Spain: Sexy video to get young people to vote

Sexy video to get young people to vote sparks outrage in Spain

Published On Wed Nov 24 2010

Lesley Ciarula TaylorStaff Reporter

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Outrage and denunciations of “filth” for a video campaign in Spain showing a woman orgasmic over voting just mask naked political fear, the leader of the Young Socialists Party of Catalonia says.

“They are not bothered by the content of its video, but rather its message,” Javier Lopez told the Star on Wednesday. “High participation worries them.”

A high voter turnout in regional Catalonia elections on Sunday would favour the Socialists over the conservative-liberal coalition CiU (Convergència I Unió) party, he said.

The Socialist leader, Jose Montilla, could lose power.

Called Voting is a Pleasure, the video – with nearly a half-million views on YouTube – is designed to encourage young people to vote. It shows a young women growing increasingly aroused to the point of orgasm by casting her ballot.

Alicia Sanchez-Camacho, leader of the conservative opposition Popular Party of Catalonia, denounced it as an “attack on the dignity of women.”

The CiU called it “filth,” and spokesman Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida predicted that the “crude” video would damage participation.

“The response we've gotten to our video has been overwhelmingly positive, especially amongst young people,” countered Lopez in an email.

“They understand the humour of the spot as well, as its profoundly democratic message.

“We think CiU are trying to district young voters from the deep cuts to the public sector they are planning to carry out.”

The Popular Party, meanwhile, “produced a video game during the campaign where the objective is to eliminate illegal immigrants,” said Lopez. That, he said, was a genuine outrage.

“The most conservative sectors of society continue to confuse sexuality with sexism. We believe that active citizenship is the best antidote to both cuts to the welfare state and to xenophobia.”

The leader of the Green coalition in Catalonia, Joan Herrera, said that it would be “very difficult to reach orgasm voting for any of the candidates, myself included.”

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