"Were you just sighing while thinking of "the deed", missy!?"
Bitching about sex-related things is as good a post as any, for Valentine's Day.
Me and my fellow "evil westerner" Ethlenn had to troll a post recently. It was on an article about how 1 in 10 teenagers in Korea have had sex... Which, apparently, is a huge shocking number for the country.
Well, maybe it's shocking to the people who had to get their entire town to bless the wedding before it happened, 60 years ago. Maybe it's shocking to shut-in nuns. Maybe they're just pulling people's leg in hopes they actually stop being normal and having sex because they want them deprived, frustrated and overcompensating that with material goods and surgeries.
Who knows...
What was extremely ridiculous and disgusting about that poll, is that according to it, poor people are more promiscuous than children of rich families. Hmmm. So, 1 in 10 have sex in highschool, and not many rich kids say they had done it.
Well, let's see why poor children might be more inclined to be honest about their sexual activities than rich ones. Rich children are treated like superior beings. They have to be perfect, in every way, and that includes controlling these pesky things called feelings and wishes and sexuality, because those get in the way of greatness.
So tell me now. Is it that poor kids are bigger sluts or that the smart and afraid rich kids would not admit it? And since it's 1 out of 10 here, you can be damn sure many more did not admit to having had sex. I hate to break it to you, "lost my virginity, conceived and had my first and last sex in one day" mommies or you fossils who wouldn't know love if it bit you in your decaying privates, but people have sex.
And it may have been so long for you that you've forgotten, but teenagers are the most horny and susceptible to temptation beings on the planet. If you'd like to think they can be "educated" or stopped, you really are a bunch of morons.
And this lady agrees
Which brings us to a new piece, just out today, from The Chosun Ilbo, with the title "Most Teenagers in Relationships". And this time, it's about middle school kids. They don't mention sex much, but hey, at least they're not in denial here.
Two things got my attention from this. One, the fact that kids without a mate are bullied for being "unpopular". This goes to show how deep Korea's problems are, and they have nothing to do with sex or decency or not showing kissing in television. If they think putting an invisible wall between grown characters in a drama stops sexual desires, they're fooling themselves and only themselves.
But the bullying goes to show how uneducated their society is in accepting individuality and also variety in people and situations. "This is what we accept, anything different is pathetic and wicked". This is what they teach their kids and this is what they make them feel. That makes some of them bullies, who need to "prove" their worth in the food chain, and the rest bullied, who are not the types of people who can be cruel to others as a reaction to their own problems.
This person called Oh Sung Hee or Shin Sung Hee (the article seems to have an error there), from the Korea Youth Sexuality Culture Center, really expressed the type of mindset the country should be having.
"In Europe and the U.S., where dating among youngsters is much more prevalent and attitudes towards sex are much more open, active and effective sex education is being carried out. We should stop viewing teenagers' dating negatively and try to provide proper sex education."
Amen, whoever you are, and I'm not even religious. Also, if you think sex education here is grand, it's not. You know how people get educated? In some cases, parents talk to us about it. We have been allowed to watch movies with sexual scenes (ok, nothing too extreme) and normal kissing since childhood.
Our parents have been there, explaining to us what is right to do, what is wrong or making sure we'll figure it out from our own sources (the internet, older friends or family) and be vigilant when it happens. Sometimes, they realize we don't ask and understand that we're still thinking about what it all means and will ask when we hit the "dead end" in our not-yet-adult minds.
Unfortunately, not all parents and in all countries are like that. But kids still get exposed to the world instead of being hidden from it. Through this, they develop their own education and open-mindedness helps a lot.
Do we have a lot of idiots who are plain sluts? Yes, we do. Does Korea not have them? Does Korea not have troubled teens? I'm sure you do. We all read about it all the time. So, "protecting" "kids" has not really paid off, has it? Sure, fangirls may believe that it's romantic not to have sex before marriage since the rom-com characters don't, but trust me, when real life comes calling, a drama will be a drama.
"Dear Heavens... I had no idea they were so... I think we need more chalk, sisters..."
Korea needs to stop trying to keep its youth in the dark and raising people with values of times long since past. No matter how hard you try, the world moves on and so do people and consciousness. Trying to keep people all wrapped up in a convenient cocoon will only make them explode faster and more violently.
These kids need to live in the world of today. They need to learn adapting to it and they need to learn how to make it better and be happier in it. Instead of trying to keep them protected, show them how to protect themselves and instead of making decisions for them, teach them how to think for themselves and make right decisions.
No one is asking you to change your culture. We all love so many things about it and it's everyone's right to have it. But certain things are not about culture. Certain things are universal. They are about people's rights, people's choices and common human decency and logic. Korea seems so hell bent on defying things that would help its people adjust and find happiness in any society, including their own.
The world waits for no one. It keeps moving forward, changing. Korea needs to let its kids follow it, understand it, cope in it and maybe one day change it for the better.
Edit: Silly me. Forgetting such an... educational video.
