DEADLY PAYOFFS: WHY I RISK IT
Dear auntie, when you sat me down
And told me to be careful in my relations with men
I knew you did it out of love
Don't get me wrong, I listened
And took in all you had to say
But auntie, I did not have a boyfriend then
So I thought, "It's so easy to be safe."
Description:
*This is the winning entry in the Text category from YAHAnet's first contest in summer 2008.*
This poem illustrates that a person will engage in a behaviour which they know puts them at risk, because they are getting some sort of payoff (reward) for engaging in that behaviour. This perceived reward ensures that the person persists in a behaviour which they know has negative and unwanted consequences for them.
For instance, in this poem, a girl has a boyfriend who has multiple sexual partners.The girl goes ahead to have unprotected sex with him, even though she is aware of the risk (of getting HIV) involved. She persists in this risky behaviour because she values the feeling of love she gets from this relationship so greatly, that it becomes the payoff that sustains her risky behaviour.
