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.
