Guns, Smoking, Drinking, and Sex
 

An interesting quote from The Federalist Patriot (a conservative journal):

"[N]o big deal. By definition, that's what a 'major social norm' is: no big deal. But in fact it is a big deal—whether the grown-ups in their lives are prepared to say so or not—when kids too young to lawfully buy a pack of cigarettes are routinely engaging in sexual activity that most of them don't yet have the maturity or understanding to handle. In its potential to inflict internal damage or cause lasting pain, sex far surpasses tobacco. But while kids are warned repeatedly and stridently about the dangers of smoking, school-age sex is widely regarded as inevitable. The same people who enforce 'zero-tolerance' strictures when it comes to guns and knives push a very different message when it comes to sex: Keep it 'safe' and legal, and you'll hear no complaints from us... Shouldn't those charged with the education of teenagers be pushing back against the relentless sexualization of the culture instead of knuckling under to it? With sex bombarding them everywhere they turn, don't kids need more than ever to be taught that sex is for grown-ups?... There is something awfully sad and strange about a culture in which teenage sex is condoned so long as it is 'safe,' while teenage smoking is denounced as categorically wrong. Sex has become a mere issue of health and the law, while morality is reserved for tobacco." —Jeff Jacoby

Does he have a point? If not, why not?

Re: Guns, Smoking, Drinking, and Sex
 

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In its potential to inflict internal damage or cause lasting pain, sex far surpasses tobacco.

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This is a fallacy. Maybe if he said unprotected sex with multiple partners I would buy it. Conservatives are so stupid when it comes to sex education. They think that if you just tell people to have sex then everybody will abstain. Sex is completely different from alcohol and tobacco because among other things, humans have a natural sex drive, whereas urges to smoke and drink are more products of societal conditioning.

Re: Guns, Smoking, Drinking, and Sex
 

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An interesting quote from The Federalist Patriot (a conservative journal):

"[N]o big deal. By definition, that's what a 'major social norm' is: no big deal. But in fact it is a big deal—whether the grown-ups in their lives are prepared to say so or not—when kids too young to lawfully buy a pack of cigarettes are routinely engaging in sexual activity that most of them don't yet have the maturity or understanding to handle. In its potential to inflict internal damage or cause lasting pain, sex far surpasses tobacco. But while kids are warned repeatedly and stridently about the dangers of smoking, school-age sex is widely regarded as inevitable. The same people who enforce 'zero-tolerance' strictures when it comes to guns and knives push a very different message when it comes to sex: Keep it 'safe' and legal, and you'll hear no complaints from us... Shouldn't those charged with the education of teenagers be pushing back against the relentless sexualization of the culture instead of knuckling under to it? With sex bombarding them everywhere they turn, don't kids need more than ever to be taught that sex is for grown-ups?... There is something awfully sad and strange about a culture in which teenage sex is condoned so long as it is 'safe,' while teenage smoking is denounced as categorically wrong. Sex has become a mere issue of health and the law, while morality is reserved for tobacco." —Jeff Jacoby

Does he have a point? If not, why not?

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This post may help explain why his point is rather silly, IMO.

I'll never understand why the right-wing, ideology of the Über Patriot and "These Colors Don't Run" Macho Men alike, continues to fight its war on horny-ness. Someone needs to explain this to me.

Re: Guns, Smoking, Drinking, and Sex
 

Maybe the parents should just have a healthy talk about the birds and the bees with their kids, and the government should [censored] off.

Re: Guns, Smoking, Drinking, and Sex
 

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In its potential to inflict internal damage or cause lasting pain, sex far surpasses tobacco.

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What? How many people die a year from tobacco? How many people are addicted to tobacco? This statement is absolutely ridiculous.

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But while kids are warned repeatedly and stridently about the dangers of smoking, school-age sex is widely regarded as inevitable.

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What the hell is wrong with this guy? You can't stop two teenagers from having sex, but you can stop a kid from buying cigarettes with age restrictions. And it's not like kid's aren't warned about pregnancy and STDs throughout their life. Since two kids that want to screw are going to do it regardless might as well tell them the safest way to do it. Telling them not to have sex, or making a law, won't help a goddamn thing.

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The same people who enforce 'zero-tolerance' strictures when it comes to guns and knives push a very different message when it comes to sex: Keep it 'safe' and legal, and you'll hear no complaints from us

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This guys a [censored] lunatic. Does he actually wonder why we don't lump guns, knives and sex into one category?

Re: Guns, Smoking, Drinking, and Sex
 

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Conservatives are so stupid...

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And you are simply brilliant making a comment like that, aren't you? It's going to immediately bring everyone around to your way of thinking, isn't it? It's just so enlightening. It certainly won't offend anyone, will it?

So, that makes you, uh, well maybe your brilliant mind can figure it out.

Re: Guns, Smoking, Drinking, and Sex
 

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This post may help explain why his point is rather silly, IMO.

I'll never understand why the right-wing, ideology of the Über Patriot and "These Colors Don't Run" Macho Men alike, continues to fight its war on horny-ness. Someone needs to explain this to me.

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Lighten up. Jeeze. Mr. Clinton set himself up for ridicule. The man from Arkansas tracked pig sh*t onto the carpet in the Oval Office. He earned every damned sex joke he's ever the buttend of.

The ideology of which you speak is not a Standard followed by everyone calling themselves Conservative.

And you'll never understand the morality issue that seems to be behind a lot of folks feelings about sex. You don't want to. It goes against what you want out of life.

Re: Guns, Smoking, Drinking, and Sex
 

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Maybe the parents should just have a healthy talk about the birds and the bees with their kids, and the government should [censored] off.

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By [censored] off, I'm assuming you mean forcibly sterilize them?

Re: Guns, Smoking, Drinking, and Sex
 

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Lighten up. Jeeze. Mr. Clinton set himself up for ridicule. The man from Arkansas tracked pig sh*t onto the carpet in the Oval Office. He earned every damned sex joke he's ever the buttend of.

The ideology of which you speak is not a Standard followed by everyone calling themselves Conservative.

And you'll never understand the morality issue that seems to be behind a lot of folks feelings about sex. You don't want to. It goes against what you want out of life.

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No comprende, Senor. I realize that's a response to my post, but it doesn't seem to address anything I said and contains a rather strange rant about President Clinton. Perhaps you intended it for someone else.

Re: Guns, Smoking, Drinking, and Sex
 

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Maybe if he said unprotected sex with multiple partners I would buy it.

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You don't think this is common?

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Conservatives are so stupid when it comes to sex education. They think that if you just tell people to have sex then everybody will abstain.

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Since we're "so stupid", perhaps you can help me understand what you mean by these two sentences, since they don't make sense to my stupid conservative brain.

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Sex is completely different from alcohol and tobacco because among other things, humans have a natural sex drive, whereas urges to smoke and drink are more products of societal conditioning.

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I figured "biological reasons" would be one of the first answers. On the flip side, tobacco and alcohol can be phyiscally addicting and there can be quite a lot of societal pressure to engage in either of the two (especially in the later teen years). So sex drives are natural. How does that increase/decrease the need for sex education as opposed to other possibly unhealthy activities?