Life is a plethora of choices I love calling life a smorgasbord. You can go to this table and have a little bit of this, and go over there and have a little bit of that, then dive at the dessert bar.  Today I feel like talking about a big part of the human smorgasbord, and guiding young people. Todays is sex education day. No not sex, AHHHHHHH help help!  Being a health instructor I do see many things that bother me, and are half-truths presented at the entire picture. That is unethical at least, and a bold lie at worst.

Sex education would be very easy if we were amebas, you eat, you split into two, eat more, and split in two again. Even if we were dogs it would be easy, female dog reaches estrus, male dogs smell it, come hit that, then puppies are born.  Do we humans get it that easy, NNNNOOOOOOO! But we can keep perspective on it. I teach sex as I do life. It is another set of choice you will have to make, the more true information you have, the better your choices will be.  So I am going to “fail” abstinence only sex education.

Before any of you release the attack dogs on me, remember I said abstinence ONLY education. First lets examine where healthy sex education and abstinence only education agree. Sex education for young people does and should encourage abstinence. No pregnancy, no infections, no other issues. Now we will branch off where we disagree and where ab-only education fails.

The journal of adolescent health showed that 85% of young people break the until marriage oath. ( people under 20) Not having any other education than don’t do it until married guess what, they go straight to unprotected intercourse. Well we know what is going to happen with unprotected intercourse. So what happens next? Government and busybodies go up in arms over the teen pregnancy rates, and demand more abstinence education to stop the screwing.  The same journal article shows that billions are spent on ab-only education, thing is we the people are financing more and more failure.  Promoting something that is a proven failure confuses me. See no sex, heard no sex, speak no sex is not human nature, and to ask a young person, or any person to fight millions of years of hard wiring is ludicrous. 

The options? Abstinence does include (coughing) masturbation. (whew I said it and the sky did not fall). It is a very valid choice for young people, and is not evil, nor will you go blind. Your body is not filthy, your thoughts and urges are not dirty. They are part of being human. It is really no different that eating or breathing. So you are not going to hell or going to go blind. 90% of all people admit to having done this, 10 % lied about having done this.

Even with in the realm of young persons first romantic relationships it is a sound choice. All kid these days have cell phone, why not call each other while alone, and talk about XXX? Even if they go so far as to (bleep) in the same room, they can agree to a "one must be dressed" contract. They gain the human intimacy, they get the urge out of the way, no pregnancy, no infection, no harm. To counter the argument that this will lead to intercourse faster than abstinence. No, the young people are not thinking in all or nothing. It actually teachs young people negoation and relationships skills. (J Am Psychoanal Assoc. 2008 Mar;56(1):123-46.)

The next option is (if I can say it), “going down.” (wow  I have a filthy mouth today huh? smile) Again they can have a one-person dressed agreement and the others gets to be the “treat.” This does carry more risks, as we are now as high as lottery odds of infection or pregnancy, not zero. It can be mixed with option one to give more things to do other than have intercourse.

Of course next we hit the on the hot topic of news shows. Condoms. There is a mountain of research that demonstrates that this barrier is 98% effective when used properly. They always have been 98% always will be 98%. You get to be far more intimate with your partner, and the risks are now 2 in 100. Actually you still have a higher risk of a car wreck than infection or pregnancy.  Of course those are mathematical odds, children of broken condoms will attest to that.  The odds are not better than outer-course, they are better than unprotected sex, big difference.  But in the universal scheme of things it is far far safer than unprotected sex.

So with young people having options they know of they can make better choices. Virgin until married is a valid choice, being a responsible person with your body is also a choice, neither is completely wrong or completely right. As a health fitness profession I am ethically bound to provide accurate information to empower people.

We need to remind young people, actually all people. It is your life, it is your body, you are in command, you own your decisions. Not some government official, not some yap dog on TV, not some local official, not someone who wants to screw you, nobody is more qualified to say what happens to your body. Everyone has an agenda including you, but we know where the lines are and where when they are crossed.  Anyone who tells you that you are not qualified to make your own choices is not on your side. They are only interested in their own agenda. The first thing any manipulator will do is limit your choices. Life is not that small, don’t let the small brains convince you other wise. Informed consent is your right, and anyone with your best interest in mind will see you have it.

Just the Facts!

I used to think that when you wanted to watch drama you would rent or tune into the appropriate program. It seems stupid drama has taken over everything including news programs. Another popular topic this election year is that news media stinks with bias. 

 

Here is a silly yet somewhat accurate to the style news reports these days

 

Newsguy: Hello our breaking story at the top of the hour is that the president farted today while in a meeting with the vice president, secretary of defense, and the joint chiefs, lets go to our Washington correspondent.

 

Washingtonguy: Thank you, yes it is confirmed that while meeting with the vice president, the secretary of state, and the joint chiefs, the president ripped on through his trousers. It was reported to be five to seven seconds long, reverberated his chair, and smelled like sulfur and burnt tires. The secret service escorted the officials out of the Oval Office, and supervised while fans were placed in the office and windows opened. The meeting returned after an all clear was signaled and the Lysol dissipated.  Terrorists are not, I repeat terrorists are not suspected in altering the presidents diet.

 

Newguy: Thank you, now joining us to sort out what this all means is someone from each party, one of those, and one of these.

 

One of those: The president handled this appropriately and with honor. The president is only human and this will happen.  What we do need is a committee to establish a flatulence committee so we can have a national presidential gas plan. We would be able to run the country if that other party would shut their yaps.

 

News guy: Now we will hear from one of these

 

One of these:  This president is a disgrace, this is proof he talks out his butt.  What is next for this administration pooping in meetings? Will the president meet with the prime minister of Canada, drop his drawers and crap all over him? Where does it end. If that other party had not blocked our crap bill this would not happen. They need to shut their yaps!

 

Sheep person1: Can you believe those idiots attacking the president!

 

Sheep person2: What a useless president, talks out his butt sheeze!

 

Average person: Why did the president call for a meeting with the VP, and the joint chiefs? What did they talk about? What are they planning to do? Hello? Anyone?

 

When they surveyed college aged people about news and a majority got their daily news from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert the news organizations did not think of it as a wake up call, but when on the attack, calling Stewart and college kids idiots. Jon Stewart never claimed to be news, he is on Comedy Central, he is satire. All he does is play back what politicians say, and it is so ridiculous it is funny. It seems claiming to be satire gives him some honestly and credibility so people watch it, figuring it is no less accurate.

 

It must be that someone well dressed relaying facts is too boring to sell advertising. People think news should be like Indiana Jones, flashy, exciting, and to hell if it is real or not. When a topic is who has the sexiest news reporters, well you see the news in not the issue, entertainment is.

 

Others do not want to hear facts and draw their own conclusions. They want the facts to support their conclusions true or not. They want the truth packaged in a pretty little box, with a pretty ribbon, so they never have to open it and look inside. Their little bubbles all secure and happy, the happy bubble of denial, instead of knowing it might pop, and being able to adjust real life with real information.

 

People want drama, emotion, and to call others idiot. It is exactly like that moment of hate Orwell warned us about in 1984. Trained journalist with ethics review processes have been replaced with pundits.  Pundits then say the most outrageous stuff to “piss off” the other side, then the other side responds, on and on we go. There is a market for that, but it should not be considered mainstream news.  People do not trust the news, yet we need to make important decisions, black market news is getting popular, but as with any information buyer beware. Provided one does think and not just blindly accept any info to keep their happy little bubble intact.

 

Truth is not a purchase decision, you can’t say I paid for truth I get what I want, it had best say what I want or it is not the truth, I want it all, and I want it now! Truth is not a made to order commodity with pretty colors and fancy widgets. Truth requires a validity process to check integrity, check the facts to support the conclusion, and potential falsification must be admitted. Truth can be ugly and one must face that, but when the truth is pretty, you can know for sure it is real, thus the beauty is more than skin deep.

 

And that’s a fact jack!

 

 

At first I was thinking 'Thanks a "heck" of a a lot CBS, as if enough people don't already have an excuse to not exercise, you come out with this!"

But it is true, many trainers are totally incompetent. One of my past supervisors was beyond incompetent, and took it to a new level.

Regulation is not the answer. Look at all the law suits filed against doctors. Clients need to follow the buyer beware rule. Know if their traienr has a degree and is certified by a real agency. No gym I know will hire someone from Expert Rating, sheez!

I know sometimes I really go off on the school system. I do respect most teachers, I really do. It is the public politics that torque me off to no end. Some mouthpieces out there are more worried about their agenda being taught to kids over any useful life skills. To sound JFK like, it is not what our young people should be doing, it is what are we doing for our young people?

When people who are clueless to the demographics and dynamics of your particular school set policy the only logical conclusion is disaster. No child left behind looks great on paper, a looks to make school responsible. Until you realize that schools are not given the resources to make these things happen. Then there is the wonderful fact of non-English speaking students.  Educated children do not appear out of thin air anymore than money does.

What ever happened to teaching kids useful things? Like how to manage a bank account? How an auto loan and home mortgage works.  What types of loans there are and how the interest works, and how you can save or get shafted for thousands of dollars? Math, science, history, and how government works?  The fact the founding fathers were not perfect, but they did demonstrate that with out rights to life, liberty & property, one is not free.

Seems more attention and lip service is given to weather Jonnie comes from a daddy/daddy home or a mommy/mommy home rather than just living and learning. Jonnie should not be harassed about it, but beyond that, who cares? Have qualified people ready if Jonnie has questions, but beyond that, if Jonnie has no issues, let’s not make any for him. There are not many life skill considerations given to single parents, and that is far more common than homosexuality. Sex is a part of life yes, who you are screwing is as much of a choice as your career, religion, political beliefs, ie another set of choices one will have to make, and will be part of who you are.  However we do not need to wig out over it, nor shove the ideals of the few down kids throats.  

I wont even touch Creationism and Science. Luckily most people are rational and realize you cannot get into MIT with a creationism background, nor would someone going to theologian school spend a lot of time on physics (typically). So a majority of the people blend religion and science quite well. 

The right to believe in one or the other is personal choice, we should agree to disagree, and realize it is more important we all have the right to pursue those beliefs. The old quote “I disagree with what you say, but defend your right to say it.”  Teaching kids to celebrate civil rights will help do away with all this politically correctness, racism, and other nonsense. Live and let live. Also free speech does not mean you do have a right to never be offended.  Idiots get to speak out too, luckily the truth always comes to light.

You play exactly as you practice, so why not teach the kids what they need to reach their goals, and let them play at life until their “game time” comes?

 

 

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