Not In America...

Why is America wound up so tight that you could stick a pencil up our asses and sharpen it. Mark and I were watching CBC (Canadian TV) this weekend (nothing good on old American TV) and we came across two great show for teens. One of the shows deals with young people who want to see a better world. The show is called “Make Some Noise”.

“Make Some Noise is a show about people with abnormally large hearts and big-time guts. About people tired of hearing how crappy the world is, and who are actually doing something to change it. People who know how beautiful this world is and who are fighting to make sure it stays that way.” (from their website). This show is amazing and the young people are outstanding, but I am not talking about this show.

I am talking about another show that came on before “Make Some Noise”. The show is called “Street Cents”. This show deals with topics that would not be touched in our Right Wing over Christianized America. The show we saw dealt with…Wait for it…SEX. Although most American conservatives like to close their eyes and tell themselves that if they can’t see it, it isn’t happening, this show doesn’t pull any punches. Sex is here to stay. Talking truthfully with young adults about sex may be the way to change the path they are going down. Remember, they are listening to their friends. I know I did.

According to the Center for Disease Control:

1. In 2005, 47% of high school students had ever had sexual intercourse, and 14% of high school students had had four or more sex partners during their life.
2. In 2005, 34% of currently sexually active high school students did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse.
3. In 2002, 11% of males and females aged 15-19 had engaged in anal sex with someone of the opposite sex; 3% of males aged 15-19 had had anal sex with a male.
4. In 2004, an estimated 4,883 young people aged 13-24 in the 33 states reporting to CDC were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, representing about 13% of the persons diagnosed that year.
5. In 2000, 13% of all pregnancies, or 831,000, occurred among adolescents aged 15-19.
   

With these staggering figures, why are we so reluctant to talk with our kids?

“Street Cents” talks to young people on their level. In episode 6, they talked about some of the myths on sex that were floating around school even when I was young, such as:

1. MYTH 2: Pop Kills Sperm
2. MYTH 5: If You Have Same-Sex Fantasies - Your Gay
3. MYTH 6: If You Have An STI (STD in America) You’ll Know It
4. MYTH 7: The Withdrawal Method Works
5. MYTH 11: HIV is Curable

Street Cents talks about sex truthfully and openly. We, in America, cannot seem to do this. This show would never have made it to television here in the states. Americans like to stick their heads in the sand and hope that it all goes away. Kids are having sex and if we don’t tell them the truth about it, more and more kids will put themselves at risk. Kids are starting to have sex at 13-14 years old (some even younger). I think kids are curious and if we don’t talk with them, they will experiment. I know I did.

But how do we tell our kids that using a condom is safe when the evangelical Christians ban the use of condoms. I cannot use condoms least I go to hell. Why is contraception evil to most (if not all Christians)? According to the Bible, sex is for procreation only. Now tell me that none of you have had sex for fun. Sex is fun, but you also need to be responsible. This is where we need to teach our kids. We need shows like “Street Cents” as well as others. We need to be able to talk with our young adults about life and sex, because if we don’t their peers will.