It was a soirée to mark the start of the new academic year. There were glasses of wine and cheese on sticks—all the usual accompaniments for that day and age—and yet in such a genteel atmosphere something quite shocking occurred.
Before I go into detail, I should point out that I wasn’t at the particular soirée in question. But while I didn’t start until autumn 1978, what had happened in 1977 was still resonating. Two members of the academic staff jointly hosted a get-together for new and returning students. It was much the same every year. It had been an easy and relaxed way for new and returning students to get to know each other. However, in the idle chat something was said—or rather a question was asked—that was deemed so shocking that the whole event soon ended as students decided to leave. (Something serious had to be going on if students were willing to turn down free drink!)
I was intrigued to know what had happened in 1977. Initially, those present would not divulge anything. Indeed, it took me well over a year to get to the bottom of it. It is something that even today would be described as ‘indelicate’, and as such, I cannot bring myself to describe it in detail. (Suffice it to say that it involves female anatomy.) Indeed, I suspect that people would find it more objectionable today than we did then.
Personally, I do not find what was said the least bit shocking—although I do understand the sensibilities of others (hence my lack of detail). The question asked was one that anybody ignorant of (female) anatomy might at least wonder about to themselves. (This is a roundabout way of saying that it is a question males might wonder about.)
Importantly, I want to raise the question of questions that can and cannot be asked out loud in polite company. It is my contention that we should not limit ourselves—especially when it comes to questions. We must be as free as possible when asking questions. That is not to say that we are at liberty to ask any question we like on every occasion. Also we must ask in such a way as to give the context and the reasons for asking certain questions lest they be deemed improper.
Nearly fifty years on, we can now ask whatever impertinent question we like, impersonally, of an AI chatbot. In fact, I did just that for the question asked at that 1977 soirée. It gave the factual response that I had expected. Importantly, it didn’t refuse to respond or query my motives. However, it turns out that there is a medical/well-being dimension to the question about which I was previously unaware, and that is worth knowing about. It transpires that the question was a valid one after all—albeit one asked in the wrong setting.
