John Oliver Slays Abstinence Only Sex Ed

[VelociRapture]

I can't watch the video at the moment, but I need to later - I love John Oliver! He was phenomenal on The Daily Show with John Stewart (and he did a brilliant job hosting when Stewart was away one summer.)

I hated Sex Ed growing up. It was beyond embarrassing. I remember my mom tried sitting me down when I was ten to explain things and I was so humiliated that I covered my ears, shut my eyes, hummed a song really loud, and kicked my legs to keep her away from me. :lol:

That said, my own future children will be getting medically accurate information from me and my future husband. We were both fortunate to grow up in the same hometown in our state because the school district there started providing medically accurate Sex Ed classes in Middle School (these continued into High School). The same can't be said for other towns though - we live in Connecticut and apparently local school boards are given the power to decide what to teach and whether they're allowed to teach the subject.

I actually looked my state up on this website: http://sexetc.org/states/connecticut/

I was shocked at the fact that parents are allowed to pull their child from Sex Ed classes and that teaching about contraceptives is permitted (but not required). I honestly thought that our state mandated that Sex Ed be taught to the standard I received. I'm definitely going to keep a close eye on this once our kids are school-aged - I want to be sure they're getting all the information they can.

[sparkles]

Thankfully, our school district on Long Island was pretty good about teaching age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education, but by the time my daughter got to those classes she'd already gotten the information from me. I've never been anything other than completely open about discussing sexuality from the time she was very young. She knew she could ask me just about anything and if I didn't have the answer, we'd look it up together. It's unfortunate that some topics came up sooner than they should have, thanks to the "Mommy, Mommy, why are you killing me?" flyer some anti-choice fuck handed her in the playground one day, but I was still able to discuss it with her and calm her fears, even though I wish I didn't have to do that when she was 6 years old.

As soon as she got to high school, she became an AIDS peer educator, teaching in the middle school, and eventually became president. (Ah, a parent's pride when you pick your kid up from the meeting and she shouts across the parking lot, "Hey mom! I got to be the penis today!" Good times, good times.) She also was a sex ed peer counselor when she got to college. Job well done, kid.

When I was a kid in the 50s and 60s, we got "the talk" in 5th grade. Girls only, after school, in a darkened gym, watching a film sponsored by Kotex that never mentioned the word period if I recall. By the time I got to high school, our sex ed classes (called Health class) was hit or miss but that came down to the teachers. My 10th grade teacher was as old as the pyramids and still told girls in our segregated class not to wear patent leather shoes because they'd reflect up your dress. My 11th grade teacher presided over a co-ed free-for-all.

Dogpiling on the John Oliver love.

[2xx1xy1JD]

I can't watch the video at the moment, but I need to later - I love John Oliver! He was phenomenal on The Daily Show with John Stewart (and he did a brilliant job hosting when Stewart was away one summer.)

I hated Sex Ed growing up. It was beyond embarrassing. I remember my mom tried sitting me down when I was ten to explain things and I was so humiliated that I covered my ears, shut my eyes, hummed a song really loud, and kicked my legs to keep her away from me. :lol:

That said, my own future children will be getting medically accurate information from me and my future husband. We were both fortunate to grow up in the same hometown in our state because the school district there started providing medically accurate Sex Ed classes in Middle School (these continued into High School). The same can't be said for other towns though - we live in Connecticut and apparently local school boards are given the power to decide what to teach and whether they're allowed to teach the subject.

I actually looked my state up on this website: http://sexetc.org/states/connecticut/

I was shocked at the fact that parents are allowed to pull their child from Sex Ed classes and that teaching about contraceptives is permitted (but not required). I honestly thought that our state mandated that Sex Ed be taught to the standard I received. I'm definitely going to keep a close eye on this once our kids are school-aged - I want to be sure they're getting all the information they can.

IME, the key was teaching my kids BEFORE they got old enough for it to be awkward. Since Girl 2 developed before Girl 1 due to precocious puberty, they got "the Talk" at the same time. Girl 1 covered her ears, because she had already heard stuff on the playground. Girl 2 listened with no fuss, because she was 3 years younger and the topic hadn't come up with her friends.

[CelticGoddess]

My daughter is in a school district what requires me to opt her OUT. Yes you read that right, I have to opt my daughter out of abstinence only sex ed. I did that through all her Junior High years and her freshman year. I didn't want her to learn the twisted bullshit that is spouted out by the abstinence only imbeciles.

Instead I spoke with her about sex. Glad I did because the schools are pushing the same bunk about abstinence only.

SC has a high teen pregnancy and STD rate. But, abstinence only "works". Sure. (Instert sarcastic voice)

One of the bigger supporters of "abstinence only" got busted for hiring a prostitute. He did the whole "purity ball" with his pre-teen daughter. I about choked when I saw his face on the news.

[quiversR4hunting]

When I see "abstinence only" sex ed it makes me think of Sarah Palin. She pushed abstinence only sex ed for her short term as Alaska's governor. She also preaches her family values and one man, one woman marriage, etc ad nauseam.

Then I think of her Bristol Palin. How many times has she become pregnant while being unwed. Oh yeah, twice. Once as a teenager and now as an adult.

I think Bristol Palin should be the poster child of how abstinence only sex ed doesn't work!

[VelociRapture]

IME, the key was teaching my kids BEFORE they got old enough for it to be awkward. Since Girl 2 developed before Girl 1 due to precocious puberty, they got "the Talk" at the same time. Girl 1 covered her ears, because she had already heard stuff on the playground. Girl 2 listened with no fuss, because she was 3 years younger and the topic hadn't come up with her friends.

I'll keep this in mind. I was around 10 or 11 when mom talked with me. It was right before we were supposed to have special assemblies in fifth grade concerning all this stuff - girls went with the female teachers and the moms were invited to come watch the video with us (I wanted to sink into a hole and die of embarrassment.) Boys went with the male teachers and had a separate discussion about everything.

If you don't mind me asking, what ages were your girls when you spoke with them?

[Rajah061014]

So we watched his segment on televangelists last night. So freaking hysterical and totally on point.

Did anyone else call the number that he gave at the end of the skit? We did and it was absolutely priceless. I about died laughing.

I freaking love John Oliver.

[smittykins]

I noticed he led off the segment with Robert Tilton. I may or may not have done a hours-long YouTube binge of Brother Bob.

Or several. :embarrassed:

(Don't worry, I haven't sent him any money.)

[Howl]

I noticed he led off the segment with Robert Tilton. I may or may not have done a hours-long YouTube binge of Brother Bob.

Or several. :embarrassed:

(Don't worry, I haven't sent him any money.)

No worries, smittykins, you've repented^TM of Brother Bob and all is forgiven^TM. If you are now speaking in tongues, black ops rescue ferrets* are on code red standby. :mrgreen:

*black ops rescue ferrets are specially trained to both extract and deprogram

[2xx1xy1JD]

I'll keep this in mind. I was around 10 or 11 when mom talked with me. It was right before we were supposed to have special assemblies in fifth grade concerning all this stuff - girls went with the female teachers and the moms were invited to come watch the video with us (I wanted to sink into a hole and die of embarrassment.) Boys went with the male teachers and had a separate discussion about everything.

If you don't mind me asking, what ages were your girls when you spoke with them?

Almost 6 and almost 9. I also remember telling my 4 yr old son while I was at it - but he ended up forgetting the conversation so I had to do it again a few years later. My younger daughter started showing signs of puberty at 5, so the full talk needed to happen.

[Eighth-of-eleven]

No worries, smittykins, you've repented^TM of Brother Bob and all is forgiven^TM. If you are now speaking in tongues, black ops rescue ferrets* are on code red standby. :mrgreen:

*black ops rescue ferrets are specially trained to both extract and deprogram

Ok, loving the nickname smittykins, because I saw it originally as "Smittykittens" and this:

"*black ops rescue ferrets are specially trained to both extract and deprogram."

[smittykins]

It's OK--you're not the only one who's read it like that. :lol:

(It came from my late husband; that was his nickname for me because my maiden name is Smith.)

[2xx1xy1JD]

Just watched the televangelist clip.

I need to forward the "lupus be gone! Arthritis be gone!" part to the resident Degreed Rheumatological Professional and his colleagues. We have a running joke that he should start a cult or declare himself to be Messiah. The difference between him and Tilton, though, is that he actually has people praising him for being able to walk again or saving their lives during a lupus flare. He also doesn't accept cash (universal medicare rules).

Seriously, though, this sounds far more like a shady pyramid scheme than anything that God had in mind.

[hotsoftlight]

I found a link to this thread in yesterday's Josh + Ashley Madison thread, and I'm glad I did!

I love everything John Oliver does. He has a way of opening my eyes to horrible things, but making me laugh at the same time.

We had a speaker tell us how sex makes you useless, just like used tape, at my (Catholic) school in the late 1990s. I wasn't sexually active until after high school, but I thought the speaker/idea was bullshit then, and I think it's even more bullshit now.

:ew:

[bionicmlle]

The televangelist bit was incredible and I love that they actually ACCEPT donations ... and the small print is that it goes to doctors without borders.

Linked because I really don't think John Oliver cares (actually, I think he'd love us!): http://www.ourladyofperpetualexemption.com/mission.html