The latest storm in an espresso cup from the more excitable of our Latin colleagues – the idea that Italian state TV might run two channels, one of men’s interest, one of women’s. This does seem rather sensible and it is in fact the way that cable channels have been working ever since there were cable channels. Tooltime Tim isn’t on there to get the housewives juiced up – no, not even at the thought of what their husbands will do for them once they get home – and QVC’s jewelry flash sales aren’t aimed at the male cis and hetero crowd.
So, you know, reality. Which is just so appalling:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Italian broadcaster’s plans for gender-based channels spark furyRai’s proposals to show different content to men and women condemned as sexist[/perfectpullquote]
They’re not actually saying that men and women will be shown different content. The technology doesn’t exist to do this with free to air broadcasting anyway. Nor are they insisting that Julie Bindel – or the local equivalent if they’re unlucky enough to have one – must watch women discussing shades of pink. She can watch Tim putting on his leather toolbelt if she so wishes.
So, it’s not actually different TV for men and women.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “This is frankly incomprehensible,” Salvatore Margiotta, a senator with the centre-left Democratic party who sits on the broadcaster’s parliamentary supervisory committee, said. “As we try to overcome gender discrimination, in 2019, having one public channel that is dedicated to a female audience and another to a male audience is crazy. But it seems to be in line with the subculture of this government.” Lella Palladino, the president of D.i.Re, the Women against Violence Network, described the proposal as “grotesque and sexist”. “It will inevitably end up reinforcing the prejudices that underlie the persistent discrimination between men and women in which gender violence is rooted,” she added. “[Such prejudices] are a structural phenomenon of a society that is still trying to shake off patriarchal domination.” [/perfectpullquote]And someone really ought to be telling Ms. Palladino to go make a sammich. For the actual proposal is simply:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] A Rai source said the aim of the proposals was to enrich film offerings and allow advertisers to better place their ads. “This controversy is ridiculous,” the source added. “There are lots of channels that are targeted according to age and gender. Take, for example, the film Rambo. It’s obvious that this would appeal more to a male audience. “This [plan] is not intended to discriminate; it never came to mind to create a channel about sewing or one called Rai Men and another [called] Rai Woman. That would be offensive.” [/perfectpullquote]Look, we all know the difference between a chick flick and a man movie. What the heck is causing such confusion here?