Category Archives: politics

Slut-shaming Versus Owning Your Sexuality

Posted on by
1

Considering the sexuality of women, there are a myriad of terms that ring negatively. From whore, slut, skank and the like to prude and frigid, a woman’s level of sexuality is up for debate.

There really is no comparison to words like these for men. The closest I can come up with would be “man-whore” (which hosts a positive connotation for many men) or something that refers to a man being impotent. Life hosts a myriad of double standards, none of which that we can seemingly avoid.

This is all common knowledge.

What needs to happen now is a cultural change of perspective. America has seen it’s share of changes in public opinion. Why not give the sluts a second chance, with an adoption of non-judgement? Take it from Jenna Marbles: being a slut is a choice. What is also a choice: letting other consenting adults make their own decisions without fear of judgement.

Being open minded doesn’t prevent you from having your own opinions. The difference is an opportunity for change. Choices that you make are not forced upon others. Their choices also may not be for your palette. Even allowing others to make (what you view as) mistakes does not translate to your condoning of their actions.

Europe has a much more successful rate of condom usage than America. In this nation, we host a general feeling of disgust about sex. We allude to it, we joke about it, and we stream more porn than the Vatican. What is lacking are honest discussions concerning sexuality from a young age. Being educated makes individuals feel more secure, knowledgable, and confident in whatever decisions they may deign to make.

Everyone has a vice or two. Pick yours. Don’t hurt yourself or others. If it calls for it, condom up.



You Might Also Like ...

Female leadership is more effective… yet so limited

Posted on by
Reply

The data has been analyzed, and the results are in. Women in the workplace scored much higher on leadership effectiveness than the men. Researchers John Zenger and Joseph Folkman cite sixteen qualities that make for better leadership. These include the current collaborative workplace model that plays to women’s strengths, women being better listeners and better at building relationships.

It isn’t shocking that there are so few women heading business. There is currently a dismal (yet record) amount of twenty one female Fortune 500 CEOs.

The real question is this: why do only 18% of women aspire to be the CEO? Are our sights automatically set lower, stunted by the renowned glass ceiling?

It took long enough for womenkind to break into corporate America, rising above secretarial and into command position. There still has yet to be a woman candidate for President from either of the majority parties.

Time for a history lesson. The 19th Amendment, which federally granted women’s suffrage, was not ratified until 1920. It has not even been a hundred years since women were granted the right to vote! Twenty five years later when WWII ended, the plethora of women who had joined the work force were politically pushed back to their original place on the home front. Historically, this is not the nation to encourage female leaders.

Are we really supposed to be surprised that America’s women do not encompass more leadership positions, despite their admirable and leader-worthy qualities? Give them another century and find a majority female Fortune 500 CEOs.



You Might Also Like ...

“Abstinence Only” sex-ed is being re-branded as “Risk Avoidance”, which is B.S.

Posted on by
Reply

 

In early March, U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren of the House declared that America’s sex education is not enough. The stats don’t lie, with ridiculous sexually transmitted disease rates for those in their teens and twenties. Hultgren then submitted a bill that would spend $110 million annually for the next five years on grants to abstinence programs.

This is almost as ridiculous as the S.T.D. statistics. More ridiculous than the coke-heads we let grace our tabloids. *cough cough* States with more comprehensive sex education programs have much better S.T.D. and teen pregnancy statistics than states focusing on abstinence-only or abstinence-plus sexual education programs. Europe mostly does comprehensive sexual education, and it works tremendously better than America’s abstinence plan. This does not seem to matter.

The statistics have been ignored in America for far too long. Thankfully, Obama’s platform has been for comprehensive sex education.

The idea to rebrand abstinence only as risk avoidance is ludicrous. Sure, abstaining is avoiding risks. The real risk lies in how many teenagers are not actually going abstain, regardless of that type of education. The true risk avoidance would be to teach the full course. This includes the realities of sex, anatomy, pregnancy, statistics, contraceptives, S.T.D.s, and emotions. Then perhaps the adolescent is practically prepared.

Still, we need to get something straight with America’s lawmakers, members of school boards, and parents: the math is in. Teenagers who receive a more comprehensive sex education are less likely to get a S.T.D. or become pregnant. It does not matter if you are uncomfortable talking about these touchy and genuinely awkward subjects with your offspring. If they don’t receive a full education on the subject matter, then they are much more likely to fail.

What individuals should receive what rights has always been a discussion topic. We are past the time where only white men could own land and vote. America still has a long way to go in equality, from letting same-sex partners into hospital rooms to who has access to better health care. What should not conceivably be up for discussion are the rights of our minors. The youth’s future is entrusted to the adults. We are to teach them how to live, how to learn, and especially how to not ruin their lives before they have begun.

I’ve come to that age where some of my friends are deciding to have children. Considering my career path, they ask me “when are you supposed to tell your kids about sex?” The answer is, “always”. They are to know from the time they can talk what the correct names for their parts are. They should know where babies come from before they have the inkling to ask. Sexuality should never be an awkward topic. It is a part of all of our lives, for the rest of our lives. Give the youth honest and developmentally appropriate answers to their questions. This isn’t a subject that you want your kids to feel eternal anxiety about.



You Might Also Like ...

LOVE Will Conquer ALL

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve spoken about being pro-equal rights. I’m a huge advocate for same-sex marriage. I’m a huge advocate for equal rights for all people…and animals. I’ve been very upset and angered by the hate I hear being preached during this very important time. On the 26th and 27th of this month the Supreme Court is hearing arguments for same-sex marriage. There is only one argument that I feel is worthy, and that is: people have an inalienable right to marry the person they love no matter of the gender.

It’s been hard for me to have a positive attitude during this time because I am so angered by the blatent ignorance and hate. But then I read this article by the NY Daily News:

“Jenna Wolfe and Stephanie Gosk of NBC come out as couple; reveal engagement and baby on the way”

NBC newscaster Jenna Wolfe is The Today show’s Sunday anchor. Wolfe said she and partner Gosk, a foreign correspondent at NBC, have been together three years, plan to wed and will have a baby by December. Here are some choice quotes from Wolfe’s blog and her appearance with Gosk on the Today show Wednesday morning:

“My girlfriend, Stephanie Gosk, and I are expecting a baby girl the end of August,” Wolfe, 39, wrote in the debut post for her new pregnancy blog.

“We felt like we wanted to share our adventures with a wide-eyed, little person,” she blogged. “The more we talked about it, the better the idea seemed.”

“We were constantly on the road, juggling a thousand balls at once,” she told the mag. “It’s a miracle we got it all together.”

“This is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to us,”

“But I don’t want to bring my daughter into a world where I’m not comfortable telling everyone who I am and who her mother is.”

“The beauty is that we live in a time where there’s no need for secrecy.

“For a long time I had feared I would never have a child”.

“This baby doesn’t care that I was in phenomenal shape before getting pregnant. She doesn’t care that I had a near perfect diet. She made the first four months brutal for me … B-R-U-T-A-L.”

“There were days when all I could eat were Saltine crackers, Apple Jacks dry cereal and plain pasta,”

“As a kid, I would have chosen raising my adrenaline over raising children any day of the week. But then a funny thing happened on my way to adulthood … I grew up. I ran smack into the old nursery rhyme: “First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes Jenna pushing a baby carriage”

I didn’t attribute names to the quotes because they could be the words of any couple. These two are in love, they want to make a lifetime commitment to each other and share that with the world, and they want to raise their child together. It’s beautiful.

As I said before I’ve been down and angry about what I’ve heard as a result of the same-sex marriage hearing. But then I heard this…and I was reminded the love is beautiful, family is what matters, and people can scream hate at the top of their lungs, they can twist the word of God to work for them, they can try as hard as they possibly can to stop it…but LOVE will win. LOVE always finds a way.

In the darkness it’s hard to see the light…but light will come. Hate is dark…love is light. I have faith that LOVE will win, maybe not today…maybe not even in my lifetime…but LOVE will continue to grow, you can try and stop it but you will never stop people from finding each other—from loving each other—from supporting each other…LOVE will win.



You Might Also Like ...