Sex education

Kinda have to agree with BIS and LoudSilence... although I think better education could partially remedy that problem.

My main issue with Sex Education in general, is that it doesn't matter where you get it from there is always some sort of bias or manipulation that is trying to force a specific view on you. People need to be educated about every aspect of sexuality equally, they need to be made aware that social stigmas are indeed social stigmas - whether they come from peers of from authority figures (to help them create their own beliefs).

Sex education needs to be completely free from social beliefs, societal beliefs, taboos, religious persecution and personal bias. It needs to just be about the information, all of it.

Useful information encompassing all factors> abstinence-based and safety-based sex education.

Anyway, there's my two cents.

BlahISuck said:

That being said, the teen pregnancy rate in the United States, when compared to other Western countries, is incredibly high.

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No doubt. Personally I chalk that up to lack of education about sex and lack of services mixed with a large Puritanical streak that runs through the country, a.k.a., young girl doesn't know how to use protection properly, gets pregnant, gets shamed for it, feels obligated to raise a child, etc.

LoudSilence said:

It's not so much that I think sex for the sake of is the issue. I think having sex pervade almost every form of media and pop culture our youth hungrily consumes is the issue.

That is what I mean by hypersexualisation. Sex is everywhere, you couldn't avoid it even if you wanted to. We've glorified the act so much to the point where people celebrate sexual "conquests" or are embarrassed about being virgins at a certain age...I think we can agree that such mentalities are damaging to the society.

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I'd agree with you in part. I think there are some bad messages about sex in the media, particularly ones to do with body issues and attention - in other words the message that you have to be skinny and reveal a lot of skin to be worth something. I think there can be positive messages about sex just that we don't have as many of them.

Scarf said:

No doubt. Personally I chalk that up to lack of education about sex and lack of services mixed with a large Puritanical streak that runs through the country, a.k.a., young girl doesn't know how to use protection properly, gets pregnant, gets shamed for it, feels obligated to raise a child, etc.


I'd agree with you in part. I think there are some bad messages about sex in the media, particularly ones to do with body issues and attention - in other words the message that you have to be skinny and reveal a lot of skin to be worth something. I think there can be positive messages about sex just that we don't have as many of them.

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Fun fact: The highest rates of teen pregnancy in the US are in the school districts with "abstinence only" education, or no sex education at all.

Funny, huh? :P

Scarf said:

I think there are some bad messages about sex in the media, particularly ones to do with body issues and attention - in other words the message that you have to be skinny and reveal a lot of skin to be worth something. I think there can be positive messages about sex just that we don't have as many of them.

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Body image is a big deal, yeah. Pressures to attain a certain societal standard are stupid and are unfortunately perpetuated by the idea I was referring to before: that sex is just the thing to do. You are weird if you don't have sex or have not had it by a certain age. Abstinence without religious connotations is equated to deprivation or being "prudish".

Bit of an anecdote here, but there was a poll held in one of my college classes about sexual activity and what motivated one to engage in that. A vast majority of the class (specifically the girls) were only mildly interested or flat out not interested in sex in itself but assumed that it was what everyone did and would have felt weird not having taken part in it. A huge chunk of these people also did it because their boyfriends wanted to and thought it would be "special" to share that.

I think this cultural expectation is a problem. Sex shouldn't be "special" like that or something that we are judged by. Why should not knowing about sex before you are ready to have kids make someone "sheltered"? Why should movies like 40 Year Old Virgin even exist (funny movie btw)? I'm sure many people would consider what I'm saying and be incredulous, and that incredulity is what I think is wrong.

Education is just patchwork IMO and doesn't address the root cause.

KittenKoder said:

Fun fact: The highest rates of teen pregnancy in the US are in the school districts with "abstinence only" education, or no sex education at all.

Funny, huh? :P

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Put a roast turkey (thanksgiving hnggg) on the high shelf that everyone is gorging on and tell your child they can't touch it for years...can't expect any other outcome, honestly.

That's the deprivation I'm getting at. That roast turkey should not be put on the shelf. It should instead be in front of me on my table because I'm really hungry.

...umm I was going somewhere with this. I, uh, just really want turkey right now

<Jay finishes his turkey sandwich.>

That hit the spot!

The thing with trying to keep knowledge of sex away from children is that it's almost impossible. We are exposed to it from the very earliest days of our lives. We know watching our parents that the kiss they give each other is a whole lot different from the kiss they give us. It sets in a curiosity in children's minds. Why do our parents do that? And then, invariably when children play "house" as all children do at one time or another, they will do their best to emulate their parents.

The sole reason I think educating children in age appropriate ways about sex and sexuality, is that by giving children answers to these questions, we give them the knowledge they need to make the right decisions for themselves when they feel they are ready. The purpose of sex education is not to create sexual creatures (we're already sexual creatures from birth) but to hopefully encourage children to make responsible choices for themselves. And we're seeing this happening. Studies are showing that teens are engaging in sex a lot later in their lives than in those places that either do not have sex education, or teach abstinence only.

If I were to have a child, I would want my child to have all the best information possible for him or her. And I would also want them to feel comfortable enough coming to me with any questions and concerns that they might have.

Jay_37040 said:

<Jay finishes his turkey sandwich.>

That hit the spot!

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Arghhhhh dude I hate you ;_;

Education is about educating, not about pushing an agenda. If anything, the conflict you describe should be part of the education. Let kids know that there is an ongoing debate about the role of sex education and engage them in discussion about it.