Dirty Bingo

A few weeks back while I was waiting for the computer to warm up and load my PowerPoint slides for the morning's class I asked the students who were there "what is Dirty Bingo?".

I had noticed a poster advertising an event put on by the Student Association called Dirty Bingo and I was naturally curious what it was. It is not the first time that this event has occurred. In fact I think it probably is an regular event. I had just never gotten around to asking someone what it was. I suppose if someone had asked me what I thought it was I might have wondered what word could be used to replace "Bingo". If pushed harder I would have perhaps tried to imagine playing some game outside on large squares.... but  in all honesty I did not have a clue.

The answer I got from my students was simple. "It is like regular bingo except the prices are sex toys". I expressed a bit of surprise, the computer warmed up, my slides appeared and the class started. But their answer has been laying somewhere in the back of my mind - festering a wee bit. I am not too sure why but there is something about the students hosting something called Dirty Bingo that bothers me.

The easy answer is that much of my attitude around sex and all things related to sex was shaped by my upbringing. I am far more a product of my father's Baptist beliefs than anything that happened later including coming of age in the late 60s. Therefore I might be a bit of a prude and therefore naturally offended by the thought of sex toys being given to young adults. But that is not what is bothering me.

Why is it called "Dirty Bingo"? If someone decides to run a bingo game and hand out such toys - that is fine. But I don't understand why such toys are labelled as "dirty".  It would seem to me that if we are as liberated and as well educated as we think we are, then we should not need to titillate the audience by labelling the prizes in such a fashion. It is as if we still need to perceive sex as being dirty or not quite OK.

I don't understand.