Lesson Eight - Response

The strongest argument in Jean Kilbourne’s ""Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt"; Advertizing and Violence" is on page 423 of Rereading America. There is an advertisement for a bar in Georgetown showing an enlarged picture of a cocktail with the heading “If your date won’t listen to reason, try a Velvet Hammer.” I believe this to be the strongest argument because the advertiser is saying directly to get a girl drunk so she will do what you want.

I found a cartoon on the website www.idrewthis.org which pertained to the subject of my research paper; to what degree and at what age should students be taught sexual education. Throughout America schools are teaching students an abstinence based program while they should be teaching abstinence plus methods of birth control and how to have safe sex. In this cartoon there is a teacher giving students a lesson on safe driving. The teacher says that “Seatbelts and air bags are not 100% effective in preventing injury in traffic accidents. There is not such thing as “safe driving.” The only way to be safe is to never drive. So, don’t.” As the students are leaving the class they are talking about how the class was so easy and they are going to go drag racing in the parking lot. A little caption at the end says “What if the public schools’ “Abstinence Only” policy applied to other things than sex?” This cartoon portrays what my research paper is about. To view this comic online you can go to http://www.idrewthis.org/guestcomics/octan%20idtcomic.png. I have attached the cartoon as well.

Lesson Eight - Memo

To: Romina Kline
From: Tara Knapp
Date: 10 August, 2009
Subject: Sexual Education in Schools

The question of whether sexual education should be taught in schools is not the controversial issue that is being discussed around America. The issue is to what degree students should learn about and at what age. Children are having sexual intercourse around America. It would be naïve to believe that they are performing nothing other than abstinence. Parents need to stand together and listen to the facts as to why students should be taught, at the minimum, abstinence plus.

The abstinence plus program teaches students that abstinence is the best option but not the only option. Students will learn about condoms and contraception. Many schools in America take sexual education a step further and teach a full detail sexual education course. This is an important subject for children and teenagers to gain detailed knowledge in. The full detail sexual education program teaches that abstinence is not the most important thing. This program focuses on teaching students how to make responsible decisions about sex.

To help persuade parents into speaking out against abstinence only programs I will be writing a research paper displaying all facts about sexual education around America and explaining why teaching more than abstinence is important. I will include statistics of sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy in teens. I am not asking that parents stand behind their teenager having sex. I ask that parents give their teenagers the knowledge necessary for them to make smart and healthy decisions when faced with sexual situations.

Lesson Six - Cartoon Response

Writing Arguments Cartoon

Almost 24 million youth ages 10 through 17 were online regularly in 1999. (Online Victimization: A Report on the Nation’s Youth. June 2000.) Children and teens need extra attention and guidance when using internet chat rooms because of the risk of unwanted sexual solicitations and approaches, unwanted sexual material, and threatening and offensive behavior directed at them. Congress has already taken action with legislation creating the Child Online Privacy Protection Act to help keep children safe. There is also a show on Dateline NBC called “To Catch a Predator with Chris Hansen,” that catches potential predators in the act. The show sets up a decoy screen name on the internet acting as a child and sets up meetings with predators.
I figured the claim being made due to the cartoon of a young girl looking into a dark room not knowing what was in there and evil looking eyes staring back.

Over Medicated Cartoon

These days there is a pill for any issue you have, even if medication is not needed for it one can get it. America is over medicated and this is a problem because it causes dependency in children and adults, the side effects can lead to serious illness or death and causes people to live an unhealthy lifestyle due to medication being the answer to every problem. Many of the health problems people have can be helped with sleep, water, a healthy diet and regular exercise. When medication is the only step taken in a health issue it is usually the beginning of several other issues as well. The side effects are listed on every medication and include warnings that that it might cause a variation of problems such as diarrhea, constipation, ulcers, blood clots, open sores, impotence, brain hemorrhaging, increased blood pressure, abnormal hair growth, temporary blindness, and in some rare cases, death. I figured the claim being made due to the cartoon of a doctor giving his patient pills and then another doctor giving a patient more pills for the side effects from the first pill

Lesson Seven - Questions

The audience for my essay was women. Women are the individuals that primarily make the choice of whether or not to have an abortion. They are the ones that need the facts set out for them.

I think the audience can be swayed by the facts laid out in my essay. The techniques for abortion are inhumane. Many women have emotional problems after having an abortion.

The sources are credible abortion websites. Women reading this essay should not deny the information found on these websites as many comments were made by medical experts.