The Red Knob

Standing in the reception of the Youth Offending Service I currently work for, a colleague from the training department came in with a brown cardboard box filled with literature, condoms and a prosthetic penis/condom demonstration model. She began a conversation, elaborating to myself and the others present, how she would be using the contents of her box.

My colleague held up the condom demonstration model and asked if we thought it might offend a group she would be working with tomorrow. Giving this some thought, I stated that I personally wouldn’t be – however, use of a phallic object could offend others with different moral codes.

I added after seeing the contents of the box, that she could also include the Red Knob Fanzine, or Red Knob – The Game as a demonstration of one of the many ways of informing others – targeting different groups according to the cultures they inhabit – a social marketing approach to sexual health – what influences them – what investment is there for them to consider their sexual health. Etc. My colleague flicked flippantly through the pages of the fanzine, her face cringing at some of the images and retorted that she ‘thought the images might put people off their lunches’…

I pointed out to my colleague that despite research stating that openness and discussion around sex is a prerequisite for good sexual health, in the UK we still unfortunately haven’t attained that particular nirvana, and that for some parts of our morally repressed nation, even the mention of condoms or the graphic demonstration of how to apply one to a demonstration model may cause palpitations in some quarters – that some people might be either titillated or offended by the presence of a prosthetic willy. However, given her apparent professional distain to graphic pictures of STIs, it made me wonder for a second.

Was she trying to be provocative in her approach to dealing with those she thought easily shocked with the contents of her brown box? Was she applying a targeted fear appeals/shock and show approach? H’mmm.

Given that my colleague wanted to convince her intended audience and promote the products of her box I couldn’t disagree with her morality on that point. However, given her response to The Red Knob Fanzine, it brought to the fore the consideration of the projection of people’s own personal moralities in the work they deliver.

Equal opportunities policies, if read correctly would state that no personal beliefs should override the diversity of others. That’s equal opportunity in a nutshell. A problem arises when those in positions of power and able to influence policy and guidance – i.e. the ‘educators’, health and social professionals and government dictate what they think is best. The moral codes and sensibilities of ‘middle England’ are applied to cultures remote from said ‘Sceptred Isle’; and sex education policy, whilst proffered as statutory ‘guidance’ is dictated – as any challenge to the moral or otherwise authority of those providing the guidance results in castigation of any who challenge them. Or a snub. It is a monopoly.

There lies the problem. How can anyone challenge the dictatorial approach?

I don’t have to. I can sleep at night knowing that I have fully informed any young person I have come into contact with about sex and sexual health by using a targeted approach that is applicable to that young person and their own personal beliefs – not my own.

Those who shy away from this approach are forcing their personal beliefs / morals on others. Is that equality? Tell me.

Filed under: Blog, Op Ed, Red Knob