Sex Education

setting aside for the moment the question of "How the hell did you guys go from Katrina to sex ed?"The problem with sexual education in this country is our cultural heritage of puritanism. People are embarrised / ashamed to talk about sex as adults, or to children.People don't want their children taught sex education, but they themselves refuse to teach their children.As a result we end up with a society that turns it's back on sex in the classroom and towards "the forbidden topic" in our entertainment.If sex wasn't so secret and naughty, I doubt that we'd have the bigger issues in the sexual arena that we have (porn, child molestation, etc).

I agree with you about promoting sexual activity - though I think we may disagree on what constitutes promoting.I feel strongly that schools should teach about condoms, as I had a friend in highschool who got into a bit of trouble when "put it on wrong". Can't go into much more detail, since years of nagging couldn't drag it out of him.On the topic of condoms, I'm split about handing them out in school.My primary position is this: If you can't afford a 3 dollar box of trojans, you can't afford a baby. Keep it in your pants. If you are too embarissed to go buy condoms, you aren't ready for sex. Keep it in your pants. If you don't want to have deal with the responsiblity, etc. You see where I'm going with this.The counter point is a strong one: Kids are stupid and irresponsible and society as a whole ends up paying for their mistakes, so if we can spend a few dollars here and save thousands over there, we should.

Ah ha! Off topic, but AH HA! You are saying you disagree with evolution based on what it implies about your life, not based on any evidence. This is the core Fundie argument which so rarely surfaces! POTM! POTM!!

My problem with parents teaching kids sex is a lot like my problem with homeschooling.Parents are not always suited to be teaching the subject.There is a wide range of knowledge available in the study of sex, from mechanical to spiritual to medical. I doubt that you (certainly not me) have a strong foundation in all aspects. This is something that a ciriculum can teach.

Those damn liberals! They're even worse than those imaginary commies! They won't be happy until they've gone and destroyed everything. First Civil Rights, now this! Where will it end?!

It's a double edged sword. I agree there is plenty of the naughty, but just the same, there is plenty of people being punished for being "naughty".

But do you think that because you are denied breasts?There are cultures where necks or ankles are on par with America's perspective on breasts. And, as anyone who's seen Discovery channel can tell you, there are cultures where the breasts are not something which needs to be covered.Is one of these cultures better than the other. Certainly not.Your perspective on anatomy is based on the culture in which you reside.Personally I don't think that nudity should be the big deal that it is.Try to distance yourself from your cultural identity and ask - does it really matter if I see someone naked? I'm not talking about strip clubs and sexual gratuity. I'm saying, what if everyone was naked at the supermarket?Does your seeing someone naked demean them? You? Does it reduce your ability to become aroused? If so, what does that say about the emotional / spiritual aspects of sex?

I think we basically agree, though I think you have misunderstood one of my points.I believe that a teacher armed with ciriculum is better prepared than a parent who does not have it. If a parent is willing and able to avail themselves of the material, fantastic. However, I would guess that the vast majority of parents in this country wouldn't / couldn't be bothered to do that. They'd simply stick to basics much as they do today, leaving out what could be valuable, even lifesaving, information.Additionally, though this isn't a thread about homosexuality (or STDs, or disfunction, or any number of potentially embarising things), a child may raise questions to a teacher that he/she wouldn't dare ask his/her conservative parents.

Those damn 60's! Before them there wasn't even sex or pregnancy!The roaring 20s, never happened.
The wild west, fiction.
the phrase "world's oldest profession", misleading

Hard to teach respect and French in the same class room.

Say what you will about porn, but it is always the for front of the technology knife. Porn establishes what can and can't be done with certain technology, it forges ahead creating new uses, pushing the envelope.The internet exploded because of porn
Internet buisness, banner ads, membership to sites, live streaming of video, downloadable video, high quality images - brought to you by porn
Video cameras, polaroid film - porn secured their place
900 numbers - pornIt may be "wrong" but sex is what drives our technology forward