BY: JESSICA BEUKER
If you never suffered through the awkward and uncomfortable sex talk with your parents, then you likely attained most of your knowledge through high school sexual education. If there is anything that I remember about high school sexual ed., it is how pointless it felt to sit there tip toeing around the reality of modern sexuality that teenagers face daily.
Maybe it’s time to throw out that decade-old VHS tape where cartoon genitalia become friends and replace it with something teenagers would actually watch at home—porn.
A leading sexologist, Professor Christian Graugaard, suggested that porn should be taught in sex ed because it helps students become conscientious and critical consumers.
A leading sexologist from Denmark has made a bold statement by calling for pornography to be shown in classrooms. His argument is that it could start a debate about the adult film industry and help teenagers to become conscientious and critical consumers, who in turn would learn the difference between pornography and the reality of sexual relationships.
Professor Christian Graugaard suggested that porn would be preferable to sex education classes that were boring and technical and usually consisted of rolling a condom onto a cucumber. In an interview with ‘The Guardian’, Graugaard says that his proposal is part of a sensible educational strategy. “We should strengthen their ability to distinguish between the media’s depictions of the body and sex and the everyday life of an average teenager,” says Graugaard. “We know from research that a vast majority of teenagers have seen porn at an early age—so it’s not a question of introducing youngsters to porn.”
Teens are already sexually active and watching porn. We should strengthen their ability to distinguish between the media’s depictions of the body and sex and the everyday life of an average teenager
According to one study, 99 per cent of boys and 86 per cent of girls in Scandinavia have already seen pornographic films by the time they’re 16. In North America that age is even younger. According to an article by Forbes, a random sample survey of 1,500 kids ranging in ages from 10 to 17, found that kids will start seeking out Internet porn at age 14, when they are age-appropriately curious about sex. Since most teens are going to consume pornography on their own anyway, why not have them consume it in an educational environment where it can be monitored and scrutinized.
“Porn may actually offer a variety of both entertaining and educational properties,” Graugaard said in the interview with ‘The Guardian’. “Porn can even be feminist and in some cases it can be part of a democratization of sex and [it can] promote diversity. But it can also be excluding—of body types, gender and sexuality.” He adds that an open-minded, constructive dialogue is the best way to help students make meaningful decisions about sex. “It’s not our job to scare off teenagers, rather we should encourage them to explore the joys of sexuality in a safe way and on their own terms—instead of turning our backs on them.”
Sources: guim.co.uk, jyllands-posten.dk, blogspot.com, webcafe.net.hr
