http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/04/study-suggests-boomers-need-sex-ed/
We've been talking a lot about attitudes and stereotypes in class. As former high school students, we all know what it's like to have awkward sex talks with parents/guardians where they assume you're being reckless when it comes to sex. This article debunks this stereotype, suggesting that older generations could benefit from a sex talk, whereas the vast majority of 14-17 year olds that are having sex, are using condoms. It seems like the first step to changing some gaping, inaccurate attitudes/stereotypes about teens.
The fact that this finding is so surprising goes to show how much teens/adolescents are stereotyped as sexually irresponsible and how often we assume the middle-aged and elderly are the epitome of sexual responsibility and therefore need not evaluate their sexual practices as critically as teens are told they should. Years of ingraining the image of the promiscuous, naive, and immature teen that is likely to contract an STD or get pregnant upon the public unconscious has made the older folks forget that sexual intelligence and safety applies to anyone who is having sex-no matter the age.
ReplyDeleteThis brings back so many memories of high school sex ed in small-town Indiana where it was heavily implied that if you have sex you WILL get pregnant and you WILL get an STD and then you will be shunned by the town, which is terrifying.
ReplyDeleteBut the article was really interesting and made a lot of sense. We all grew up with the fear of HIV and AIDs and getting pregnant before we were ready to have children. It has been ingrained into us from multiple sources to always use a condom, but like Rob said the stereotype of the promiscuous teenagers is what prevails. But people from the Baby Boomer generation did not grow up with the threat of HIV and AIDs so I guess it makes sense that they would be less responsible. It also makes sense because, generally, in movies and other mass media sources people over the age of 35 are not portrayed as sexual beings whether or not they are married. So practicing safe sex is not prominently directed to older adults like it is college students and young adults (condom commercials etc.)
I think it’s also because teens were stereotype as students, which mean they need to learn more about things in their life, on the other hand, boomers were stereotyped as knowledgeable adults, which mean they should have known what they need to live their life properly. Therefore, the sex education didn’t really aim toward those people. Boomers as adult won’t really worry about getting pregnant or anything, which was probably the association they would made back in their days. However there is way more concern about the sexual practices then just pregnancy. Teen these day, like Katelin said, associate sex with a lot more concern about STD, which encourage the use of condom within teen’s sexual practice.
ReplyDeleteThis article is an interesting study and the findings are exceedingly true. I think that young adults/teens are stereotyped as children therefore many feel that they still need guidance and advise. Therefore, teens these days get an overabundance of information about the negative risks of sex and drugs. While people over the age of 30 are stereotyped as wise mature adults. Therefore, others feel that they know all of the negative risks about sex and drugs and that it would be rude to re inform the wise adults. Consequently teens these days as mentioned above, associate sex with a lot more concerns about STDs, which encourage the use of condom. Theses practices which are used on young adults should therefore be used on other groups.
ReplyDeleteI think the illusion of safety that adults have about casual sex might also have something to do with the "free love" and general sexual promiscuity of the 70s and the radical social upheaval that entailed. Though I'm sure the majority of the people in this study weren't direct participants in the hippie movement, they would no doubt have heard about it, and perhaps compared to that orgiastic baseline, they consider unprotected sex to be a minor risk. Improvements in sex ed have no doubt helped our generation be more aware, but I think the real difference is in pop culture. Some towns, like Katelin's, may have a program that's pessimistic to the point of being misleading, while even more extreme cases teach abstinence only and ignore the reality of the students' behavior. But, unlike their parents who were taught the same "don't-do-it" philosophy, today's kids need only look at the news or watch Seinfeld to hear people discussing methods of birth control and STD protection. The Boomer generation should pay attention to the way things are now, not how they were forty years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe stereotype of teens and young adults as being too ignorant and young to participate in such an "adult" action has far too much store set in it in today's society. I would say that the information needed to stay safe and make wise decisions about sex has become increasingly more available in the last couple decades, therefore making the safest decision about sex becomes obvious, second nature to a certain extent.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it is amazing that the same information that is being thrown down the throats of all the younger generations doesn't stick in the minds of the older generations doing the pitching. How ironic is it that these same generations wish for the younger people to be safe and not make mistakes when they themselves do not heed their own warnings? Interesting conundrum.
Health classes in middle and high school always used the same stereotypical scare tactics. I went to a large public school where talks by teachers and parents about sexual encounters almost always ended in "You are too young" which is true. In times like today where adolescents are having sex more regularly at a younger it is important to talk about the risks but also treat the person with respect. The availability of sexual content is everywhere is today's culture as well as content about sexual safety. I think the progression in sex ed where pregnancy is only one of the factors that goes along with it is a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI think this article makes sense, since our generation has grown up hearing about all sorts of debates over things like AIDs and HIV and constantly being educated on the horrors of STDs and Pregnancy. Also, our generation is the most fluent with things like technology, and thus we have much easier access to information than older generations. Although the older generation knows that its good to use things like condoms, I doubt that any of them have had to sit through a sex ed class in which they are being forced to look at horrifying images of genitals that have encountered STDs. Sometimes simply knowing what is and isn't good for you isn't enough to truly understand the consequences that will follow your actions and thus these older generations don't fully realize the harm they could be causing themselves.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing to think about is pregnancy. maybe younger generations are more likely to use condoms because they fear pregnancy, but older generations dont feel like they need to worry about this and thusly dont worry about using condoms as much? this is definitely something to think about.
It is true that people more concern about teens' sex and pregnancy than adults' reckless sex habits, such as one-night stand, and irresponsible pregnancy. If a teenager get pregnant at early age, it becomes a critical social issue, and she will be branded with negative impression by most of people. People pay more attention to the news about teens' pregnancy than single adults' pregnancy stereotyping that most teens are having careless sexual intercourse. People tend to be more generous about adult single mothers. Because of the great social concerns and repeated sex educations on teens, teens feel more responsible and are more careful for having sex and afraid of STDs than adults do. Adults need to turn their attention to themselves, and have to apply what they have told to their kids to themselves, too.
ReplyDeleteI actually think that the elders know plenty about STDS and other unfavorable risks of unprotected sex since they weren't born yesterday. Like Judy said, this knowledge about safe sex is all over the media, in advertisements, all over. I believe that the elderly don't think the risks would ever apply to them. Therefore they don't act to prevent the risks. Like others above me mentioned, there is a predominant stereotype of the promiscuous teen and/or young adult. The older generations are well aware of this stereotype and assume it to be completely valid. Since this is the "truth", the youngins must be the ones passing around the sexually transmitted diseases. How many 14-25 year olds sleep with 50-70 year olds? I'm sure the elderly don't assume many. It is obviously very well advised that any sexually active individual practices 'safe sex'.
ReplyDeleteAt this point in time, safe sex has become such a preached requierment that is is practically embedded as a social norm for adolescents beginning to have sexual encounters. For members of an older generation, who did not grow up with as much emphasis on safe sex, considering premarital sex in general used to be more taboo, the use of condoms seems like its not meant to apply to them directly. This is also hightened by advertisements for condoms which are most commonly geared towards younger people. the psychology of this situation resides in both the stereotypes of adolescents being irresponsible, careless and wild but also that of older people personally dissasociate themselves with safe sex because they are not part of the group targetted with safe sex advertising and education.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how everyone always underestimates the youth. As a society we tend to immediately assume that teens don't know anything. However, it makes sense that they know more about sex safety than their parents. The article brings up an interesting point that kids are more informed since they have grown up in a time when STDS and condoms have been a hot issue. I think since a large majority of older adults have been so used to unprotected sex in a marriage (since baby boomers were about procreation), they have forgotten that they need to be safe. Also, on a similar note, teens are also known to know more about internet security and protecting themselves online than older adults. In other words, they know how to set their privacy settings on facebook. We need to give teens credit and teach baby boomers. This article says that baby boomers “talk the talk, but don't walk the walk.”
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to note the stereotype that older means wiser in this case. I believe it is safe to say that talking about sex ed back in their day was often viewed as taboo. However our generation has been hit over the head repeatedly in school, on tv, and elsewhere with these messages. I think Grace has a good point that these older couples are now so used to unprotected sex often in marriage that they might now feel that they are past the point of needing to be informed further.
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