September 8, 2010 (Pen Men at Work): Several watchers of television in Saudi Arabia found themselves in an astounded condition recently when a state-owned broadcaster exhibited an advertisement for an anti-impotence pill.

What was displayed in the commercial was a package of Snafi, which happens to be a pill, whose functions resemble that of Viagra. However, prior to the portrayal of Snafi, there was a scene that lasted 20 seconds in which a family was portrayed.

In the aforementioned scene, a Dad, who was clothed in a conventional Middle Eastern diadem, arrives at his residence and sees his wife and kids. The husband and wife communicate in Arabic, with the husband querying his wife about the status of their kids. The wife then utters to her husband named Abu Faisel that their kids have executed their tasks. The wife subsequently voices that the time has arrived for her husband to fulfill his (sexual) obligations. The husband then gazes at the kids, grins and sneaks out with his wife. At the end, the catchphrase, ‘Snafi- it does the job’ comes into sight on the television screen with a guarantee of ‘36 hours of stiffness.’

The telecaster of this advertisement was Channel One and it was purportedly deluged with complaints about the controversial advertisement. One exasperated viewer inscribed on a text message that it was beyond belief that Channel One in Saudi Arabia perpetrated the misdemeanor of telecasting this ad. The viewer then went on to articulate that Channel One has become like the privately possessed station, MBC.

This advertisement would not have generated any controversy in the largely liberal Western world and even in other democratic nations in the Asian, South American and African continents. The outrage at this ad simply exposes the extreme conservatism and squeamishness still prevalent in Saudi society in the 21st century. The Saudi government has attempted to modernize the mentality of the Saudi populace gradually. But the indignation on account of the latest sex ad demonstrates that a lot of work needs to be done to modernize the extremely old-fashioned Saudi mindset.