Raise a Glass:

I’m following up my last little tangent with a recommendation that you fellow time crunchers check out our shared colleagues blog post Beer & Sports, by Mr. Jose Roman on his blog Everything’s Bigger in Texas. It’s a nice, short, sweet little piece about our own UT beginning a new profit generating venture in which they have commenced selling beer and wine at sporting events; of which the original writer was in favor, and if successful would continue into the fall sports season. This would make UT the third big 12 school to begin doing so.

 Aside from effectively summarizing the original article by Matthew Gill, Mr. Roman includes mentions of the new plans’ official supporting bodies; as well as the motivation for the school picking this particular avenue if fund raising. Mr. Roman also included a brief line illustrating the original writers’ forward thinking in the form of the writer appealing to sports fans to control their alcohol consumption and act sensibility to the benefit f all (their sports team included). All of which comes together to spurn the reader to take a look-see at the original article featured in The Daily Texan.

As someone who has a tendency to run a little long on my own blog post, I found Mr. Roman’s blog post to be a good example of how one need not wind on in order to import eye catching (and brow raising) information to the reader as to pique their interest. 

Sex, Lies, and the Classroom:

Greeting Colleagues,

   Just in case I have any of you joining me in one last hurrah before deadline time; I thought we would start off our blog blitz with a personal bug bear of mine. In question form: What is up with the continuing abstinence only sex education in public schools? I mean at its very (idealistic) core, public schools are meant to educate your populace at large, an absolutely crucial thing in a society striving to a democratic one; yet for some reason lying about sex in the atmosphere meant to educate is actable.

                Let us set aside all of the moral speculation and of the subject being taught in schools in the first place, ok. Once you progress to a certain grade level the curriculum puts you in a health class and you’re going to come across it. If you are indeed totally against the idea you can opt to have your children exempt from it. But if you’re going to cover the subject why lie about it? And make no mistake the abstinence- only education model taught in Texas public schools consist of lies, as in things that presented as facts that are in reality not true.

 As defined by t the Texas Department State ofhealth services abstinence –only education is meant to: “… Abstinence-Centered Education program (AEP) is to encourage the implementation of evidence-based interventions… that will delay initiation of sexual activity as part of a continuum of services to decrease the teen pregnancy rate and rate of sexually transmitted infections”. One look at the records though will tell you this does not seem to be working. Teen pregnancy rates in Texas rank 4^th highest in the nation as of 2013; down from 3^rd in 2011 as the result of plus programs (we will come back to that). Texas also rates 1^st in the nation for greatest number of repeat teen births, moving the state up from 2^nd in 2011.

The issue lies in the fact that abstinence only education focus on discouraging teens from engaging in sexual activity by either ignoring contraceptive methods or focusing solely of the failure rates of various birth control methods (often exaggerated), along with emotional manipulation and “slut-shamming” tactics such as those used in the Canyonschool district in Texas, which informed its teachers in charge of sex ed to liken students to sticks of gum and plastic wrapped toothbrushes. The leaked guidelines instruct teachers to “Encourage students to stay new like the toothbrush, unwrapped and unused. People want to marry virgins, just like they want a virgin toothbrush or piece of gum.”

Having been born and raised in Texas I took sex education here, and again when I moved to California. The differences were striking. Upon completing the program in California I realized just how much I hadn’t been told or had been flat out lied to on some subjects. My personal favorite was that condoms were vastly unreliable, and failed to work about 70% of the time ;). It would seem that I am not the only one frustrated with the current model, and more and more evidence is coming to light to show alternatives are producing progress that the old model does not. Recall that move from 3^rd to 4^th in the teen pregnancy rate? It’s a apart of what Dr. BrianCarr called a “quiet revolution” where in a growing number of schools are switching from abstinence- only to abstinence-plus education, which started to pick up steam in mid-late 2011. These programs included accurate information about contraceptive options as well as basic instruction/description of the various methods available.

Though abstinence- only education is the primary program recommended and stressed in the majority if Texas schools, I for one am glad to see the tide turning. As are apparently a growing number of Texas voters. An opinion poll in late 2011 showed that 80% of those questioned favored instruction on birth control methods such as condoms, and their contraceptives along with abstinence based instruction. 

Honey Maid Scandal

Hey there fellow colleagues,

            Did you miss me? Well worry not, as this week I have returned and as always with news to share. This week’s offering comes in my recommendation that you check out Eileen Smith’s blog post entitled No more S’mores on her blog In the Pink.  Those of you who are fans of a sarcastic voice and the occasional smattering of smart-assery in your reading should be keeping up with Mrs. Smith.

            Smith’s article is a light satirical piece poking at the moderate rumblings being made by One Million Moms, a branch group spawned from the American Family Association, and other similarly inclined associations concerning the newest Honey Maid graham cracker/ teddy graham commercial. In which a gay male couple with a child is featured twice partaking of the previously mentioned snacks. The group’s apparent contention ,aside from showing an a gay couple at all (a pushing of the LGBT agenda in their eyes), is that the tag line of the commercial involves the term wholesomeness; with which the dissenters not only disagree, but feel is an attempt to normalize what the group calls “a particular type of sexual perversion”.

            Yes, Smith’s article is cute and good for a chuckle; her over-amplified satirical voice makes her own disagreement with the group’s issues, being issues for them, very clear. This also makes it clear that the piece is intended for those whose reaction would be similar to her own; i.e. those who we would have to say have a more liberal leaning on such subjects. However even if your personal orientation does not lend itself to either the far right or the far left; or if you do have what would traditionally be called some right/conservative ideals, Smith is successful at making you ask the same question she does at the end of her piece. All of this over a cookie commercial? Would this fervent energy not be better put to use elsewhere?

The picture painted is one that shows the angered parties as not only silly, but a bit juvenile at that. The end result makes the whole scene look like one of desperation; a segmented off shoot group of far right conservative origin, grasping desperately at anything to try and reignite the discussion of homosexuality being depicted the media as one of the worst possible things that could be allowed to happen. A discussion we ended a long, long time ago. Not to mention that anyone with an inkling of knowledge on social interactions will tell you, when you are trying to attract people to join your group/cause, palpable desperation is a really, really bad thing. Something not only sure to not win people over to your side/cause, but sure to lose you some of the people and support you already have.     

By association

     Howdy all indeed, fellow colleagues:

                    

   This week it would seem that Greg Abbot has drifted once again into hot water by association. Of the many opinion articles that have popped up since the initial incident, I enjoyed reading Genevieve Cato’s commentary article on the Burnt Orange Report; concerning the Chris Mapp debacle, as originally reported by The San Antonio Express News. Cato’s piece might be simple in delivery and modest in length, but these same qualities lend the piece an air of easily verifiable credibility; and the tight focus on the facts of the original story help provide the feel of balance to Cato’s clearly conveyed left leaning affiliations. It helps the piece appear to be more like following a kind of understandable, if not somewhat knee jerk reactionary type logic. As opposed to a straight political piece written by somebody on the other side purely for the purpose of being contradictory; as will sadly often prove to be the case as election time continues to countdown.

   Cato’s stance on the story of South Texas republican senate candidate Chris Mapp’s use of a racial slur when referring to undocumented workers; and overtly offensive comments directed to the President of the United States, would be easy to surmise with the information provided about her via the site. Cato has written for the Brunt Orange Report before, is a native Texan and self-identified feminist. She also works to put pro-choice women in elected offices.

   While Cato’s piece is no doubt intended for people of somewhat like mind; her chosen format and use of all the involved persons abundant and damming quotations, and later irrational yet colorful justifications, as originally reported by the San Antonio Express News, serves to create an immediate emotional/social distaste in the reader to generate the thought: “Well if that is what is going on in that camp, why wouldn't you join the other side?”

   Critically speaking, Cato does give a not so subtle push for the readers to aware of her fellow political affiliations feelings on her chosen subject. She goes so far as to publish the Texas Democratic Party's official statement on the Chris Mapp story, which consequently comments on Republican Party member and future Texas Governor hopeful Greg Abbot, as well as others at the top of the Republican ticket for refusing to comment on the behavior their fellow and now infamous party members. Especially when other notable party members have already voiced their vehement disapproval. This story follow on the heels of Abbot experiencing his recent, and much publicized Ted Nugent related backlash.

   Despite this, I feel Cato’s ultimate goal is met by the end of her article. At best, she is able to seemingly paint yet another example of the Republican Party and its affiliates, as seemingly filled with woman/ethnic hating, good ol’ boy, older white men. At the very least, one can find another very public example of the perceptibly growing dissension in the G.O.P. at large; as well as the legitimacy for a growing concern about the health of the party as a whole, if such incidents keep occurring and causing further internal division. 

The Latina Angle

    As we covered the changing demographic landscape of the Texas, and what that means for the lone star state political scene not long ago in class; I was drawn to Dan Salmon’s political article The Year of The Statewide Latina for the January, 2014 issue of the Texas Monthly, and thought it would be worth sharing. The article follows the movements of three Hispanic (and in a small side case, disputably Hispanic) female politicians making small, albeit rather notable movements in the Statewide political scene.   
   While the article, at times, seems to be showing its’ chosen subjects of interest (two republicans and one democrat) as longshot politicians who are jumping onto an ethnicity (and gender) based trend; I found that it was still noteworthy article. Aside from focusing on some interesting little pieces of information on smaller time political movers; it brings up the question, which is generally quickly dismissed or glossed over by the heavyweight political party figures, movers, and shakers, of how the Texas political powers plan to deal with the growing and inevitably political power holding Hispanic population. (Psssst: Especially the Texas GOP.)  With Hispanics due to overtake whites as the majority in Texas in the next 10 years or so, Matt Mackowiak, a republican consultant, is quoted in the article saying what many a Texas and outside-state political consultants are saying regarding the Texas G.O.P. and the changing demographics of the state: “The Republicans have to solve the Hispanic vote as an issue…”