The British pop artist George Michael, in one of his songs from 1987, articulated that, "Sex is natural. Sex is good. Not everybody does it, but everybody should."
While those lyrics may seem rather tame now, back then they were considered quite scandalous in its apparent endorsement of promiscuity. But contained in its simple composition is the accurate description of man's preoccupation with all things belonging in the realm of sexual pleasure. Turn on the television, listen to the radio, go on the Internet, or even try to purchase an outfit for a fete, and you'll find that exposure to its suggestive nature is almost unavoidable.
This culture of heightened sexualisation might be even worse for us here in T&T, for along with the foreign imports, we are bombarded by our own indigenous temptations.
In a previous column (July 18) I condescendingly described our country as, "The land of waist-gyrating, sexual innuendo-laced soca tunes, and ever-shrinking Carnival costumes." Those things however are only manifestations of what is undoubtedly a carnal obsession.
Take our local theatre productions for example; the situations may be different, but they all essentially revolve around the "who's sleeping/horning with who" storyline. The writers aren't entirely to blame for this topical fixation, after all they are only giving the public what they want. And we seem to want a lot of it.
What is disconcerting is that its prevalence has made it difficult to shield the adolescent and even pre-adolescent members of our society from such inappropriate material. It is something that our Minister of Education seems to have underestimated with his recent comments that sex education has no place in our schools and instead is the responsibility of the parent. Clearly Mr Garcia is out of touch with what's going on in the typical secondary school. There may not be a lot of education taking place, but the subject of sex is most present on the unofficial curriculum.
As an alumnus to one of our nation's prestigious denominational schools, I can tell you from experience that pornography was a highly valued and constantly traded commodity. And when it came to the questions regarding sex, the sum total of our religious instruction was as follows: pornography, masturbation and pre-marital sex are all sins, so don't do it.
I am not advocating that these schools should compromise their beliefs, but looking back on it now I wish there was a more practical and honest discussion. For what we learned as teenage boys became all we know now as men. I just have to look at how I turned out–two parts academic, one part Monty Python, one part gentleman, and one part pervert. I wish I could knock some sense into my younger self to let him know how much of that schoolyard talk turned out to be nonsense.
The notion that it might lead to experimentation is not only foolhardy, but archaic. The raging hormones of puberty is enough motivation for our youth to seek out ways to satisfy their curiosity. This isn't just about the "birds and the bees," "what goes where," teenage pregnancy, and the spread of HIV/Aids. It should also encompass an awareness and respect for our bodies and for the opposite gender. This information may help them take the necessary precautions if and when they are faced with the choice, or better yet, choose to avoid it altogether.
The status quo is not having any meaningful effect on stemming the issue of teenage sexual activity and the circumstances that follow, especially among the most vulnerable and underprivileged. The policy of avoidance is not going to miraculously make it all go away.
This is just another example of the disconnection between what's going on at school and home. When parents and teachers work together for the benefit of the child, it must go beyond scholastic concerns. A holistic approach must be employed so that not only will we have better students, but better individuals. And sex education has a necessary place in that development.