The Daily Show Messages Teens About Sex

The Daily Show broadened the Miley Cyrus/Vanity Fair photo hullabaloo story on Tuesday night's show, and did a segment on teen sex. Jon and the correspondents offer a humorous public service message to the kids about a third option to sex or abstinence, because after the fortune spent by the government on abstinence programs, "teenagers still want to do it."

Watch:

Comments

[SpinCycleRadio]

There have been several studies that have shown that compared to abstenince only sex ed that comprehensive sex ed has fewer pregnancies but not higher sexual activity.

They whine about what they are teaching teens, but if we don't teach them as teens what will they know as adults? How many people take a sexuality course in college? So if they don't teach information on disease control and birth control and relationship fundamentals in high school when and where exactly is it supposed to happen? From watching porn on the internet?

[CorganKing]

Sorry but this falls under parent's responsibilities in my book, and in the perfect world where all parents would actually raise their offspring; not complain about how crappy a job the schools or interweb or tv is doing.

[dawp]

that's all fine and dandy IF the parents would take that responsibility but as we see they don't so what are the alternatives? no sex ed?

[JoeBlough]

Republicans want to keep the population stupid from day one. It's easier to control the lil' buggers with fear that way.

[IncredulousGeezer]

I may agree with this assertion, but do you realize that choosing the name, phonetically, of JoeBluff doesn't do much for your credibility? :)

[Sneaky]

Cool, a claim. Support please?

[wadenelson1]

Just look at the FLDS church down there in Texas if you want to look at leaders PREFERRING to keep their followers ignorant 'cause they're "easier to control" that way.

[iBgood]

How surreal to hear a grown man putting educated professionals under the 'elitist' label in defense of ignorance.

They are such barnacles on the ship of progress.

[Sneaky]

Noted and agreed with. That was embarrassing.

[brainlego]

Especially since that man is the elite..a lawmaker, probably wealthy and all.

[newsjunkie8]

Kinda what they did to Obama.

[lisakaz2]

Could these ignoramouses be more stupid!? Here's the "best" part (ahem): when the daughters of hese doofi wind up pregnant, they'll get quiet abortions but they'll expect John Q Public to keep growing the underclass.

[daddysboy]

You can't create light from darkness.

[elkabong]

Conservatives revere ignorance and stupidity.

[elbzee]

Indeed! It makes the masses complacent and pliable, just like they like em!

[Sneaky]

Remarkable. What in the hell does this have to do with conservatism? Do you even know what conservatism is or what?

The article highlights the failure of legislating values. We've been taught this lesson often in history (that it doesn't work), and legislating values is assuredly NOT a conservative trait. Try again.

[renoir]

All those legislators talking about policy.... and not one liberal supports the abstinence program. Because it doesn't work, but also because of a difference in philosophy! Conservative legislators are the ones who promote the idea that sex education is about values... a conservative point of view, while liberal legislators think that sex ed is a part of a full education leading to an informed populace.

What does this have to do with conservatism? Everything. It's true that it's the conservatives who promote abstinence programs as a policy and equate sex with values issues. The policy does not work. We pay tons of money for something that doesn't work. Liberals do not fear education or educators.

[CheneysACoward]

It's really hard to believe that ," The head in the sand" method is not working....After all it worked just great for drugs " Just say no"

[zerocoma]

It doesn't work because when you put your head in the sand your dirty bits are elevated and accessible.

[barrista]

Dirty bits? Someone's been through an abstinence program.

[saltpeter]

BTW, my favorite joke about sex ed. controversies in this country came shortly after Jocelyn Elders was attempting to become surgeon general. She had made statements that suggested that we should teach kids about masturbation in high school. Some comedian say that if we don't teach high school kids how to masturbate, American kids will only ever know how to masturbate at an 8th grade level.

[wadenelson1]

LMAO!

[saltpeter]

The only way George Bush's policy of abstinence only is practical is if George Bush can convince me that he was a virgin when he married Laura when they were both 31 years old. If not, that would make his "abstinence-only" policy the 8,389,234 example of George Bush caught being a hypocrite. Hell, if he can convince me that either of his 26 year-old daughters are virgins that would be impressive.

[Durango]

Abstinence Only sex education was practiced up until the late 1960's. Coupled with enormous shame. Shame for the girls that is.

The toll it took on young women who found themselves pregnant with nowhere to turn was devastating. How many young girls committed suicide? How many were ripped from their families by shame? How many were reduced to a life of prostitution?

We DO NOT want to go back there. The times were a disgrace.

All evidence shows that when you put boys and girls together babies are the result. What we can do is to teach teens how to protect themselves. From pregnancy and disease.

But you cannot prevent teens from having sex. That doesn't work. Never has. Never will.

[DatelessNerd]

Not providing kids with sex education out of fear that it'll encourage promiscuity is like not providing kids with toothbrushes out of fear it'll encourage them to eat candy.

[elbzee]

Outstanding analogy nerd!

[raw915]

The easiest way for prospective parents to avoid sex problems is to avoid sex.

[raw915]

How about spaying and neutering?

[zerocoma]

I agree... all republicans should be spayed or neutered.. .for the benefit of the rest of us!

[Spazzers]

Under a Democrat regime your tax dollars would have to pay for all those spays and neuters...or you could just move to Canada.

Wait till your child comes home and says they're a Republican.

[Sneaky]

Very clever comeback, actually...

[OneWoman]

A "god stick" and a "shame cave": that was perfect!

[foxflood]

Wow. He is in amazing form with the shame-cave thing.

[ghostofgrrrl]

If a parent wants to teach abstinence to their child
they best prepare themselves to be lied to

[sweetchuckd]

Check out stories about teens and sex scandals in public schools at http://detentionslip.org.

[strifeknot]

And prepare themselves for being grandparents sooner than they expected.

[PlanetKansas]

The entire segment on the Daily Show was a hoot, but no matter how repugnant abstinence programs and their promoters are, one needs a bit of perspective.

A billion $ is a lot of cash for any of us, but the entire Kansas education budget cost $3.4 billion in 2008, of which the feds contributed only about 10%.

Education is a state and local issue, and the federal government throws tidbits to the states mostly for political bragging rights, but in no way help out much financially. The biggest federal contributions to the states is Medicaid and Highways, not education.

[daddysboy]

Any government sanctioned lying at the taxpayer's expense is unacceptable even if it's five dollars. Every state education system receives enough federal money to be closed down if it were to dry up in any case. Ten percent of 3.4 billion is how the paper and pencils are purchased; after paying the teacher's salaries which is the largest portion of any budget, there is really very little left and most schools operate in a deficit for some of the year as it is. The only public schools that are doing well are the ones in areas with significantly wealthier tax-bases or ones that are fortunate enough to reside near airports or other high-revenue generating zones. No, de-funding our already underfunded education system wasn't enough for bush, he wants to actually lower the quality of what little education can still be offered. What do people from and headed to private schools have to offer in any discussion of public education really anyway?

[utd]

ENOUGH ALREADY, we are sick of hearing about your awesome Governor, and how a state can be run so well by Democrats who care about their citizens. Heartland, pfft. Real Americans live in the heartlessland, like Utah. Without that extra cashflow from the fed, how would our local politicians survive with out that extra little skim off the top at the expense of our children?

[Pookie2112]

Our tax dollars hard at work making our children just as stupid as the morons in the Executive Branch. While I've been open and honest about sex ed with my daughter, many parents DON'T talk to their kids about sex and leave it up to the schools. Thankfully, my school district doesn't take fed funds for sex ed so the school district has COMPREHENSIVE sex ed.

Watched "TDSWJS" last night ... this piece was some SERIOUSLY funny shit!

[Josiwe]

I grew up in upper-class, conservative white suburbia. My mother was probably the only genuine liberal in the town I lived in, told me everything I needed to know about sex honestly and openly, starting when I was 5 years old and answering any questions I had as I grew old enough to ask them.

Everyone else in my town taught their children "Christian values", which apparently consisted of shame and ignorance.

I remained a virgin until I was 21, and lost my virginity to a woman I was deeply in love with (while practicing safe sex). Mainly this was due to my having all the facts at my disposal, allowing me to make an informed, responsible choice.

At least 3 girls in my year had shotgun weddings and firstborns six months later. At LEAST one had an abortion, although rumor suggested several more. Most were involved in unsafe sexual practices and we actually had a minor STD epidemic at my high school.

1 girl I know is 27 (like me) and is already divorced and raising her son on her own. Her mother insists she raise the child "In Christ."

When are sensible people going to stand up to religious nonsense and insist that our sex education policies reflect reality instead of ideology? When will we start treating our children as intelligent beings who must learn how to make good decisions instead of precious jewels to be coddled and protected from the realities of our world?

[daddysboy]

Sensible people never sat down. We are just simply overwhelmed by nonsensical people at the moment. Apparently we need to give insanity a try for at least 10 years or so; good thing we are getting it out of the way early in this century.