Teen Sex

Contrary to the teenager testimonial that "most" teenagers they know, according to the Center of Disease Control just under half (43%) of teenagers SAY they have had sexual contact of some kind; i.e. sex. Admittedly, I do not fall into either statistic, and most of my friends (males) also did not fall into either statistic.

What the actual statistic is, we can only make educated guesses at. But, regardless, Penn and Teller make it a point of showing us that we, as teenagers, have had hormones raging in our bodies at one time, giving us the compulsion to reproduce and perpetuate the species. And that, in spite of all kinds of conscious social codes to regulate our behaviors, ultimately you cannot fight mother nature when it comes to the natural organic design of mammals. That includes us, homo sapien-sapiens.

Penn and Teller interview one of the "right wing conservative" entertainers, Bill Cunningham, who gives a lot of rhetoric about the degradation of society and, specifically, today's parents (2012). They interview proponents of abstinence programs of all kinds, who comment on the variations of sex put in the public air waves, and in private communiques. The logic here is that the concept of sex in various forms will encourage the young mind to engage in sex.

Well, for those who are sway-able or follow trends for what seems to be harmless or advantageous (the two have historically been mutually exclusive), there is some truth to the fear, but there is a distinct lack of statistics to show this alleged data point and trend, as Penn and Teller demonstrate.

Penn and Teller then look at the other side of the coin by interviewing teenage participants in sex, and even former Clinton Administration Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders who, if you recall, was fired for speaking her mind, and the truth, about how older populations will eventually pass away, and for her unpolitical comments on teenage sexuality.

Penn and Teller go even further and look at and expose a public representative, repressed sexuality, attempts to protect sexuality, and the historic repercussions of trying to control sexuality. They talk to not just adults, but teenagers; a sample cross section, and according to the teenagers' perceptions, most teenagers engage in some sort of sexual conduct.

There's a huge part of me hollering at myself for not being born twenty years later, given the somewhat healthier approach to sexual activity in today's youth culture. But, my slightly more conservative self says that however much I agree with a more pro-active approach of educating youth about sex, I, personally, am glad I lived like a monk during my formative years. But, at the same time, I'M TIRED OF LIVING LIKE A MONK! I feel better now :)

All in all this is yet another excellent episode that, (I'm assuming) unlike other documentaries, does not grab an actor or someone who takes a side to push the producer's agenda. Instead we hear the real opinions of real people, regardless of their views.

It's clear that Penn and Teller, and possibly cast and crew, believe that as teenagers feel nature's call, that we ought to educate them how best to deal with the physical act of coupling as opposed to psychologically restraining them in order to (in theory at least) mature to the point of being able to handle the consequences of sex, and possibly rearing a child.

Yes, Penn and Teller put in their commentary. It's what they do. They take a side, but don't try to hide nor disguise their true feelings on this subject, and ALL THE TOPICS they take on in this fantastic series. Even so, regardless of the insults they hurl at their interview subjects with whom they disagree, the hard material they present is presented in raw data form.

I think of all the girls I had crushes on, and all the very cute girls I pushed away for the sake of my personal code of honor, and perhaps once, as a teenager, I might have been smart enough to lower that sexual aegis, and let myself be human. Once would have been nice.

ADDENDUM; more than once would have been better. Stupid stupid stupid!