A X-Rated Class Misses the Message
The adult education principal hires an AIDS education representative to address a class, demystify the disease and explain modes of protection. The speaker brings a bagful of props, including condoms and bananas.
Tension fills the classroom as he begins his discourse. Students squirm as he talks about the correct way to use and remove a condom and how to dispose of it. Eventually, he unwraps and opens a condom and brings out a rubber replica of an erect penis. Students drop their heads onto their desks or flip papers in front of their eyes to screen the speaker from their vision.
What did it mean?
The class consisted of middle-age women, Yemeni Muslims wearing head coverings and Latinas. Although the principal had requested a female presenter, a male was sent. The women students were clearly offended.
His presentation would have been unsettling for many women. From the point of view of these women, it was disrespectful and embarrassing to have a male present explicit sexual details to them. Although the information was important, this educational experience was counterproductive. Students were so emotionally distressed they could not absorb the facts.
Folklorist Norine Dresser is the author of “Multicultural Manners.†Contact her through Voices or directly by e-mail: [email protected]
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