Dr. Boyce: Don’t jump to conclusions on alleged FAMU sex tape

Nationally syndicated columnist Boyce Watkins, an assistant professor of finance at Syracuse University, says that the controversy surrounding the alleged FAMU sex tape should be put into perspective. While Dr. Boyce (like many people following the story) didn’t catch the Rattler Nation article exposing the tape as a hoax, he brings a good dose of common sense to the discussion about this ongoing spectacle.

From Dr. Boyce’s News One column, “The FAMU Sex Tape May Be a Big Ol’ Lie”:

The Internet was blowing up the other day over an alleged group sex tape made by students at Florida A&M University.

As a college professor for the past 17 years, let me give you some quick thoughts:

1) If the video is real, then so what? An alleged pornographic tape made at FAMU says nothing about the quality of the institution. All it says is that (surprise) college students have sex. The fact that this tape may or may not be out there is a result of the poor decisions of a small group of students, not the entire university itself. So, even if the FAMU sex tape is real, the university has no reason to be ashamed.

2) The FAMU sex tape may not actually be real in the first place: A tape isn’t real just because some black people made a porno and said, “Hey, we’re FAMU students!” So, don’t believe the hype until you know that you have more than hype on your hands. Anyone can make a tape and claim to be students at FAMU.

When it comes to the crazy story about the FAMU sex tape, it is important that we remember to not overreact. Sex is not a dirty, freaky, forbidden thing that only a few people do. It is a natural, pervasive and (sometimes) beautiful process that is essential to the foundation of human life. Sex is why we exist, so perhaps we should not pretend that it is so terribly taboo. In fact, you wouldn’t be here reading this article were it not for someone else’s decision to have sex at some point in the past. I recommend being educated and intelligent about sex, but getting over the fear of talking about sex in public. So, while the FAMU situation is interesting, let’s not get freaked out about it.