I just watched a show on PBS tonight about a spread of syphliss (a sexually transmitted disease-STD) in Rockdale County in Georgia. I had really thought that STD’s had been pretty well eliminated but this was in 1996 and was wide spread in that county. I can remember quite a few years ago when I was a teen we use to think that you could not get a STD from a “good girl” or someone from an upper middle class home and yet do teens still think that today?
The thing that really bothered me about the program was that, yes even the PBS thinks that it was strange that white/middle class people don’t get those type of deseases??
Hello wake up America, it’s not just black lower class street people that get STD’s, anyone can get them.
The show actually gave the impression that it would be acceptable to see black people or lower class people transmit these diseases.
Wow how sad.
By the way I am a white male in Toronto, Canada and we have always realized that this disease as many can strike anyone who sleeps around.
Is this really how teens think today and what’s your opinions on PBS producing such a racist type stereotype of people who might get STD’s?
I saw part of that show, Dan. Interesting. But that’s what you get for being a punk. The kids were screwing around. At that age, I know they knew they were at risk. They were just to dumb to realize they weren’t invincible. Kids thesed days know about that stuff. It’s been drilled into me since grade school. But maybe it is the ingnorance of the parents of that community that is partially at fault. But still, that’s what can happen if you fuck around.
I didn’t watch enough of the show to catch the racist undertones. But it would be the opinion of the people being interviewed, not PBS, right?
As the parent of teenagers I can say two things with certainty:
They know about STD’s
They believe they can spot who does or does not have one – and no one they would have sex with could possibly have one.
You can call it ignorance, smugness, naivete or whatever, but kids are absolutely convinced they are too smart, too clean (anything but too celibate) and it won’t happen to them.
It seems to me that STD’s run in cycles like drug chic…
Drugs went from pot, to acid to cocke to heroine and such for popularity.
STD frequency went from the clap to syph to AIDS and now Chlymidia seems to be quite popular…
You know what Atlas did, with the weight of the world pressing down on his shoulders, his blood running over his chest for his efforts and the world continuing to bear down without concern for his efforts? He shrugged.
I can’t for the life of me figure out where you got some racist message in this program. This is one of the most disturbing program I have seen in a long time. The point was really not that these kids had syphilis but that their lifestyle and behavior was so degrading. Basically the kids were unsupervised, and even when parents were caring they seemed to just be providing their kids with material things. One of the boys interviewed lived with a “godfather” because his parents were divorced and it was implied they couldn’t be bothered. The godfather just basically provided a really nice house, car, clothes, and lots of money. Another boy lived in his parent’s pool house.
The girls interviewed had the saddest view of sex I have ever heard of. All these kids were hanging out with their friends at all hours because they had nothing else to do–apparently no or not much real interaction with parents and no responsibilities.
The whole show to me was an indictment of disengaged parenting. During the show I kept thinking of the Columbine killings–I have never been able to figure out how the killers’ parents didn’t know their kids had guns, pipe bombs, hate literature, etc. lying around the house. I know what my kid is doing and what is in her room and where she spends her time and who with. Now I understand how parents can truly not know their kid has problems–because these parents just aren’t there–either physically or emotionally. It’s no surprise that the show ended with the shooting at that high school.
First of all thanks for you comments. The reply from “Satan” said while people don’t get “black” diseases ??
I think that explains my whole point and disgust about the whole show. They said it in the show as if only black people get “these” types of diseases which is so far from the truth. STD’s can be received from anyone, black, yellow white. It is a germ that is passed by sexual contact, vaginal, anal or orally. But if people think like Satan no wonder the disease is still around so many people do not believe it will happen to them because the patner comes from a “good family” what a bunch of baloney.
We are sexual beings and sex is on our mind all the time but we must practise safe sex no matter what age. I have the sure for these diseases, it is very simple. Everyone in the world abstain from any sexual contact for 2 weeks and then everyone gets treated for these diseases with anti-biotics.
Think there’s any chance of that happening ? If so I have some land I would like to sell to you in Northern Canada…
Wake up America and Canada we must protect our children and we “MUST” talk to them over and over about this subject. When ?
Don’t wait until their 15-16 I would say start talking about it when their 10-11 since this show indicated they were starting at 12 years old. It’s our children and it’s our futures it must be monitored.
Seemed to me Satan was asking in incredulity the name of a PBS show that would imply a difference between “white” and “black” diseases. That’s not the PBS I know either. So, what was the name of the show?
Id like to say this: I am 16, white, male, middle class, but I am not stupid enough to think that I know everything. I am tired of everyone assuming that ALL young adults are that immature. I happen to plan on avoiding sex until I am sure that I want to be with the person for the rest of my life. I am WELL aware of the STD’s, and am tired of being accused of being ignorant b/c of my peers. Sorry if that seems harsh, but it REALLY is annoying to hear that “all young people think they know everything”. For all other 16+, or less, that had sex already: hey, its not MY problem. I hope you thought running the risk for AIDS, Herpes A or B, etc was worth it.
“Don’t throw cats at glass houses. They go THUMP!” — Counterattackii
Yeah, I was kind of like you when I was your age, counterattackii. I was actually really pessimistic, as were a lot of my friends. We were always hearing about how teenagers thought they were invincible; we thought that was pretty funny - “Uhh, which teenagers are those? I’m going to go finalize my last will and testament in case something happens before precalculus.”
A lot of people I knew in high school were pretty convinced they would die in a nuclear war, get AIDS from a blood transfusion, get hepatitis from eating at the wrong restaurant, or get hit by a car just crossing the street in broad daylight.
So far, only the latter has happened to me, but that’s not the point. Sure, some kids are going to decide they are immortal and hang onto cars while riding their skateboards. Other kids are going to be afraid to go outside of their homes without high-level biohazard protection. One can only hope kids fall into a happy medium, where they recognize real dangers and avoid them, but are still willing to take sensible risks like going to college, dating, and travelling.
I think the perception problem for adults just comes about because the kids who think they are invincible are more visible than the rest. The kid who breaks his neck “elevator surfing” (an example from the University of Massachusetts - climbing to the top of an elevator and leaping from it to another as they pass in their respective shafts) gets a helluva lot more press than the kid who never goes on dates (remember when they thought “French kissing” could give you AIDS?)
Okay, okay, I know somebody’s going to get mad about my last comment, since no one has ever proven that it is impossible to get AIDS from tongue kissing. Of course, I’ve never heard of anyone proven to have gotten AIDS from tongue kissing either. How about, “Remember when they thought you were really likely to get AIDS from tongue kissing?”
I wonder how many of my former classmates still think AIDS will mutate into a form that is as easily transmitted a cold viruses. “The sneeze of death - it’s coming, and you know it.”
Boris B, you can get HIV from kissing. Its pretty rare because few people only kiss…
Happened to an older couple & all they did was kiss.
On the news tonight it said like 75% of 8th graders say alcohol is easy to get & 37% of 11thgraders have blacked out from drinking. Well, if anything spreads STD’s its alcohol.
there’s an article at cnn’s website http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9910/21/suburban.syphilis.01/ that tells of the uproar the people of that county had about the show. Teens having more than 100 sex partners and tales of orgys.
on a side note, does anyone know of any cheap airfares from illinois to atlanta?