Taking a page right out of John Cameron-Mitchell's Shortbus, a perverted denizen of our fine city named Dave has been making very public confessions of peeping-tomfoolery through YouTube.

Normally, this would have everyone thinking "stalker" and issuing a volley of condemnations but it's difficult to feel threatened by a new-age twink who quotes Deepak Chopra and talks about negativity and finding one's self.

Still, I'm not sure about how the neighbour feels. Doubtless he would've been upset at the pictures the guy took at posted on his blog. Dave himself was worried that he was crossing into some unethical, if not illegal, area so he took them down, a move which doubtless frustrated all the other voyeurs who were busy enjoying the fruits of his labour.

However, as Dave found out, you can only watch someone so long without getting caught. He never saw the dude again, who presumably continued jerking off away from the window. Without the neighbor subplot, readership of the Dave's blog resumed normal levels mostly composed of people ogling his tight body; a reverse-voyeurism that seems very quid pro quo in context.

It says something about just how much people like watching other people (or reading about people watching other people) that this probably resulted in the biggest response to his blog.

After all, who hasn't spent at least part of their day looking at other people? Maybe you imagine them naked or being able to stop time and have your way with them (like that unsettling book I read a couple of years ago, the name of which escapes me at the moment)?

Okay, maybe not but regardless, there is an undercurrent of highly-eroticized voyeurism running through our society and it's not going away anytime soon. You know it's big when it has its own section at most porno stores and given that many people are conditioned to be into it by a youth spent watching other lucky bastards (both on-screen and off) getting it on, I'd say it's one of more common fantasies out there.

Whether you're into it or not, you're probably aware of the possibilities. Living on a busy corner always leaves me wondering whether folks can see me gallivanting naked around the apartment. Unlike some other folks, I don't really care all that much because despite the ease with which we can spy on each other, the object of a voyeur's desire still has to be pretty damn consistent to realistically expect anyone to be watching.

This is the key to voyeurism. Leaving aside happenstance, it takes some dedication on both party's parts (ahem) to achieve any kind of satisfaction which is doubtless why some folks give up on the idea of catching strangers doing something naughty and rely on elaborate peeping-tom games with their loved ones. Still, given the opportunity, I'm sure many people would engage in the odd bit of spying and I don't blame them one bit.

Hell, I'd probably be interested in seeing what other people got up to except the most interesting thing I can see are the prayer meetings of some kooky religious cult next door. Not very hot.