Knowledge-Based Learning
I was reading some article tonight that made a reference in passing to the current administration's obsessive fascination with "abstinence-only" programs for "sex education" (i.e., no sex education). These programs are known to lead to increased teen pregnancy when compared to the results of teaching about, e.g., condom use.
How could this possibly be, the confused but pristine reactionary must be wondering. After all, we all know that doing nothing is the only approach guaranteed to avoid pregnancy and STDs.
And then it struck me: perhaps the approach of the red-brained ones is succeeding too well.
Consider these two reactionary goals for "sex education":
- Never mention sex, don't talk about it, don't use the words, make sure images of naked people are never seen, and under no circumstances promote homosexuality or even mention anything having to do with it either; if they never hear about "it", they won't find out about "it".
- Implement "abstinence-only" programs, explaining that "the only sure way is no way" [I offer this motto to that guy being paid by the administration to promote such programs, in return for a modest royalty].
Do you see the trap here?
With "abstinence-only" programs, we tell our kids not to do "it", which they may even be willing to give a go, but we are exceedinly careful never to tell them what "it" is. As we now know, that leads to experimenting and increased pregnancy, not to mention boys who grow up to be president convinced that oral sex isn't sex (certainly not "it"!), not to mention all the girls who grow up worried that oral sex can lead to pregnancy.
Now that we think on it, it's pretty obvious that teaching kids what "it" is and how "it" is done is the best route to avoiding unwelcome pregnancies after all. What a surprise: knowledge-based learning really works! (Next stop: "creationism" and "intelligent design".)