Anyone think this will work?

[Cheyenne]

Haunted House Aims to Scare Teen-Agers Into Safer Sex
By Lucas L. Johnson Ii Associated Press Writer
Published: Oct 30, 2001

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Teen-agers may have outgrown their fear of ghouls and goblins, but health officials believe their haunted house has something far scarier: gonorrhea and genital warts. Hoping to combat one of the nation's highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases, city health officials have staged the "STD Free! Haunted House."

As visitors make their way through a dimly lit, S-shaped maze, they view startling, full-color photos of canker sores and genital warts on male and female genitalia infected with syphilis, chlamydia or gonorrhea. An empty casket at the end sends a message that death awaits anyone who does not practice safe sex.

"We want to scare their pants back on," said Elizabeth Frazier, a registered nurse at Tennessee State University's health center. "We encourage abstinence. But if they can't do that, then use protection."

Lynnette Whitlow, program specialist for the city health department, said some football players could barely get through last year's haunted house.

"Guys would come up and say nothing scares them," Whitlow said, "then before they could get around the corner ... I could hear them screaming."

The haunted house was developed three years ago after Nashville reported the second-highest rate of syphilis in the country - 250 cases, or 45 cases per 100,000 people.

Haunted house visitors are given "goody bags" filled with brochures on sexually transmitted diseases, and can get a free STD test once they complete the maze.

Last year, more than 1,600 visited the haunted house and 60 students were tested for HIV and syphilis.

"I think it will have a positive effect and deter freshman like myself from making mistakes," said Jordan Williams, a freshman from Toledo, Ohio, who planned to take a tour when the house opened Wednesday. "I don't know if it will make people abstain, but I do think they will consider using protection."

 

[mig]

Will it work?

Sounds as if it might.

It's certainly worth trying.

 

[on_the_verge]

Fear is one of the things that can cause someone to have an aversion, but do we need to be scared about sex or do we need better education and guidence about sex? What will instilling fear do to what "sensuality and sexuality" is? I wonder if we learn to fear sex, that we will begin to fear our bodies, spirit and the essence of being naked and being sexual is governed by how others see it? It's the media, society, etc., but it is also how the world is changing and we should be sensitive and adapting to it.

Yet, this might be a good idea to show that something can be learned from an event that many would wantto participate in and not have to sit in a classroom or with the parents and learn about it.

 

[morninggirl5]

It might work, it's certainly worth trying. If the horror of the pictures gets past the teenagers "it won't happen to me" mentality, chances are it will be successful.

I have some of the less graphic pictures in an old college textbook, and they were enough to make a bunch of college kids rethink what was happening on campus.

 

[lilminx]

I don't think that the problem lies just with teenagers. I know of many adults who don't practice safe sex as well...

 

[WriterDom]

Reminds me of the "Scare them to Jesus" Haunted House they have here every year.

 

[shadowsource]

SOS

Condoms would be way more useful.

 

[lavender]