Fight back

In the past few months, I have received complaints from several “Moms” about the blatant display of “pornographic” materials or magazines in front of cashiers at supermarkets, hardwares and upscale bookstores.

The latest complaint came as a long text message that said:

“I was entering “Fully Booked” in Shangri La to order coffee and I noticed (the picture of) a naked woman in one of the bookshelves (in the) lower area. When I looked closer it was Playboy Magazine and beside it FHM not hidden and within reach (of minors). So I complained to manager and asked who owner was. Discussed with manager re pornography and how my son and daughter comes once a week to look at books and buy bread. Bake shop beside it, Kase. After that they just transferred to upper shelves. This was last Saturday (Aug. 22, 2009).”

A similar incident involved an eight-year old child who saw the front cover of a half naked woman on FHM and complained to her Mom, why they were selling “dirty” magazines at Pioneer Center which is suppose to be a grocery.

Even the once respectable “Book Sale” branches have caved in to profit interests and now display “pornographic magazines” in their front display windows and a wide part of their shelves.

No one can deny that smut magazines pretending to be classy publications have returned not only on the newsstands but have now worked their way to being prominently displayed in the one place we cannot avoid: the cashier.

Anyone familiar with marketing will almost certainly confirm that the only way these magazines managed to be displayed “in your face” is because they are paying “rent” or a premium to display. The dead giveaway is the specially branded magazine rack and their placement.

But what can you do if you find yourself on the spot?

I always tell those who complain to ask to talk to the manager.

Any professional will tell you that public opinion matters, especially from regular customers. If the complaints start to eat up on his or her time and goodwill, the manager will ultimately have to decide if the few thousand peso profit they make on smut or porn is worth their reputation and relationship with their customer. Fifty customer-moms probably buy more and give more in terms of profits than 100 Playboy or FHM magazines that Fully Booked can sell.

Remember, the manager may not be directly responsible for the decision to sell “smut” or “porn” in the store so don’t give them a hard time. Instead, convince them that the store would earn more from your type of business than the measly rebates they get from Playboy or FHM.

If you happen to be the business manager, don’t assume that the “prude” or the “conservative” mother in front of you is a single entity. The “mom” who complained to the Fully Booked manager was the wife of a Pastor who belongs to a church, 20 percent of whom are probably Fully Booked customers.

The eight-year old girl, who was shocked at the “naked” magazine covers on display at Pioneer Center supermarket, is the daughter of a journalist who now has the topic on his radar and has started to activate his network on the “issue”.

The second good thing in these incidents is that the people “named names”. If you want to get the public’s attention as well as the owners’ attention, then naming names certainly gives people a reference point that also works as a wake up call to the parties named.

We cannot reasonably expect that publications such as FHM and Playboy would simply cower into a black hole because they do make a lot of money. However we can reasonably expect to aggressively assert our rights and duties to preserve and protect our values and our children from their contrarian values.

As I remember, magazine covers that may be “offensive” or sexually implicit are required to have a band of paper across the “naked” photo or a black out cover on the plastic packaging so that the public in general are not unnecessarily exposed to such photos.

So start a text brigade and text blast or email blast the politician you know best such as Congressmen Ruffy Biazon, Joel Villanueva, Abante, Senators Pia and Allan Cayetano etc, so they can pass that measure.

* * *

After belatedly reading my short “kurot” or pinch at LTFRB Chairman Bert Suansing, I am told that he was actually a few steps ahead on the situation and will be doing some head butting with transport operators.

Just a suggestion, perhaps Suansing should get permission from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to organize a task force with the DOJ, the BIR, the Department of Labor, and the Commission on Human Rights and confront the transport owners of the pyramid offenses they have committed in terms of franchise violations, cartel, anti labor, tax evasion, and inhuman policies such as 24-hour straight shifts, unreasonable boundaries, no insurance for drivers, no medical benefits etc, etc.

The transport owners for buses, taxis, and jeepneys even tricycle operators must be shown that they are not above the law even if some of them are legislators. They must know of the laws they have broken considering some of them are active or retired law enforcement officials.

Once for all, Chairman Suansing should simply do what the President has already ordered. Stop being Mr. Nice Guy because nice never got you anywhere.