No really, let’s talk about it

While reading Ellen Goodman’s column about teens and sex, I remembered that Clarke County is supposed to review changing the abstinence-only curriculum this month. That’s probably a good thing considering our oh-so-stellar teen pregnancy rate.

Goodman’s column focuses on a study “from Johns Hopkins researcher Janet Rosenbaum, who compared teens who took a pledge of abstinence with teens of similar backgrounds and beliefs who didn't. She found absolutely no difference in their sexual behavior, or the age at which they began having sex, or the number of their partners. In fact, the only difference was that the group that promised to remain abstinent was significantly less likely to use birth control, especially condoms, when they did have sex. The lesson many students seemed to retain from their abstinence-only program was a negative and inaccurate view of contraception.”

Now I am not itching to get into yet another religious fight with you guys because I know that’s where this will head. God this, Jesus that, Bible blah blah blah. This is about reality, not God, and the reality is we need to talk about this stuff with kids.

Personally, the use of the word “duh” really bothers me, but somehow the intellectually-challenged expression for “you idiot” or “tell me something I don’t already know” seems to fit this three-year study about how teens who watch more television are more likely to initiate sex. Really? Who would’ve thought that? Do you think perhaps incivility and violent behavior in younger people have anything to do with the explicit scenes teens see on TV and in the movies?

Researchers need to get right on a new study to find out if movies, advertisements, electronic games and just general public behavior have any influence on teens and their behavior. You’re almost guaranteed to find out they do. So what’s the point of the study.
It’s not like the purveyors of entertainment are going to stop making the money they rake in.

Well actually the real list as to why I gave up on Catholicism is awfully long, but here is one of the reasons. CONTRADICTION.

I was trolling on cnn.com and saw a story headlined Pope: Sex can become 'like a drug'. Now as a copy editor and headline writer I know that this can’t possibly be what it sounds like, but I was intrigued so I clicked.

Turns out the story is about 40th anniversary of the Church banning contraception. Bummer.

I read the story anyway, and come to discover something I probably knew but forgot. I told you I haven’t been to church in more than a decade, so cut me some slack. Anyway, not only does my former religion ban contraception, but the same document from 1968 also bans artificial procreation.

(THUD!) Sorry that was my head slamming onto my desk.