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Topic:
Time to grow up - an end to the folly of abstinence only sex ed?
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Midgetsforbreakfast
Registered:
Nov '02
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Date Posted:
2/28 4:52pm
Subject:
RE: Time to grow up - an end to the folly of abstinence only sex ed?
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I'm sure that this has been brought up in here before, but I haven't seen it said in some time, so here goes again:
One thing I think has to be addressed in any kind of discussion about sex-ed is the tremendous influence our popular culture has on the sexual behaviors of kids and young adults. Kids these days are incredibly "over-sexified" and are exposed to ideas, images and behaviors far too early, thus affecting their psychological development, their views towards sex, how they handle relationships and a slew of other issues.
Sex has evolved into "no big deal" in our popular culture--something casual that can be treated as recreational in nature. Kids see this and emulate the belief. Study after study has shown that as recreational sex has become more accepted in pop-culture, more and more kids are having more sex.
Now, before people start casting my view as purely morally-centric driven, please let me expound.
If kids see sex trivialized so much in our culture and adopt such views, how can a teacher or a parent break through such programming to teach them that sex carries with it serious, maybe even life-changing and possibly deadly consequences? It wouldn't be easy. Whether you believe in abstinence or birth control education, how do we convey in education that sex should be treated with respect and responsibility?
Even with birth-control and STD prevention devices kids are in more danger now because of the idea of recreational sex. It's simple--the more sex you have (protected or unprotected) your chances of contracting a STD or getting pregnant go up. The odds turn against you the more times you engage in the behavior.
Are these facts being taught to kids in their sex-ed classes?
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Lowbacca_1977
Title: Senate Moderator
Registered:
Jun '06
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Date Posted:
2/28 9:34pm
Subject:
RE: Time to grow up - an end to the folly of abstinence only sex ed?
- Date Edited:
2/28 9:36pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Lowbacca_1977
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Yeah, but since when has telling teens not to do something been as simple as that? I think it should generally be stressed that abstinance is the safest way, but one has to acknowledge that it won't be the only way taken.
I'd also suggest that our culture hasn't been overly sexified so much as we've raised the bar on when they're no longer kids. I mean, 60 years ago, it wasn't at all uncommon to be working at far younger ages than now, and marriage ages were lower. We've artificially, I think, created this idea that they're nowhere near being ready to be adults until after they're 18.
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DorkmanScott
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Mar '01
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Date Posted:
2/29 1:10am
Subject:
RE: Time to grow up - an end to the folly of abstinence only sex ed?
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Midgetsforbreakfast posted:
One thing I think has to be addressed in any kind of discussion about sex-ed is the tremendous influence our popular culture has on the sexual behaviors of kids and young adults. Kids these days are incredibly "over-sexified" and are exposed to ideas, images and behaviors far too early, thus affecting their psychological development, their views towards sex, how they handle relationships and a slew of other issues.
Sex has evolved into "no big deal" in our popular culture--something casual that can be treated as recreational in nature. Kids see this and emulate the belief. Study after study has shown that as recreational sex has become more accepted in pop-culture, more and more kids are having more sex.
My counterpoint to this is that casual sex is almost always, especially recently, treated as a bad thing in an emotional sense, or something with heavy consequences. Besides the action movie where the secret agent sexes whatever blond happens to be nearest, casual sex is almost always the mark of a shallow character in a bad situation who will inevitably see the error of his ways.
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Onoto
Title: Risk Host
Registered:
Oct '04
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Date Posted:
2/29 1:54pm
Subject:
RE: Time to grow up - an end to the folly of abstinence only sex ed?
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I'm interested in calculus, physics, and history. I could care less about the school system's views on sex. Why are all education debates centered around sex-ed and Intelligent Design when those things are of no importance in an academic setting?
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Midgetsforbreakfast
Registered:
Nov '02
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Date Posted:
2/29 2:57pm
Subject:
RE: Time to grow up - an end to the folly of abstinence only sex ed?
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Lowbacca_1977 posted:
Yeah, but since when has telling teens not to do something been as simple as that? I think it should generally be stressed that abstinance is the safest way, but one has to acknowledge that it won't be the only way taken.
I understand that it isn't easy, but what is nowadays?
My point in drawing attention to the climate of sex in our popular culture is that adults, parents, and teachers need to be more aware of such influences and take a more pro-active approach towards addressing the issue not only with their kids, but with those in the commercial/film/music industries using such tactics. Sure, sex sells, but at what cost?
Lowbacca_1977 posted:
I'd also suggest that our culture hasn't been overly sexified so much as we've raised the bar on when they're no longer kids. I mean, 60 years ago, it wasn't at all uncommon to be working at far younger ages than now, and marriage ages were lower. We've artificially, I think, created this idea that they're nowhere near being ready to be adults until after they're 18.
I agree, but I disagree.
We cannot expect kids and teens today to act in an adult manner and make important decision for themselves when we don't emphasize nearly as much the importance of taking responsibility for their choices and actions. We have, in a lot of ways, misplaced our compassion and stolen from kids their right to fail and learn from the consequences. Couple this with the constant bombardment of sex in our popular culture with little attention paid to the consequences of such actions and we have a dangerous combination.
And before someone says it I know that kids that either get pregnant or contract and STD are still facing the consequences of these actions, but I feel it has changed because of the way popular culture addresses the issues. We have movies like 'Juno' which rather gloss over and glorify casual sex and teen pregnancy to the point where the real negative consequences are trivialized. Not all teen pregnancies are as rosy as 'Juno' would have kids believe, and so popular culture is not telling them the truth.
This, I think, is a greater folly than abstinence-only education could ever be, because while abstinence-only ed. may have its downfalls, at least it isn't actively encouraging kids to have casual sex, it isn't trying to glorify teen pregnancy or portray it as being "cool."
Abstinence-only ed. may not be practical, but at least it is factual. Pop-culture's portrayal of sex is far less than factual.
DorkmanScott posted:
My counterpoint to this is that casual sex is almost always, especially recently, treated as a bad thing in an emotional sense, or something with heavy consequences. Besides the action movie where the secret agent sexes whatever blond happens to be nearest, casual sex is almost always the mark of a shallow character in a bad situation who will inevitably see the error of his ways.
Once again I agree, but disagree. Yes, there are films and books out there that portray casual sex as shallow, but can High Schoolers (or Middle Schoolers, for that matter) be called (generally) anything BUT shallow?
In a time of such change and development where kids are confused, trying to find themselves and who they are, what they believe, they are incredibly fragile. Most often, the more shallow aspects of teen life are the most important--i.e. am I attractive enough, am I popular enough, am I cool enough, etc.
In such an atmosphere of uncertainty how can we expect the majority of teens NOT to emulate the more shallow aspects portrayed by popular culture?
So while there may be those messages out there, I think they fall on (mostly) deaf ears because of the state of psychological development kids of that age are experiencing.
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Lowbacca_1977
Title: Senate Moderator
Registered:
Jun '06
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Date Posted:
2/29 4:01pm
Subject:
RE: Time to grow up - an end to the folly of abstinence only sex ed?
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What parents should do and what schools should do are drastically different. Schools are there to provide information. Parents are there for guidance and to teach morals. Also, I don't think its at all on base to blame the movie/music industry, I blame the parents who are getting that stuff for their kids, since at least the younger teen years they're getting the money for all that from their parents rather than working.
How is teaching the risks attached to various mehtods encouraging sex? Mind you, this is the context of schools, and the schools are not pushing casual sex even if one would argue the media is.
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Midgetsforbreakfast
Registered:
Nov '02
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Date Posted:
2/29 5:49pm
Subject:
RE: Time to grow up - an end to the folly of abstinence only sex ed?
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Lowbacca_1977 posted:
What parents should do and what schools should do are drastically different. Schools are there to provide information. Parents are there for guidance and to teach morals.
Information. Exactly. How is pointing out the facts of a sexually over-saturated popular culture not within the realm of the kind of information that should be taught in school sex-ed classes? Teach the kids what a constant bombardment of such imagery and messages can do to someone so they're aware of it. Granted, such curriculum should be reviewed first and then, possibly, voted on by the PTA before being implemented, but what's wrong with the school teaching such information in sex-ed.?
I must say that I'm confused as to why you(and you're not alone--a lot of people do it) associated the psychological effects of over-saturation of sex in our popular culture and the misrepresentation of sexual behavior in media and entertainment as being a moral issue? I don't think I was advocating that we teach kids not to have recreational sex because "It's bad", but educate them on the dangers and realities of such behavior, and the effects the messages in our popular culture have on kids, so I'm confused how you made that association. Perhaps I am mistaken in how I'm interpreting your words?
However, to better illustrate my point--we teach the effects of alcohol abuse, tobacco abuse, drug abuse, etc. in order to counter the effects of marketing/pop culture (not only for this reason, but it is a reason because of the social pressures to engage in such behavior which, I contend, are affected by pop culture). Our educational system recognizes the ill-effects of such behavior, and so they actively engage in countering the effects of popular culture's influence in this area. Movies show kids drinking, smoking and getting high--teachers tell kids it is not cool to drink, smoke or get high. (I concede that there are obviously reasons other than popular cultures influence that cause people to engage in such behaviors (the high of alcohol, nicotine and other drugs), but I am limiting my scope to the influence aspect for obvious reasons.)
Lowbacca_1977 posted:
Also, I don't think its at all on base to blame the movie/music industry, I blame the parents who are getting that stuff for their kids, since at least the younger teen years they're getting the money for all that from their parents rather than working.
I agree. The parents are mostly to blame. I am in no way trying to mitigate their responsibility in this problem in the least. Let me be clear on that.
However, as we know parents cannot be in all places at all times. Furthermore, we do not leave it up to parents to teach the kids of this nation everything they need to (or should) know. Parents (rightly or wrongly) leave it up to the educational system to teach their kids about certain things. Not everything about such topics, but the vast majority of the information/education on topics. Sex-ed. has become one of these things.
So, while I agree that ultimately it is the teachings of the parents that matter the most, I'm confused as to why the educational system hasn't already taken it upon themselves to alert kids AND PARENTS to the dangers of the over-saturation, glorification and downright untruths concerning sex in our popular culture?
Lowbacca_1977 posted:
How is teaching the risks attached to various mehtods encouraging sex? Mind you, this is the context of schools, and the schools are not pushing casual sex even if one would argue the media is.
I think you misunderstood me there. If you go back and read that part of my post again you'll see that I was referring to the message of popular culture and movies such as 'Juno' encouraging casual sex, not the sexual education curriculum.
Another point I would like to make is that most sex-ed. courses are very short. In my experience, I had maybe one hour of one day in 5th grade educating me on sex and sexual development, a 6 week course in 8th grade for Health Education(only 2 weeks of which was devoted to sex ed.(sexual development and "safe sex" practices) in a 45 minute class 3 days a week), a 9 week class in 9th grade(only 3 weeks of which was devoted to sexual development and "safe sex" practices) and that's it.
How does that little amount of information, education and persuasion(coupled with what my parents taught me) compete with a constant, daily bombardment from popular culture?
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dizfactor
Registered:
Aug '02
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Date Posted:
6/24 7:00pm
Subject:
RE: Time to grow up - an end to the folly of abstinence only sex ed?
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In April 2007, a federally funded study of four abstinence-only programs by Mathematica Policy Research Inc., found that participants had just as many sexual partners as nonparticipants and had sex at the same median age as nonparticipants. The four programs had taught students about human anatomy and sexually transmitted diseases, helped them improve their communication skills, manage peer pressure, set personal goals and build self-esteem.
For Colorado, the study results sealed the decision to get out of the program. Dr. Ned Calonge, the state's chief medical officer, said Mathematica's methods were the gold standard for scientific studies.
"To show no benefit compared to nothing. That was striking," Calonge said. "These are tax dollars that are going for no useful purpose, and it would not be responsible for us to take those dollars."
States Refuse Abstinence Ed. Grants, Time magazine.
Abstinence-only education so ineffective that state government bureaucrats feel guilty about taking federal government handouts. The mind boggles.
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Jedi Merkurian
Title: Games: RPG d20 GM
Registered:
May '00
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Date Posted:
9/1 11:36am
Subject:
RE: Time to grow up - an end to the folly of abstinence only sex ed?
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*bump* for current events 
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dizfactor
Registered:
Aug '02
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Date Posted:
9/1 1:42pm
Subject:
RE: Time to grow up - an end to the folly of abstinence only sex ed?
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OK, seriously, between the Bristol Palin pregnancy, and all the various right-wingers who preach against homosexuality in the pulpit before going out and cruising public restrooms and bathhouses for ****, does any of this anti-sex sweep-it-under-the-rug approach really have any credibility anymore? I mean, seriously?
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Sauntaero
Registered:
Jul '03
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Date Posted:
9/1 3:55pm
Subject:
RE: Time to grow up - an end to the folly of abstinence only sex ed?
- Date Edited:
9/1 3:58pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Sauntaero
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Absolutely. For all the 'casual sex' media out there, there is just as much 'anti-sex' media. It is crazy, and most of the time, popularised and misunderstood by the people who are touting it.
I agree with Midgetsforbreakfast (and as a side note, I giggled while typing that name). There is an idea that casual sex as seen at the movies is perfectly fine in real life. This could be yet another thing that could be added to sex-ed. But I also like the point about kids not being allowed to grow up, make mistakes, and such--that's one thing that sex allows them to do--feel adult, make mistakes, and hopefully learn from them. Yes, they should be taught responsibility and consequences--but they also have a need to grow up, through making mistakes. I don't know how many times I've told my own parents this.
diz, you are my hero. 
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xx_Anakin_xx
Registered:
Jan '08
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Date Posted:
9/1 9:40pm
Subject:
RE: Time to grow up - an end to the folly of abstinence only sex ed?
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Kids are going to have casual sex no matter what. So yeah, the abstinence rigumroll should be ditched at the curb and students should get the full blown low down on sexual education and all of the ramifications of having sex. Those who choose to abstain, will do so without any prodding.
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