4 ms·

Education probably plays a good part in it. When I was growing up, and I'm only 30, we didn't get much sexual education in school, were taught to simply not hav

Education probably plays a good part in it. When I was growing up, and I'm only 30, we didn't get much sexual education in school, were taught to simply not have sex and many of my friends thought many untruths like pulling out is fine, douching is a form of contraception and even one unfortunate friend who thought ziplock bags were just as effective as condoms.

Retric 11y ago
I am 35 and in the US we had very detailed sex ed including how to use a condom, how wide the contraceptive window was ect starting around 12ish. IMO, this is really more an issue with many local schools being horrible than anything else.
- salgernon 11y ago
  It is certainly local as there are some school boards and states that use religiously defined criteria to define their coursework. Hence creationism debates and elected officials that believe that women can "shut that whole thing down" to avoid being pregnant.
- stephengillie 11y ago
  I am 34 in the US and didn't learn how to apply condoms until I was an adult, and I learned it from pornography.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- dpark 11y ago
  I'm 33 and grew up in the Bible belt. Looking back, I'm shocked at how good my Sex Ed was. We were taught that abstinence was the only 100% effective choice, but also about condoms and birth control pills, as well as things like the sponge (which was not recommended, but still covered) and long term hormonal implants. The biggest misinformation we were given was stuff that was genuinely believed then (and still believed by many) like there being a high likelihood of pregnancy from pre-ejaculate. But I am also confused how there are/were actually sexually active teenagers who think things like "Ziploc bags are as effective as condoms". Maybe the trickle down effect of decent Sex Ed was responsible for dispelling these kinds of beliefs before we were at the sexually active age. I certainly didn't know anyone who thought (or at least expressed) an opinion this ignorant in high school. If nothing else, having sex through a Ziploc bag sounds miserably uncomfortable. But then, I did know a guy in college who apparently thought the condom was supposed to be stretched over the scrotum, so this ignorance is out there (or at least was).
  - BinaryIdiot 11y ago
    > But I am also confused how there are/were actually sexually active teenagers who think things like "Ziploc bags are as effective as condoms". I had many stupid friends in high school :). But the schools were not highly rated as well. I do remember many new mothers in my 11th and 12th grade years and also a few who were pregnant during the graduation ceremony. So I don't think they did a good job but I don't know how much school education helps compared to at home education in regards to sex ed.
    - dpark 11y ago
      Wait, grade school? I certainly hope no one in your grade school was sexually active. If we're talking about things 4th graders believe, they believe all kinds of ridiculous things because they're little kids.
      - BinaryIdiot 11y ago
        Huh. Today I learned the term "grade school" refers to elementary school (typically K through 5). I had always used it to mean school up to grade 12 (typical graduation). Oops.
        ScottBurson 11y ago
        Huh. I thought it was first through sixth grade; I wouldn't have included kindergarten.
  - MichaelGG 11y ago
    I'm 34, and was in a religious, conservative, school. They did one sex ed class (a single one hour, one off thing). In it they mentioned how condoms fail a majority of the time, that you could get pregnant from oral sex (that semen could leak from the digestive tract to reproductive), and that mutual masturbation could also cause pregnancy (as in a guy could ejaculate in just the right way). It's like they went out of their way to spread misinformation.
erroneousfunk 11y ago
Very minor point: the withdrawal method (can't believe I'm actually talking about this on HN...) is actually pretty okay, and about as effective (comparing both perfect use, and imperfect use) as condoms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_birth_control_methods https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_birth_control_me... With a caveat: If you're a teenage boy with poor self control and an even poorer sense of how your own body works, it's probably not for you. If you're a woman who doesn't completely trust her partner and his ability to do this correctly, it's probably not for you. And, obviously, it doesn't prevent STDs in the same way that a condom would (although it likely decreases HIV transmission). That's the big reason that, if it is mentioned at all in an educational context, it's to tell people not to do it, and play up the dangers. Scare the kids (who are at higher risk of the method failing) into no using it. Obviously, there are much better methods of birth control, but the withdrawal method gets a lot more flak than it deserves, IMO

Retric 11y ago

I am 35 and in the US we had very detailed sex ed including how to use a condom, how wide the contraceptive window was ect starting around 12ish. IMO, this is really more an issue with many local schools being horrible than anything else.

salgernon 11y ago
It is certainly local as there are some school boards and states that use religiously defined criteria to define their coursework. Hence creationism debates and elected officials that believe that women can "shut that whole thing down" to avoid being pregnant.
stephengillie 11y ago
I am 34 in the US and didn't learn how to apply condoms until I was an adult, and I learned it from pornography.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
dpark 11y ago
I'm 33 and grew up in the Bible belt. Looking back, I'm shocked at how good my Sex Ed was. We were taught that abstinence was the only 100% effective choice, but also about condoms and birth control pills, as well as things like the sponge (which was not recommended, but still covered) and long term hormonal implants. The biggest misinformation we were given was stuff that was genuinely believed then (and still believed by many) like there being a high likelihood of pregnancy from pre-ejaculate. But I am also confused how there are/were actually sexually active teenagers who think things like "Ziploc bags are as effective as condoms". Maybe the trickle down effect of decent Sex Ed was responsible for dispelling these kinds of beliefs before we were at the sexually active age. I certainly didn't know anyone who thought (or at least expressed) an opinion this ignorant in high school. If nothing else, having sex through a Ziploc bag sounds miserably uncomfortable. But then, I did know a guy in college who apparently thought the condom was supposed to be stretched over the scrotum, so this ignorance is out there (or at least was).
- BinaryIdiot 11y ago
  > But I am also confused how there are/were actually sexually active teenagers who think things like "Ziploc bags are as effective as condoms". I had many stupid friends in high school :). But the schools were not highly rated as well. I do remember many new mothers in my 11th and 12th grade years and also a few who were pregnant during the graduation ceremony. So I don't think they did a good job but I don't know how much school education helps compared to at home education in regards to sex ed.
  - dpark 11y ago
    Wait, grade school? I certainly hope no one in your grade school was sexually active. If we're talking about things 4th graders believe, they believe all kinds of ridiculous things because they're little kids.
    - BinaryIdiot 11y ago
      Huh. Today I learned the term "grade school" refers to elementary school (typically K through 5). I had always used it to mean school up to grade 12 (typical graduation). Oops.
      - ScottBurson 11y ago
        Huh. I thought it was first through sixth grade; I wouldn't have included kindergarten.
- MichaelGG 11y ago
  I'm 34, and was in a religious, conservative, school. They did one sex ed class (a single one hour, one off thing). In it they mentioned how condoms fail a majority of the time, that you could get pregnant from oral sex (that semen could leak from the digestive tract to reproductive), and that mutual masturbation could also cause pregnancy (as in a guy could ejaculate in just the right way). It's like they went out of their way to spread misinformation.

erroneousfunk 11y ago

Very minor point: the withdrawal method (can't believe I'm actually talking about this on HN...) is actually pretty okay, and about as effective (comparing both perfect use, and imperfect use) as condoms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_birth_control_methods https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_birth_control_me... With a caveat: If you're a teenage boy with poor self control and an even poorer sense of how your own body works, it's probably not for you. If you're a woman who doesn't completely trust her partner and his ability to do this correctly, it's probably not for you. And, obviously, it doesn't prevent STDs in the same way that a condom would (although it likely decreases HIV transmission). That's the big reason that, if it is mentioned at all in an educational context, it's to tell people not to do it, and play up the dangers. Scare the kids (who are at higher risk of the method failing) into no using it. Obviously, there are much better methods of birth control, but the withdrawal method gets a lot more flak than it deserves, IMO