Yet More Moral Outrageousness

A few weeks ago, when Bill Henson's pictures were quietly returned to the galleries from whence they'd been confiscated and our self-appointed moral guardians had been distracted by the next shiny controversy, I thought this little storm in a teacup was done.

It's obviously a slow news week though, because it's taken only the slightest of nudges to get it back on the front page.

In a protest against the ridiculous view that nudity = porn = bad, the publishers of Art Monthly have put a picture of a naked 6-year-old on the front cover of their latest issue.

Apparently this is what we're getting outraged about as a society now.

Millions are starving all over the world, we are on the verge of doing irreparable damage to our climate, and soon Australian Idol will be back on our screens.

And what's the biggest issue of the day? The thing that's threatening our society the most? A picture of a little nude girl. Seriously.

The reaction from our "leaders" has been sadly predictable. K-Rudd and Dr Nelson have fallen over themselves in a scramble to see who can appear the most apoplectically outraged. I think Nelson may have clinched it with his threat to call the cops.

In an interesting development the subject of the photograph, now 11 years old, has hit back saying she is proud of the picture and offended that K-Rudd said he hated it.

Take that, Kevin.

Now can we talk about something serious?

For goodness sake, Idol will be back any day now. If we really want to do something about child exploitation, then our efforts would be much better spent ridding the world of that abomination.