Guns, Smoking, Drinking, and Sex

[natedogg]

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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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Even if he does, it has nothing to do with government.

natedogg

[RacersEdge]

No. Sex and smoking??

One is a natural human activity, the other is not.

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Guns, Smoking, Drinking, and Sex

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Who's bringing the chips?

[BCPVP]

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No. Sex and smoking??

One is a natural human activity, the other is not.

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This is the cowardly way out, imo. Both are choices you can make. You can choose to have sex and you can choose to smoke.

[New001]

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No. Sex and smoking??

One is a natural human activity, the other is not.

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This is the cowardly way out, imo. Both are choices you can make. You can choose to have sex and you can choose to smoke.

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I think your response is more of a "cowardly way out" to be honest. You're right that they're both choices you can make, but there are important differences (and similarities, to be fair).

Here is the main difference that I see. My body tells me that I want to have sex, whether I've chosen to do it before or not. It certainly did before my first time, and it certainly does still. With smoking, I've never had any desire to try it. I never have, and I likely never will.

No matter how much you try to suppress it, kids are going to have sex. As long as it's done responsibly, I don't see any problem with that.

[BCPVP]

Guys, I understand the biological drive. But when coupled with the societal pressure to have sex, any will they might have is pretty much overriden, especially if the message they recieve from parents/teachers is "hey, as long as it's 'safe', go ahead." I think his point was, "Hey what if these kids are having sex more often because of society's willingness to excuse it?"

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My body tells me that I want to have sex, whether I've chosen to do it before or not. It certainly did before my first time, and it certainly does still. With smoking, I've never had any desire to try it. I never have, and I likely never will.

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When my body tells me, "You have to piss." I don't just drop my pants and start going wherever I am, even though there is a strong biological urge to do so. Why? Because society has placed a fairly strong taboo on peeing in public. There's no push in society to excuse urinating in public, even though that's a biological urge that we all feel regardless of age or sex. My point is biological urges can be resisted if society is willing to discourage it. But if it's not or is sending mixed signals, then the biological urge will often trump societial pressure.

[Nepa]

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When my body tells me, "You have to piss." I don't just drop my pants and start going wherever I am, even though there is a strong biological urge to do so. Why? Because society has placed a fairly strong taboo on peeing in public.

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I agree, If your a teen you should only be having sex in doors and smoking should only be done outdoors.

[Cyrus]

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

[/ QUOTE ]Uh oh.

OK, fair warning, go ahead.

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It is a big deal ... 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.

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Biologically speaking, humans are said to reach their sexual peak when they are teenagers. This pretty much puts to rest all idiotic arguments made by various strains of conservatism (religious nuts, uptight pols, sociopathic social commentators, et al) against teenage sex.

Them young 'uns gonna be screwing their heads off, whether folks like MMMMMM like it or not.

[jt1]

Sex with a condom is safe. If the male uses a condom that fits him, puts it on right and the woman is on the pill then sex is 99.9999999999999999999999999999999% safe. So from a society point of view, I'd rather have adults telling kids how to have safe sex than ignoring the subject and just preaching abstinence.

You social conservatives: If you want to have a society where kids don't have sex then I suggest we ban sex and sex talk from all of our media outlets and criminalize the act for unmarried couples. Because in our current society where sex is everywhere, just teaching abstinence will not only be a waste of time but a waste of an opportunity to show these kids how not get an STD or an unwanted pregnancy. The fact is you can't get rid of teenage sex unless you ban sexual content in the media and criminalize pre-marital sex. And I think that is what your politicians and intellectuals know but don't have the balls to publicly say. A legitimate question to the social conservatives: Would you support them if they did come out and say it?

[BCPVP]

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

[/ QUOTE ]Uh oh.

OK, fair warning, go ahead.

[ QUOTE ]
It is a big deal ... 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.

[/ QUOTE ]

Biologically speaking, humans are said to reach their sexual peak when they are teenagers. This pretty much puts to rest all idiotic arguments made by various strains of conservatism (religious nuts, uptight pols, sociopathic social commentators, et al) against teenage sex.

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Stop being dense, Cyrus. You know what he meant. If I say to someone, "You're not being very mature..." I'm not questioning their physical development.

And I'd love a little more elaboration on how teenagers being at a "sexual peak" invalidates any argument against all teenage sex. You don't have to go to indepth. You know, just an actual argument...