Bruce
Wainwright
Olden wonder
A FATAL CASE OF
EMBARRASSMENT
The facility with which young people (by which I mean anyone
under the age of 45) can handle the latest technology never ceases to amaze
me. Of course, parents who rely on their infant offspring to programme the
video are legendary, but we’ve moved far beyond that now.
Kids who find it difficult to identify the capital of France or confuse Waterloo
and Agincourt can somehow manage to text the equivalent of War and Peace in
a matter of minutes and navigate their iPods at the same time.
But, for reasons which have hitherto escaped me, it seems they cannot comprehend
the technicalities of the rubber condom, with results which are all too regularly
chronicled in these pages.
I cannot believe, however, that the reason lies entirely in ignorance. Most
of us, surely, know what condoms are for and how and when to use them. Somehow,
the message gets lost on the way to the bedroom, for reasons which are indicated
in research carried out by Dolores Albarracin, at the University of Florida.
This appears to suggest that the 354 HIV awareness campaigns she investigated
had little, if any, impact on behaviour and were largely a waste of money.
This
research confirms what Graham Greene observed decades ago in his novel, The
Ministry of Fear: we (and in those days he particularly meant the white English
middle classes) would rather end up dead sooner than cause a public scene.
It was true then and it’s all too often true today. We will die, not
only of ignorance, but of embarrassment brought about by social awkwardness.
Are we to risk losing a partner by ignoring the sweet talk and insisting on
a condom? Do we risk getting the brush-off by saying ‘no’? Are
we just too embarrassed even to admit that we forgot to buy some? What’s
lacking is not only knowledge but negotiating skills. Whether it’s teenagers
at school, African women or gay men on the club scene, they all need the skill
and assertiveness to ask the relevant questions, know where they want to draw
the line, and in doing so, protect themselves. These skills are learned, and
someone needs to teach them; we certainly haven’t been born with them.
The problem is that teaching in this kind of way is going to be painfully
slow. Quite small groups working to inform and hone personal skills have been
shown to be the most effective in changing behaviour, but they are, by their
very nature, small. Additionally, the research strongly suggests that one
size definitely doesn’t fit all. Each group, whether it is African women,
young gay men or Asians, have needs and expectations which are different,
and therefore, need their own specific approach. What works for one won’t
necessarily work for another.
It also involves money, and probably quite a lot of it. So, I would argue
that if, in the unlikely event that there is any spare cash around, and the
primary care trusts haven’t used it to shore up their balance sheets,
it should go to schools and other organisations which are prepared to develop
these skills. At the very least, we should look with a more than usually critical
eye at any publicity campaign aimed at changing behaviour. Chances are that
it’s money poorly spent.
• brucefirst@googlemail.com
