Doing Gender

By: Dominique Kidd

Doing gender is in our everyday life, we grew up learning on how to do gender. Gender is the behavior, and the culture typically that have to do with ones sex. Most people do gender without even realizing it; for example women do gender everyday by putting a bra on when getting dress, and men always do gender when they stand up to go to the bathroom. But we learn "doing gender" from the very beginning. When babies are born parents usually get everything blue for boys and everything pink for girls. 

This photo is an example of a little girl's toy. This photo give girls the idea that they are just here to wait on their husband's every need and want. And that education is not important because there is no need to have a education to be a stay at home mother and/or wife.

This photo is an example of a toddler boy's toy. It's a fix it bench which can lead boys thinking that they only have to work and fix things around the house and nothing more,when in a relationship.









Doing gender is very easy to do and very easy to break, we all undo gender everyday. For example a man when just getting off from work comes home and put his children in the tub and put them into bed is undoing gender. And a mother who just put together a new sound system and takes out the weekly trash undo gender. Gender is very important in our everyday life and without it who would we be?  

What the Heck is up with the Music Today?

By Truong Pham

First of all, No one will probably argue with me when I speak of the Sixties as a revolutionary period in popular music, the Beatles, Elvis, remember guys?  The decade brought in a virtually new type of music, and with it, a new type of mentality.  Today’s music contents are either about sex, drugs, or violences.  Modern music have harmful effecst on young children and teens. One of the harmful effects is causing young people to absorb and act out the lyrics. These lyrics can be about violence, sex, drug and alcohol addiction. Plus modern music can persuade young adults to commit violent crimes, through lyrics for example.  It can also alter their perspective on the world.

While popular music, from rap to country, is full of sexual content, that depiction of sex varies widely. And in the new study, researchers found that the distinction between degrading and non-degrading sexual lyrics may make a difference in teenagers' behavior.  Of the 1,461 adolescents aged 12 to 17 they followed, those who regularly listened to music with degrading lyrics at the start of the study were more likely to start having sex over the next two years. 

This song is a example of the music with full sexual content.  My favorite part was from 0:18 to 0:21.  Are you serious?  This song encourage teenagers and adolescent girls to have wild sex.  This is really sicken me!

Harmful music can also inspire young people to commit crimes and acts of extreme violence. Some popular music, especially heavy metal and rap music glorify violence. Through reoccurrence this harmful music can drive their messages home by repeating the same themes of murder, guns, cruelty and savagery.

And this music video is one example of music that encourage violent and gangs.  It is difficult to deny that music has become more aggressive and edgy over the decades.

And the last but not least, Music that are just plainly crap.  Watch the viral video bellow and we'll see.

This song's lyric is just plainly bad, and this is pretty much one of the best example of today Pop music, repeating lyrics, and crappy content.

And finally, I fully agree that mainstream radio and mass-media are to be blamed heavily for the current situation.  They do nothing to improve it, only worsen it by convincing poor people that the crap they send on the radio is real art. What artist today writes good music not just ass shaking music, Very few The Beatles had 20 number ones's and at the time they where competing with literally legendary bands. Music today is mostly soulless ass shaking....sad. I don't mind fun bubble gum music occasionally. I just wish it wasn't the only thing I was being fed currently.

Sex Education in America

By: Sandra Feliciano

Sex is everywhere you look in America. It is used to sell almost anything and is all over the TV and images we see every day. Sex is a part of everyone’s life, yet when it comes to talking about sex and safe sex, Americans get uncomfortable. Sex education in America is either about stressing abstinence or gives the basic of sex and safe sex. And for most teens their only sex education comes from school and not their parents. Many parents feel awkward to talk to their kids about sex and some just chose to ignore it. Kids grow up knowing that they’re not going to get the information from their parents and then get misguided and false information from their friends.

Let's Talk About Sex Outreach Campaign

            The documentary “Let’s Talk About Sex” by James Houston shows Americans attitudes toward sex and how that affects the sex education. The attitude toward sex is that it is wrong and can lead to STD’s and pregnancy. Most people think that people should wait until they are married to have sex. Either way, teens are not getting the support and information they need to make the right choices when it comes to sex. According to the documentary, every day in America “10,000 teenagers catch an STD, 2,400 young girls become pregnant and 55 young people are infected with HIV”.  The documentary has turned into an outreach campaign to teach parents, kids, and educator’s healthy and realistic ways to talk about sex. Many parents were not taught about sex appropriately and they don’t have the tools when it comes to teaching their kids.

            This outreach campaign is geared towards getting people to talk openly and honestly about sex and teaching the teens how to have safe and healthy relationships and to feel comfortable to talk with their parents. I think this is great because it is realistic and is all about helping teens make safer choices. Americans should feel more open to talk about sex because sexuality is a part of all of us. The documentary also looks at how sex is talked about by religious leaders and how they can give proper information without going against what the religion believes.

            I think that sex education needs to be more informative and accepted throughout America but also needs to come from families. If everyone felt more comfortable talking about sex to one another and to children then we would all be better informed and the shame would go away. I think this campaign will help to educate Americans and hopefully help decrease the amounts of STD that are contracted by teens and teen pregnancies.

Teens and Sex

By: Jameelah White


Many teens have sex because they think “ everyone else” is having sex. Fifty-three percent of high school students have not had sexual intercourse. Teenagers think if their friends are having sex then they have to have sex as well to fix in with the group. Teens who have sex are at high risk for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Fourteen percent of high school students report having had sex with four or more partners. Which I think is a very high number because by the time you get into your late twenties that number would double. The more sexual partners a person has over time, the more likely he or she is to get a sexually transmitted disease.



The media also plays a big role in teens decision to have sex. It seems like every time you turn on the television something portraying to sex is being displayed. Teens who see and hear a lot about sex in the media may be more than twice as likely to have early sexual intercourse as those who are rarely exposed to sexual content. Shows that are suppose to be for teens shows a whole lot of sex moments. The songs they play on the radio is always talking about some type of sexual intercourse.



Teens need to be aware of the consequences of having sex. Teens don’t pay attention to this and its something that is very important to think about. We need to educate more teens about what problems they could face when they start having sex at a young age. Most teens get pregnant at a young age. If they knew more of what could happen to them then maybe they would think twice about the deciding to have sex.

Sexuality: How far will the bar be raised?

By: Rosalia Gentile

    Sexuality is how people perceive and want to be perceived by the opposite sex. Our sexuality determines who, how and what we are going to do in a sexual situation. Even down to simple interaction with others. Hugs, kisses, hand shakes, flirtatiouss gestures and remarks, these are all ways we express ourselves sexually.  Now, what or who says there is an average age for people to start exploring there sexuality?  When do people start actually having sex?  From what I have heard in real life and researched myself , I have come across different answers.
   From the time I started High School (2001, ten years ago) untill currently , there has been quite the age gap of virginity loss. I have personally met and heard from large groups of girls  today that majority of 13 and 14 year olds have already started having sex or have had multiple partners. This is a little shocking to hear, as I was growing up  people were starting a little later . It was more predominant in the higher grades ,mostly 16 and 17.
    I have recently heard kids in grade schools on schoolbusses are even starting to experiment! I was repulsed to hear from a younger cousin that they now have a person in charge on there school bus,  that makes sure kids aren't engaging in sexual activity. This wonderful duty was created do to a recent incident where a young girl ( around 10 years old)  was dared to perform oral sex on another child. I am classifying this age age group as children because I do not feel that people in this age bracket are mature enough on any level to be involved in such sexual activities. And further more I feel bad for girls that have to remember there first or any sexual experience this way. No respect, dignity or special intimate attachment to what they are doing. It's just like " so how  was the bus ride home?''  " oh you know , I gave  that kid in my math class head today''. Yep ! it's that nonchalant . So casual , like  saying what you ate for lunch . 
   Myself and I'm sure many parents aren't the happiest to hear about this. However the reality is what it is.But why ? Why are people especially the youth treating sex so casual and  being so out in the open about it  ? People have always had the desire and curiosity to want sex. What is making sex so expected and unspecial though? 
      I may not be 100% accurate, but I think many may agree or at least see what I see.  I am blaming the obvious and usual suspect for  depleting  our values and morals in society. Ah! the lovely media .

    TV shows, movies, magazines, the Internet.... I could go on and on.  Everywhere you turn sex slaps you in the face!  Who's doing who and how and where!  This is what children now are exposed too. I'm not naive to say that there was ever a time in history that sex or any aspects of it  where hidden away and nobody could find anything. Of coarse not! Thank God for the Romans for the beginning of sexual entertainment!  LOL!  I just see it as something that has turned into a casualty and expectation, and judged on a'' no big dea''l basis.

This video is from the  show  ''Secret life of an American teenager''. that was originally about a young girl that gets pregnant after her very first time experiencing sex and how to go about handling it. Since then the shows story line has turned into  all the people (whom are 15-17 years old) on the show are all sleeping with each other and then there friends.Sexual drama turns into emotional turmoil. This shows target audience are of the same age groups as on the show and even younger. What exactly is the message here again?

  

 
    These magazines are both available at any local drug store or news stand.  Mine as well sell Playboy and Hustler while there at it!  These magazines are a pg-13 version of "Sex for Dummies". 

This is an interesting new term for a man's penis. Disco Stick?  I mean really. Just imagine these lyrics streaming out of the mouth of a 5 year old now.This song suggests that sex is fun and games. Games are fun right?


  There are defiantly way more examples out there of how casual sex is just thrown out there. It's portrayed as fun, nonchalant and plus EVERYONE is doing it. The TV shows  portray it as an everyday act that even teens are and can do it, and handle it like an adult. The truth of the matter is teens are not adults. Not even close. I know that sex in the media is nothing new. I am just interested in how far will the bar be raised?  How close are we to basically selling porn out in the open?  Sounds like I'm being a bit dramatic. Maybe, but look  at it this way . One of the first ways that the media exploited a sexy image in the movies or on TV was  a women revealing her leg to get a man's attention. Very subtle , mysterious and alluring.  Look how far  expressing sexuality has taken it.