First of all this:
What.
The.
Fuck.
The state I am from, born and raised for 20 years, is receding back to the stone age. They GOP is pushing the religious right wing agenda on the state, restricting teachers from promoting safe sex, educating teens on contraception in various forms, and forcing them to teach abstinence only and to promote the benefits of marriage.
That's not what we should be teaching our children. What we need to teach them is that the years in which their bodies change and grow are, mentally, some of the most important years in their lives. They need to know the sensations they are experiencing are normal, the desires they're feeling are very normal, and that none of it is wrong or bad. I agree that abstinence is the only sure-fire way to not get pregnant (duh) but telling a teen that is the only option is absurd!
It's like telling them this: "Do not drink alcohol. Alcohol is bad. It is evil and wrong."
So for 18 years the child will grow up sheltered and not know any of the consequences of Alcohol and what happens when you drink it. All they'll know is that their parents, an entity most kids think are stupid, and when the leave for college they'll end up binge drinking and getting trashed every weekend.
I know, I've seen it happen to a large portion of my friends.
I was raised in an environment where alcohol was a very common part of our family. Yes, it hurt my family, but I learned from that and I have a great deal of respect for alcohol. I drink it in moderation. I've never abused. Sure I've gotten sick from it an various occasions. But I'm passed that stage now and don't do that very often (if only once, maybe twice a year).
Same thing with sex: "Don't have sex. Sex is bad. It's evil and wrong."
That's the last thing you should tell your kids as the grow up. They'll go on thinking it's a horrible thing and get in to a relationship when they're much older and act like a child when the subject comes up. They'll never understand that sex is a wonderful and awesome thing, and that, when performed responsibly, is a ton of fun.
Most kids don't like teachers. Most kids think they're stupid, just like they think they're parents are stupid. Kids naturally dislike authority figures. They have to deal with them for so long, it's no surprise. From the minute they're out of the womb until they're 18, there's authority left and right over them. So they naturally rebel. And if teachers, on top of parents, are just saying "Nope, abstinence is the only way" guess what they're going to try to do when they're older, in their teens. Yeah, you can put two and two together.
So instead of doing the hellfire and brimstone approach, why not educate them to be safe if they're absolutely hell bent on having sex? Here, these are condoms, they'll help you not get pregnant. Here, double on the contraception and have birth control as well. But just so you know, these methods aren't always going to work. There's a very slim chance you may still end up pregnant (or get someone pregnant). You're safest option from STD's and pregnancy is abstinence. BUT, here are your alternatives if you're really wanting to do this.
Present both sides of the discussion in a mature, adult fashion. Teens will appreciate that you're treating them in such a fashion, and your message will be heard instead of falling on deaf ears. And they'll be more likely to take your advice seriously; they'll either see that abstinence is the safest option, or go get some condoms/birth control.
Moving on, the other reason I don't want to live here anymore is because of the lack of respect people have for one another.
Example. My boss says the following as he walks out of his office, to my co-worker who sits right next to me: "My insurance premiums are going up a thousand dollars next year. But that's okay, I can afford it because I'm dirty evil scummy rich person."
Um, since when did making 6 figures (if he even makes that much which I'm guessing he does) qualify someone as rich? I would say that is just well-off. You're making enough money to help your kids through college, save for retirement, things like that. That's nice middle-class living.
Rich is millionaires. Billionaires. That's filthy rich.
The reason he said it that way is because he's super anti-OWS. On top of it, both him and my co-worker (who probably makes more than I do because he has a 4-year degree and is male) think that the entire OWS argument is "We hate rich people, we want your money because it's not fair that we don't get as much as you do."
They're sheep. They don't see the corruption. They don't see the true argument. On top of it, they're attention seekers because they think OWS is protesting people like them, which I find baffling. I'm so sick of the left demonizing the right and vice versa. Can't we discuss this without name calling?
And I don't know where this demonizing the rich came from either. OWS isn't doing it. They're calling out the criminals and the corrupt, not just the rich 1%.
Whatever, I'm all distracted now after a company meeting for post-Halloween awards. (Of which I won none).
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