervous when one of the girls was feeling his inner thigh !

Our man in Havana

rozeboosje wrote: »

I'll keep that in mind, but I would like to think that perhaps they might take my comments on board and think about them rather than me having to escalate it straightaway...

To be honest with you, they won't give 2 hoots to any informal complaint made direct to them.

K4t

rarnes1 wrote: »

That undercover guy was getting fierce nervous when one of the girls was feeling his inner thigh !

Any guy would. Tbh, I think he handled the whole interview scenarios quite well.

Back on topic: Religion, the cause of all the world's problems.

Muslims blowing up airplanes, Catholics and Protestants murdering each other in Northern Ireland, millions of Jews being killed because they're Jews (holocaust), and this woman has the gall to blame the prostitution (or call-girl!) industry on secularists! Ha!

Elmo

To be honest with you, they won't give 2 hoots to any informal complaint made direct to them.

I have to agree, you have to complain to the BCC on this one or for any complaint you have about TV3, RTE or TG4. Your not escalating, that happens when you bring the BCC to the high court over one of their ruling as RTE did recently. http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0730/rte.html

Not to defend the show, which I didn't watch. Prehaps the presenter was trying to suggest that the changes in society not just the secular changes have caused the issues with the Sex trade in Ireland. I find people ignored what was going in the Sex Trade during the last century in Ireland because "Sex never existed in Ireland before the late late". Let face it the Sex Trade was possible just bad in the previous centuries we just never looked at it. (I amn't trying to defend the show, and as I haven't seen it I can't discuss this further, I am sure it was as tabloid as it sounds).


www.bcc.ie that's what we pay them for. We pay taxes for people to complain to them. The above is a good example of how they got it wrong and also how stupid some of the complaints are. To me you have much more of an obligation to complain to them.


Also this was a repeat.