EDITORIAL - Mideo Cruz, sexy tabloids not on same page

The Mideo Cruz case and sexy tabloids are two entirely different things, even if, rightly or wrongly, both may touch on the same issue of freedom of expression. They must not be confused with each other, even if it may be tempting to do so.

Sex in media is touchy only because, among humans, sex is essentially a private matter. The private nature of sex among humans is a guarded evolutionary attainment, developed over time through civilization and sophistication.

Prior to attaining that level of civilization and sophistication that required humans to engage in sex in private, they probably did it in almost the same way that animals did. The issue of privacy aside, sex is nothing but a common denominator among all living things.

In other words, it is only in the degree by which sex departs from its private nature, depending on the sexual comfort zones of people, can sex become controversial. Beyond this issue, sex is just as natural as sneezing, as common as the common cold.

Sex, therefore, cannot be legislated against, only regulated. And even then, regulations must not interfere with its exercise, only in the where, and in some case, in the how. The case of sexy tabloids can thus be addressed, not by legislation, but by understanding and consensus.

The Mideo Cruz controversy, on the other hand, does not belong to the same page as the issue on sexy tabloids. The work of Mideo Cruz — putting a penis on the face of Jesus — is sick to the very evil core of whatever may have inspired its creation.

Having a penis for a nose on the face of Jesus, whether as an exhibit at the Cultural Center of the Philippines or as a curtain in the privacy of Mideo Cruz’s kitchen, is essentially sick and cannot be a product of an artistic mind that begs for artistic freedom.

All art is beautiful. Some may be deliberately ugly or shocking, but their beautiful intentions eventually redeem them. But none of that redemptive eventuality clothes or awaits the work of Mideo Cruz. Just comparing his case with that of sexy tabloids is demeaning.