Cletus posted a comedy satire about sex ed in another thread. The one thing I cannot get out of my head is the part about several good schools whose students publicly and unabashedly have "No means Yes and Yes means anal" as their chant/motto.
I don' think anyone intentionally teaches their kids this. So where DO these attitudes come from, and why do young people think this kind of thing is ok to be saying out loud? I think it is covered in "joke". But is it a joke? Is it completely meaningless?
If we look at humor as a human experience, the funniest stuff is the stuff we actually associate with. That is why people like Robin Williams are/were so funny. That's why we liberals think John Stewart is so funny. So where does that leave us with regards to young people think that sort of thing is funny?
I confess that this topic has me lost. I know navigating this stuff as a young person was a nightmare. My education was non-existent. So were the other young people with whom I associated. So we did a lot of stupid things. Aside from the actual 1 rape and 2 attempted rapes that were very, very clear cut, there were MANY instances of trying to "get" in my pants. The "pushing past the no" that FW brought up. And they were not benign attempts to encourage past hesitancy in a way that was considerate of how *I* might be feeling. It was lies, pressure, a distinct desire to get laid by a hottie at all costs. (I am not bad looking, I am told.) These were not bad kids. They very likely grew up to be nice men, learning from these experiences the same way I did.
How do we help young people learn these lessons the easy way, not the hard way, which is how I view my education?
I don' think anyone intentionally teaches their kids this. So where DO these attitudes come from, and why do young people think this kind of thing is ok to be saying out loud? I think it is covered in "joke". But is it a joke? Is it completely meaningless?
If we look at humor as a human experience, the funniest stuff is the stuff we actually associate with. That is why people like Robin Williams are/were so funny. That's why we liberals think John Stewart is so funny. So where does that leave us with regards to young people think that sort of thing is funny?
I confess that this topic has me lost. I know navigating this stuff as a young person was a nightmare. My education was non-existent. So were the other young people with whom I associated. So we did a lot of stupid things. Aside from the actual 1 rape and 2 attempted rapes that were very, very clear cut, there were MANY instances of trying to "get" in my pants. The "pushing past the no" that FW brought up. And they were not benign attempts to encourage past hesitancy in a way that was considerate of how *I* might be feeling. It was lies, pressure, a distinct desire to get laid by a hottie at all costs. (I am not bad looking, I am told.) These were not bad kids. They very likely grew up to be nice men, learning from these experiences the same way I did.
How do we help young people learn these lessons the easy way, not the hard way, which is how I view my education?
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