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25,000 Years of Erotic Freedom

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25,000 Years of Erotic Freedom is an unedited and expanded hard cover binding of an essay that Alan Moore wrote for "Arthur" Magazine during the publication of his erotic graphic novel masterpiece the Lost Girls. The book is a light survey of humanities' obsession with sex since the dawn of time to present day, illustrated with many full page panels of titillating art and the masterful prose of Moore. Like the Lost Girls, 25,000 years of Erotic Freedom does not seek to overtly glorify "pornography" or taboo subjects, but merely brings them to light and exposes the fact that we are more drawn to that which we publicly object to than we willingly admit. Moore explores our double-sided viewpoint on all things erotic, at once trying to sweep it under the carpet while secretly pilfering guilty glances while no one else is looking; and analysis the effect that such a suppressive attitude has had on sexuality and culture in general. A wonderful read for anyone who is tired of feeling guilty for wanting to explore all that sexuality has to offer in a culture that practically buries us under mountains of sexual suggestion while slapping our wrists for getting excited.

This slim book is an expanded form of a piece Moore wrote for the counter-cultural free magazine ARTHUR a few years back. It's a great tour of the history of erotic/pornographic art, ideas, human attitudes towards such. It is not scholarly, but Moore simply riffing is a real treat: insightful, amusing, informative and thought provoking.

'25.000 years' is both cultural analysis and a manifesto of sorts. Alan Moore sees ills in Anglo-Saxon society such as an activist foreign policy, attacks on science and rising sex crime as caused by a repressed, guilt-laden attitude towards sexuality. In support of his thesis the author sketches out an overview of the development of erotic art and the accompanying social mores.

In particular he contrasts the culture of classical Greece which fused sexual liberty with staggering cultural achievements with Christianity, which saw sex as sinful and achieved crusades, mainly.

In his own words: "Sexually progressive cultures gave us mathematics, literature, philosophy, civilization, and the rest, while sexually restrictive cultures gave us the Dark Ages and the Holocaust."

The problem with this line of argument is that it rests on faulty assumptions and sloppy reasoning. The saintly Greeks, for example, weren't nearly as libertine as 19th century historians made the out to be. They were also capable of incredible brutal massacres that would make a Nazi weep with joy. Just read Thucydides.

Conversely the supposedly repressed British and their evil empire abolished slavery and established free trade, not to mention initiating the industrial revolution that has enabled us to afford all that excellent pornography.

It appears the conjunction between sexual progressiveness and cultural achievements isn't as clear as the author would likes us to believe.

The argument is further marred by a very cursory treatment of history. The Vikings apparently raided Europe for a thousand years. William Caxton is repeatedly credited with having invented the printing press. The Germans committed the Holocaust because they had to wear spiked cockrings during adolescence. That last idea may have been meant as a witticism but comes across as simply dumb.

Alan Moore the proceeds to the current situation in Britain and the U.S. where he sees rising sex crimes as caused by a repressive attitude towards pornography, in contrast with some European countries who have porn in the public sphere and low rates of sex crimes.

Unfortunately we are left in the dark as to how a sex crime is defined, how it is measured and how the numbers tally up. All we have are assertions and if they are as reliable as the rest of Moore's information I wouldn't place much faith in them.

The books ends with a manifesto where the author calls for a distinction between good and bad pornography, the good one having the distinction of being socially useful, whatever that means.

To sum up `25.000 Years' is a badly thought-through bilgefest of a parochial mind. You do get some nice pictures though.

Now, believe it or not, I have met Mr. Moore and his girlfriend, to whom he dedicated this book. They are larger than life and, let's face it, Mr. Moore probably thought I was smaller than life, but he shook my hand anyway in a very gentlemanly fashion and signed his name in my book. (Not this one, another one, which I will review separately.)

I find Mr. Moore very cute. He is a magician but, I believe, a kind one, except when he's cursing people.

His humour is apparent in everything he says and it's very apparent in this book. As is his seriousness. He is serious about life in a very humorous way and I find that cute.

His rhetoric is deeply flawed but it's entertaining; and his motives, like his manners, are impeccable. The conclusion is in favour of erotica. Yay!

Give me a hug, Alan darling, I'm a fan!