Franky Vela
Allyson Boggess
English 101
17 November 2009
The Grand Debate
In the ongoing controversial debate about sexual education, one thing is certain: no one will ever be able to agree on the issue and come to a conclusion as to which teaching is the “right” teaching. Our country has always used hegemony to outline what the “norm” of a certain matter is. This dates back from “Christianizing” Native Americans, to spreading democracy across the globe, to ultimately forcing people to think that what our country does is always the right thing no matter how many other countries think otherwise. However, with the current diversity in religions and cultures, sexual belief is one of few topics that has had the ungrateful pleasure of being categorized into one right or wrong system. Because of this, contemplation regarding whether schools should teach comprehensive sex education or a strict “abstinence only” sexual education is one of the most prevalent debates that our society faces as regards to education.
"Abstinence only until marriage vs. comprehensive sex education may be simply the latest pairing of antagonistic ideologies in the "culture wars" that have racked post-Vietnam America. Yet the lives of many young people worldwide may hinge on the outcome,” says USA Today Health and Science reporter Steve Sternberg. This alludes to the fact that although this is a controversy battled mainly between adults, the outcome will ultimately affect the kids who are being put through this sex ed curriculum and being forced to be taught what their peers believe they should be learning. And who says they should be learning anything at all? The human species has been around for thousands of years without having to be taught and informed about their future sexual encounters, so what is the difference between now and then? Molly Masland a writer for MSNBC states, “The average kid today is immersed in sexual imagery. A generation that has grown up on the...