Like we briefly talked about in class yesterday, sex really is everywhere. TV, movies, music, video games, magazines, billboards, commercials, etc. Even if kids aren't "doing it" yet, most of them know about it and talk about it. But is it always being shown in the most appropriate way? I would say no.
A lot of times sex is portrayed on TV and in music in a risky, raunchy, graphic way. Very rarely does the media show the respectful, loving, romantic sides to sexual relationships. This can be very problematic to young people who draw a lot of their conclusions and social interactions from the popular media.
On top of this, many adults do not feel comfortable talking to kids and young people about sex. So what are they left with? They still see it and hear about it everywhere, yet no one wants to claim responsibility for it, so they are left to draw their own conclusions. By doing this they may not have the most accurate or appropriate information.
What this ends up doing is creating a hyper-sexualized society who is taught that sex is important and essential, yet taboo and something that needs to be repressed. Don't get me wrong- some things should be left personal. But if we were just more comfortable talking about certain things, perhaps people with certain dysfunctions/fetishes wouldn't feel so alone, or people would have access to more accurate information, or couples could satisfy each other more because they would actually know what the other one likes! It's always been so strange to me that sex is everywhere yet no one is really talking about it. And that we are taught at a young age to be sexy and desirable, before really knowing what that means. Yet when a 10 year old asks what a blow job is her mother nearly faints! Big surprise when "The Whistle Song" is being played every hour on every popular radio station!
When it comes to educating young people about these things there is definitely a time and place. There is some information that may be age-appropriate for a 16 year old that you obviously wouldn't say to an 8 year old. But that doesn't mean that we should determine an age that we throw all this info at them and expect them to 1) process it all and 2) make good decisions. Adults- parents, educators, etc- should not be afraid to answer certain questions and bring up certain topics in an age-appropriate way and teach things little by little. Start with a very simple foundation and build on it, that way when they are teenagers they've been hearing these things all their lives and aren't shocked or confused. The language and amount of detail may change over time, but the same basic ideals have always been there. And so has the fact that we're not afraid to have these types of conversations with them and be honest and not be afraid to communicate.
Because let's face it, if we don't all do our part to educate the future generations, they will be getting love, sex, and relationship advice from influences like Lil Wayne and Jersey Shore. And that's terrifying.
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