END OF SEMESTER!!

In this class I have not only learned so much, but have opened my eyes to many more perspectives of sex in general.  It was really good to hear other people's opinions and stories.  I was brought up to think one way and have never really taken a class that revolved around sex.  I just wanted to pick the subject that really impacted me the most to share more about.

So in this class we talked about Missouri law and how sex ed is taught and how early children first recieve the infromation.  There was also a blog that I read about schools having classes that about teenage pregnancies and why it shouldnt happen.  I didnt really get to share my opinions in class because I sort of just get so caught up on everyone elses stories.  I was brought up in a (very small) Catholic school and traditional (huge) Catholic family.  I went to church everyday and was brought up very strict.  I have basically been a "goody goody" child all of my life.  Never went against my parents wishes until college.  Sex ed was never really taught in my school.  Im sure I would have remembered it, being it was taboo to talk about.  In fourth grade we were given a class about men and female "private parts" as we called them, and after that there was nothing.  As Catholics we were to abstain from sex until marriage. END OF DISCUSSION.  Pretty stupid I know right?  Our small class actually got into really big trouble in 8th grade for some girl flashing a group of guys.  So in high school pretty much everyone I knew from grade school had been with multiple partners by sophmore year.  They went sex crazy.  A couple people got pregnant, and one even developed an STD.  I feel like if we would have had some type of mandatory class either in 8th grade or freshman year when everyones horomones were going crazy, these mistakes could have been prevented. 

In Missouri schools are not required by law to provide sex education, but if a school district chooses to offer such courses, the classes must include information about abstinence until marriage and prevention of HIV/AIDS and other STDs.  STD's are so common these days there cannot be enough protection.  HPV, cancer, STI's are so important to know about at an early age.  Not as a scare tactic, but for general knowledge.  Women and men need to know how to protect themselves and how dangerous these diseases can be.  Also the issue of pregnancies should come up and be talked about, but not necessarily watched on tv.  The shows kind of glamourize the life of a teenage mom.  It doesnt look easy, but I know they leave out ALOT.  Nine months plus cannot be accurately summed up in less than an hour.  So their should be classes to inform, not scare.  They should also include abortion and adoptions and other options when talking aobut pregnancies.  And mandatory classes, not optional would help (I think) with the teenage pregnancy issues today.

I know its a lot of rambling, sorry. Here are some links.
http://www.teen-aid.org/State_Resourses/State_Sex_Education_Laws.htm
http://www.sexetc.org/state/MO/  <<so much info!

- Danielle Brown

Teen Parenting Programs Get Real

"It's not necessarily a scare tactic, but in classrooms across Texas, and in a growing number of other states, schools are looking at two new programs that teach teens about the consequences of irresponsible sexual behavior — without either the controversial sex-education quotient or abstinence-focused programs, whose message, educators say, often falls on deaf ears" (USA Today). In the article titled, "Teen Parenting Programs Get Real" it explains how the state of Texas is putting together sex education programs. However, these programs are not the typical "don't have sex" or "use a condom" lecture but rather is focusing on the legal responsibilities, emotional toll and dollars-and-cents realities of life as a teen parent. I think this is a great idea that they are doing these programs because teens are going to have sex, teens are not going to use protection, and teens will get pregnant. These programs are here to share with you what responsibilities come with teen parenting and the emotional stress that comes with it. 

The approach represents an important new trend in an area that has been controversial and fraught with problems. And because these programs have shown such early promise, they are spreading across the country, as educators and state officials see in them a new way to target high teen birth rates in the USA. One program is called Parenting and Paternity Awareness (PAPA), and the other is No Kidding, a partnership between community groups that work with school districts.

"PAPA is addressing an unmet need for students, and it is significantly improving students' knowledge and attitudes in areas that are unique to the PAPA curriculum," the evaluation says. The No Kidding program includes three 50-minute sessions with personal stories from teen parents, as well as information about the legal and financial obligations related to paternity; presenters are paid $40 an hour as peer educators. There is even a Price Is Right-type exercise on the cost of baby items.

I think these programs would be so beneficial if more were started up across the country. It could leave a great impact on teens who are currently having unprotected sex. 

http://www.usatoday.com/LIFE/usaedition/2010-12-15-teenparents15_CV_U.htm

Pregnancy & Dropouts

After watching season two of 16 & Pregnant, I noticed how difficult it is to finish school while pregnant. In the episode with Emily, you can see how hard it is to finish your high school education. I felt really bad for Emily because her parents said she was a straight "A" student. However, she got pregnant and her school wouldn't let her graduate. Her school issued a rule that if you miss more than two weeks of school, then you can't graduate. Therefore, Emily pulled herself out of school and turned to home schooling. At first, it seemed as if Emily was going to be able to finish on time with the work that was given to her by her home school advisor. But, things were a lot harder than they looked. After the pregnancy, Emily had to turn to her step mom to babysit so she could catch up on her behind readings. Emily's goal was to go to college and her grades proved that it would have happened. However, with a baby now Emily will have to take a break from school altogether. According to “The Silent Epidemic,” a recently released study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 26 percent of students who dropped out of high school did so because they became a parent. Almost 50 percent of those who dropped out said they became disengaged because school had little relevance to their lives.When a young person drops out of school before graduating, we all lose. We lose the contributions these students could make as productive and educated workers and we end up paying much more for welfare programs and prisons. Studies show students who drop out of high school are more likely to rely on public assistance and become involved in the criminal justice system. The tragedy of lost potential tends to be passed on to the next generation as well. According to “When Girls Don’t Graduate, We All Fail,” a new study by the National Women’s Law Center, children of teenage mothers who drop out of high school are also more likely to leave school before receiving their diplomas.

http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2008/05/08/reduce-teen-pregnancies-to-reduce-the-dropout-rate/

HPV...it's more common than you think!

Hey Ladies! I decided to go off lecture and discuss the topic of STDS but more importantly to go off of the most common one I've at least heard about, HPV. 


When I went to the doctor back in June for a recent checkup and pap smear, I asked my doctor what the most common STD was in patients that she has seen around my age (20). As we discussed more, she told me how the most common STD in women in there teens and early twenties is HPV. I wasn't really sure what HPV was, but knew that I had heard of friends of mine having it. My doctor told me that 80% of women before the age of 30 will get HPV at some point in their lives. Although this number seems outrageous, my doctor went on to say that most of the time the HPV virus will go away with time. In addition, some women will never know they even had it unless they were to get tested. Being in college and knowing some people have had multiple partners, I was a little bit nervous/scared. What I found out too was that a lot of men have HPV but never get tested. Therefore, the person you could be sleeping with might have HPV and not even know it themselves. The worse part, you would have no idea either. HPV is one of the hardest STDs to decipher. It doesn't produce blisters, herpes, rashes, etc. It's pretty much invisible and odorless! HPV, according to the CDC, is a very common sexually transmitted disease infecting about 6 million people a year. It's estimated that 50 percent of sexually active men and women have been exposed at some point in their lives. In the majority of infections, our body's immune system takes care of it without any treatment. However, the same way certain strains of the virus get into cells of the cervix and change them into cancerous cells, it can also happen with the cells in the mouth and throat when exposed during oral sex. Although HPV can have serious effects, the symptoms are pretty much NOTHING! 


After my doctor visit, I immediately was interested in getting the Gardasil shot. The shot consisted of 3 doses and can protect you from getting the HPV virus or washing it out of your system if you already have it. I also learned, if you choose to have vaginal or anal intercourse, use condoms EVERY time. They can reduce the risk of HPV. They are not as effective against HPV as they are against other infections such as chlamydia and HIV. But they greatly reduce the risk of HPV infection. You can use condoms, Sheer Glyde dams, dental dams, or plastic wrap during oral sex to further reduce the risk.


I hate talking about scary things like this, but I think it's so important to let people know the statistics on how common this STD is. If you take the initiative to be more responsible while having sex, you're chances of catching the virus is very slim. Let's all practice safe sex and spread the word!


http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/stds-hiv-safer-sex/hpv-4272.htm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leigh-vinocur-md/oral-sex-cancer_b_850066.html


3 WEEKS TIL SUMMER!


-Olivia Arns

Just a lil' somthing...

Hey, Ladies! Monday's lecture on heteronormativity reminded me of a story I wanted to share with you. I also found something just as relevant earlier today. Enjoy!

http://www.myprincessboy.com/index.asp
(Watch the attached stories/interviews with the child and his mother if you have time-- the book came as a result of their experiences.)

Also...


http://jezebel.com/#!5791323/boys-nailpolish-starts-non+debate

-Maddie Byrne

Is Abortion Really That Bad?

Hello Ladies! 

I realize everyone is on spring break but I decided to get on the blog and vent. 

Since being in this class, I have heard a lot of feedback from all different types of people with all different backgrounds and experiences. After doing the exercise in class from two weeks ago with Marilyn, I noticed that the majority of our discussion class would keep a baby if they were pregnant today. I think that is great and support anyone that is willing to do so. 

However, when I was partnered in the exercise, I didn't even have to think twice about what I would have done if I were pregnant. My partner and I decided that the best thing for us to do was to get an abortion. Before I bud heads with anyone, I want to let you know why I would choose this route in the long run. Being a broadcast journalism major, my goals and dreams are HUGE. If i was pregnant today, this would set me back in the career I want to pursue. You don't see many reporters/anchors pregnant, and therefore, I would choose an abortion solely because my dreams and aspirations of becoming a sideline reporter are huge. If my career were different, I would definitely consider adoption. 

After doing some research on abortion, I found out that there are different methods for an abortion. One is the abortion pill and the other is the in clinic abortion. Abortions are very common. In fact, more than 1 out of 3 women in the U.S. have an abortion by the time they are 45 years old. If you are pregnant, you have options. If you are trying to decide if abortion is the right choice for you, you probably have many things to think about like myself. 

People who disagree with abortions, in my opinion have obviously never been in a situation where they've had to seriously consider it. Think of all the young women who go through the trauma of rape, only to find out that they are pregnant to their perpetrator. To many of them is causes even more trauma to go through with the pregnancy and then looking at the child every day only to have it bring back memories of the rape (I will admit that some mothers do go through with these rape-related pregnancies). YES the child within the mother is a life BUT what about our lives??? Does anyone stop to think how it will affect the mother??? The mother would want to move on and better her life after something as horrible as this happening to her- not hold it back even further. Even with young girls who accidentally fall pregnant... are they really fit to raise children? They should have the right to abortion. Some people say that if they can't raise the baby by themselves they should just adopt out... But what about the months of schooling they miss out on, and the social awkwardness they will feel upon return. A lot of people will say this is why young people shouldn't be having sex... But I say they are doing it, they will do it, and they will not stop because you say and neither will teen pregnancies. I do not agree on using abortion merely as a form of contraception... But I do believe that how our lives are going to be affected should be taken into account...

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion-4260.asp

-Olivia Arns

What is prenatal care?

Hello ladies! Hope everyone is enjoying this gorgeous weather...hoping it stays this way!!!

Going off this weeks discussion I decided to reflect back on everything we have learned about prenatal care so far. At first, I wasn't too familiar with all the work that goes into prenatal care while carrying a child. To me, it's almost scary knowing everything you have to do in order to have a successful healthy pregnancy.

What I have learned so far is that prenatal care can help keep you and your baby healthy. Babies of mothers who do not get prenatal care are three times more likely to have a low birth weight and five times more likely to die than those born to mothers who do get care. Doctors can spot health problems early when they see mothers regularly. This allows doctors to treat them early. Early treatment can cure many problems and prevent others. Doctors also can talk to pregnant women about things they can do to give their unborn babies a healthy start to life.

The thing that worries me is with all of these teenage mothers out there getting pregnant do you think they are getting the proper prenatal care they need for themselves and their child? Take the mothers on teen mom, all of the pregnancies on the show have seemed to produce healthy babies (besides one of Leah's twins). However, with some of the behaviors of the individuals on the show, such as Jenelle, it's hard for me to believe that all the mothers stopped drinking and smoking. In addition, do you think they all started to eat healthy, take vitamins, and stopped tanning? My guess is no.

The story of the matter is, prenatal care is SO important. Even if you can't afford the proper treatment, there are many places that can provide financial aid. Women in every state can get help to pay for medical care during their pregnancies. This prenatal care can help you have a healthy baby. Every state in the United States has a program to help. Programs give medical care, information, advice, and other services important for a healthy pregnancy.

I hope prenatal care continues to be educate everyone. The lives of these children are in their mothers hands, not their own. By staying healthy, and following the guidelines necessary to have a healthy pregnancy, we can all produce healthy children. As far as teen mom, I am rather surprised they haven't shown a pregnancy gone wrong yet. I know it would be depressing but I am sure it happens a lot. Not every teenager is completely responsible, and I am sure there are quite a few who don't take prenatal care seriously. 

For tips on prenatal care...

http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/prenatal-care.cfm#b

-Olivia Arns

Choice?

I'm having a little trouble expanding on the general thoughts I've had on this week's topic, so how'sabout I begin a discussion?
One of this week's readings on the importance of the role of ambivalence in making a decision made me think: In the case pregnancy/reproductive choice/etc., is a decision ever really yours as an individual?  Does that choice really belong to you?
After considering the myriad of elements that influence or even make or break the choice in question, is the outcome of that decision really in your best interest, or in the best interest of all the other contributing factors (which, consequently, can either make your life easier or much more difficult).  Obviously choice is essential, and I'm incredibly grateful for the options I have, but in my opinion, the decisions we make with these given choices in regards to abortion/adoption/childbearing/parenting are much more about appeasing everyone but ourselves as a way to lessen excess, unnecessary pressures and stresses. Let me know what you think!

-Maddie Byrne

Teens and Abusive Relationships/ Violence

Sorry this is very last minute…I had no idea who was going to post the next blog.  I knew I was after Clare, but Kristen was skipped.  O well, It doesn’t matter. 

So I really kind of wanted to focus on the violence portion of class we had today with the guest speaker.  I think most teens and young adults know what abuse is, however when they are being abused they do not know they are.  They ignore it to try to focus on the bliss of being in a relationship.  But if you have to suffer, than why be in it?  I have had a few friends who have been verbally and physically abused by past boyfriends, yet they still stayed with them.  When I ask them why, it is usually because they think that they are doing something wrong.  (By the way, all of my friends that were abused were girls) So they try to “fix” themselves, but nothing is wrong with them.  It is really just sad to watch.  I think the only instance of physical violence on teen mom, which I can think of at the moment, was Gary and Amber.  I think their case was unique in the fact that Gary was abused.  But I also think that Amber was psycho and blamed Gary for everything wrong in her life.  I don’t know, that’s just my take.  I think (as we talked about in the last blog) that violence should be a very important focus when talking about sex and relationships.  Teens at a young age need to be taught these things so they don’t have to suffer through abuse. 

In one of the videos in class today (I can’t remember her name) the girl broke up with her boyfriend, and then he sent her a text saying that he was going to kill himself if she left him.  That has never happened to me personally, but I have had friends (mostly girls) come to me for advice on what to do.  The first thing I want to say is to dump the crazy.  If they threaten to hurt themselves, and you stay in the relationship, who’s to say they won’t end up hurting you?  What do you guys think?  Suicide or even just hurting oneself is kind of out of your hands.  But anyways, one of the students in class noticed that the website did not tell you what to do in that situation.  I think that a huge problem because it happens to SO MANY PEOPLE and they have no idea how to react to the situation.  Of course you don’t want anyone to kill themselves, but how to you know they won’t?  I think the website is good to show videos of situations like these, but they need a follow up to explain a good option for the problem. 

 I really like the guest speaker and how she kind of focused on victims.  I agree with her.  I feel like we should sympathize with the victim; however what happens to them (in certain situations) could be their own fault.  Watch the news and you hear about a person who was mugged or raped.  Yes this is horrible, but if they were walking alone in a dark alley, it is kind of their fault.  They should not have put themselves in that position in the first place. 

Sorry that this is so sporadic, just my thoughts at the moment. 

Danielle Brown

Who's playing lead-blogger this week?

Hey, dolls. I noticed we've been going out of order from the original lead-blogger rotation and was curious as to who is in charge of this week's post. It may be me, but I'm not sure. Let me know so I can get to work if that's the case. Thanks!
-Maddie

Teens Discovering Sex

Bahhh!  I'm sorry this is last minute!  I had my birthday, exams and overtime at work this week.  It's been lovely...  Anyway, here's my post.
I really enjoyed the discussion we had in class last Friday - so much that I called my mom up that evening and talked to her about it.  The topic was: How do teens learn about sex?
Peer pressure, media images, education, and religious background all play an obvious role.  However, research suggests that parents may have the most impact of them all.  Recent studies by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy claim that 38% of teens ranked parents the highest as the greatest influence on their sexual behavior.  However, how many parents actually do talk to their teens about sex?
A national survey found that mothers of children aged 11 and older rated themselves "unsatisfactory" on talking about issues such as: how to tell when youth are ready to be sexually active (38%), preventing HIV (40%), sexual orientation (47%) and how to use a condom (73%).
If parents aren't talking to their kids about sex, teens will learn about it other ways.  However, when they go "other places", they risk being subjected to bad information.  And with bad information, bad things can happen...
There are the risks we've talked about over and over in class - contracting an STD or becoming pregnant.  But, I'm surprised that we haven't hit on teen dating violence and sexual abuse yet. Odds are if parents aren't talking about sex, they aren't talking about healthy dating either.  
When teens are confused about what's appropriate dating and sexual behavior, they run the risk of being subjected to dangerous dating situations without even realizing it - possibly resulting in hazardous sexual experiences as well.
Unfortunately, I fell victim of this exact situation when I was in high school - enduring four years of an on-again, off-again abusive relationship because I wasn't aware of what's acceptable in a relationship and what's not.  The constant abuse eventually led to rape - and I didn't even realize I had been raped until my sophomore year in college (thanks to my social work classes)!
Obviously, there are other factors that played into this situation, and I'm not solely blaming my parents for lack of communication about sex, however, I do wish they would have talked to me about it more...
With that being said, I thank everyone that participated in the discussion last class.  I have three younger sisters (19, 15 and 13 years old).  Our discussion urged me to call my mom right away and tell her to talk to my sisters about sex...NOW!  It gave me the courage to finally tell her of my past experiences as well... So in all seriousness, thank you.


- clare powell


http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=51164
http://www.caps.ucsf.edu/pubs/FS/parent-child.php

Should birth control be free?

Hello Ladies! Sorry for the last minute posting, I've been consumed with my first week of exams, a cold, and I just got back from a wonderful run in this gorgeous weather! 

Since the beginning of class, a lot of topics have been brought up in regards to contraceptive use. Whether it be condoms or birth control, it is evident that many teenagers do not take advantage of these resources. Being in a recession, contraceptive use can be hard for some folks to have access to. What I think the United States should do is make birth control free. By doing this, the teenage pregnancy rate would lower and many teenagers would take advantage of using more birth control. For those of you that do use contraceptive use, you know that paying for it can be a serious dent in your wallet. According to cosmopolitan magazine, "Even if you have insurance, the copay for the Pill tends to be in the $5-$15 per month range. And without insurance, the cost can be so high that it may not even be an option. But that all may change soon."I think making birth control free would be so beneficial. By making birth control available at no cost makes it possible for women to use the method that works best for them and will reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in America. 

I think that birth control should be free for anyone no matter the age because I think it is much better to be on the pill rather than to have a child your not ready for. I think is much better for a pregnancy to be planned rather than for it to happen by mistake. By birth control being free, it just makes it easier on everyone. It can also become very expensive, our tax dollars should at least go towards something that is useful! More money in our health care system is spend on abortions and deliveries of unexpected babies than on preventative options such as birth control and condoms. If the women in our country where given birth control at a very minimum or no cost at all then we wouldn't have to spend so much money on dealing with the problems of unexpected or unwanted pregnancies.

The U.S. needs to learn to take a preventative approach on sex because no matter what, is it going to happen. If we want to look at it from a different view then we can say that if birth control was free, there would be less teen pregnancies in the U.S. This would allow those teens to reach a higher level of education, and therefore be able to receive a higher salary, which would give them more time to prepare for a child. I don't think providing people with free forms of contraception will increase people's sexual behaviors, it will just give those who do not have the funds to pay for birth control an equal chance at protecting themselves and their partners.

What do y’all think?

Olivia Arns

Condoms & Daycare

Sex is an ambiguous topic, yet it seems most people and systems who talk about it go at it as if there is a right answer and wrong answer.  It seems sex is a non-mentionable topic, being treated as something one only talks about if they are already have sex pre-maritally, so the logical thing to do is to not talk about sex, even if it is a big part of your life.  This non-mentioned sex between two people is how most teenage pregnancies started, as with one of the girls on !6 and Pregnant (forgot her name) mentioned her parents never had "the talk" with her.  Also, it seems like in the beginning of several episodes when the pregnant girl is talking to her family and friends, most of them seem shocked to here she was having sex more than she was pregnant.  But that is what we expect.  We expect two teenagers having unprotected sex will get pregnant, but no one seems to talk about this.  It is just intuitive knowledge, one doesn't need to teach these young girls and young guys how unprotected sex leads to pregnancy and how "a sexually active teen who does not use a contraceptive has a 90% chance of becoming pregnant within a year."  Do you think teenagers would listen to this more than the traditional argument of "abstinence is always the answer" and other arguments of how one should not have sex, not what one needs and should do if they are having sex? Just because people talk about sex with teenagers, it doesn't mean they're going to run out and grab a boy because you made it sound so fun.  Teens need to have a sex education to actually educate them on sex and pregnancies and STIs instead of "educationally" persuade them that sex is wrong--which doesn't really happen.
High schools need to have a sex education program or at least handout condoms.  In 2006, only 5% of American high schools made condoms available to students.  I went to high school in Omaha, NE and I know sex education was nothing more than 8th grade health class, in which I remember STD education, but not really sex education.  Sex wasn't really mentioned by anyone, it was either you're having sex or your not, either way it's best not to share.  I find it ridiculous that 3 high schools in Omaha--everyone knew all the high schools and the "stereotypes" of the people who go there--don't give out condoms or have sex education programs, but yet they have a built in daycare for teenage student moms and it can be taken as a credit for other students to be nursery teachers.  Yes, having a daycare for these teenage moms to give them a chance to finish high school is a great thing, but if these three high schools have daycares it is because they were having too many teenage pregnancy dropouts.  You would think that a high school with a daycare would be more opened about pregnancies and sex education but they aren't.  It seems to be less of a shock of the teenagers to say they are pregnant--almost expected at some of these high schools--but even in a school where sex seems to be more of an issue, sex education is not a built in class, but teaching fellow teenage student mom's baby is.  But why can't they both be available?  To me, giving out condoms to help prevent pregnancy and having a built in daycare to prevent teenage mother dropouts should be seen as an equal need.
Kristen Toner
Go Tigers!!!

ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENT, NOT LEAD POST--NO NEED FOR GROUP TO RESPOND

please ignore this post fellow blog friends.
this is what i get for being stuck in snow on friday.

Is teen pregnancy a social problem or not?
Yes, absolutely.
A social problem is defined as "a matter which directly or indirectly affects a person or many members of a society and are considered to be problems, controversies related to moral values, or both" (retrieved from wikipedia).  I believe teen pregnancy encompasses both aspects of the definition provided.
Obviously, teen pregnancy affects both the teen mother and teen father.  However, this is also an issue that affects their family, friends, schooling, and the life of their unborn child.
Teen pregnancy is also largely perceived as a moral issue.  According to the Guttmacher Institute, on average, young people have sex for the first time at about age 17, but they do not marry until their mid-20s.  Although this is partially due to the feminist movement (women are more focused on careers than family), and the sexual revolution (sex is everywhere and more permissible), some still believe that sex should be saved for marriage.  These opposing views have escalated into a controversy for many.
And because young adults are waiting longer to marry, they are at increased risk of unwanted pregnancy and STIs as well (which creates more social/moral problems).
There is also the moral issue of what to do with the baby - abortion, adoption, raising it as a teen parent...
I feel like I could go on and on about how and why teen pregnancy is a social problem.  It affects so many people in so many ways - physically, fiscally, emotionally, etc.  I hope my response is sufficient.

- clare powell

First Lead Blog, Ladies!

             Hello, darlings.  Pardon any hiccups or insensitivity on my part in this first blog post, but I’m dealing with some serious snowpocalypse delirium.  I desperately need a shower, and I’ve basically been holed up in a commune of theatre students, grilled cheeses, and tequila in the Dumas apartments for the past few days.  This snow is heinous.  I want to sleep in a legitimate bed, but the dog bed I’ve fashioned out of pillows and couch cushions on the floor will have to make due until I can escape.

            ANYWAY, this week’s readings and course content (alongside this weather) have left me feeling generally cynical.  If there’s anything I’ve taken from this week’s material, it’s a reaffirmation that, unfortunately, people tend to be seemingly inherently manipulative, with selfish tendencies driven by their own agendas (at least in my observations).  As I mentioned before, this is me in my most cynical of mindsets.  I tend to be unrealistically optimistic, but just noticing subtle acts of manipulation such as those present in the material reminds me that people will do whatever they feel necessary to get what they want, even if their intentions are relatively harmless.

            Regarding our reading materials, I would consider Pozner’s article on feminist media literacy to be helpful to most WGST newbies, but it was somewhat redundant to me personally, as I was taught to filter information in this manner last semester in one of my WGST classes.  In my opinion, ignorance truly is bliss.  Once you train yourself to read into even the subtlest, seemingly harmless of messages through a skeptical, overly perceptive perspective or lense such as those which Pozner described, the world becomes a much uglier place, and suddenly everything has the ability to piss you off enormously, at least in my experience.  Thanks, feminism!

            I felt this way early on in chapter two of Dubious Conceptions.  Luker points out that all of our notions and presumptions attached to adolescent childbearing are mistaken…so why, then, would hers be an exception?  The information and research she’s compiled for us may be factual, but it’s also been manipulated (word-of-the-day) in a way that works in her and her personal agenda’s favor (but, in a way, we all practice this.  Human nature?)  Though I realize she’s challenging us not to take information for what it is, whether it regards teen pregnancy or otherwise, I’d like to suggest that we use these same media literacy tools to decipher her work as well.

            Most of my other notes primarily regard this same chapter in Dubious Conceptions. I had a really difficult time finding anything terribly fascinating and non-repetitive in any of our other articles or even in Kailyn’s episode of 16 & Pregnant (though I did find an article to share with you regarding the show’s spin-off/MTV’s suspected “hidden agenda”, and the general disconcern for any consistency in the messages they send as a network for the sake of making a dime).

            I found the issue of age versus bastardy interesting.  The Puritan preference towards the age/number attached to the parent, rather than the quality of parenting and whether or not the child was born out of wedlock left a funny taste in my mouth; I realized that this is one of many sets of ideals that make up a relatively corrupt, intolerant foundation for our country.  Also, the term “filius nullis” (literally and legally “child of no one”, which essentially regarded innocent children as orphans and marginalized them before they could even speak) held implications that have evolved into issues still salient today, that a child born out of wedlock would become a public, economic burden to society; an attitude that I would argue has perpetuated much of society’s feelings towards teen pregnancy today.

Finally, I found the concept/original aim of the common law marriage pretty hilarious, and again, still very relevant even in today’s context.  The idea that marriage (in any form) is both necessary for a successful upbringing and that it’s in the best interest for all (even if it’s forced or of miserable quality) is funny, yet we still see it happening today (quick marriage = quick fix?)  All in all, this chapter really made me think critically about how I feel about the government’s involvement in the family, and made me consider whether marriage is something that I really want to be associated with my future partnerships.

            Thanks for wading through my irritated rambling. Here’s the link to the Teen Mom article.  Comment, stay warm, and enjoy!

-Maddie Byrne

http://jezebel.com/5745885/teen-mom-advertiser-has-secret-pro+life-agenda 

Hello.

This blog is now active! <3 Olivia

This better work.

If you can read this, I will be happy.

- Clare

Lead blogger rotation

What up, ladies. Here's the rotation we decided on for who will post the lead blog each week. Remember that all lead blogs are due Wednesdays by 8 pm and all comments are due by 8 pm the next day (Thursday).

1.) Maddie Byrne
2.) Kristen Toner
3.) Olivia Arns
4.) Clare Powell
5.) Danielle Brown