WAUKESHA, Wisc., Jan. 9, 2008
Sex Ed In Cyberspace
The Birds And The Bees In A Podcast? Wisconsin Mom Runs Wry Sex-Ed Show
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Play CBS Video Video 'Sex Show' Raises Eyebrows "Only On The Web": Cynthia Bowers speaks with Nikol Hasler, host of "Midwest Teen Sex Show," about the online production that has raised a few eyebrows among teens, parents, and educators.
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Video Web Show Tackles Teen Sex It isn't just Jamie Lynn Spears; across the country more teenage kids are having kids. A controversial Web show for teens is trying to change that. Cynthia Bowers reports.
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Just an educational game of strip poker -- on the Midwest Teen Sex Show. (midwestteensexshow.com)
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News Tools Teen Trends: Risks Measured Here's an illustration of how teens feel about their online experience vs. some facts about crime.
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Interactive GenTech In Depth An interactive look at the wiring of teen America: the trends, talk, realities and more.
But this isn't pornography; it's a provocative podcast that shoves sex-ed into the 21st century, starring a PTA mom with a past, CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers reports.
“This is the Midwest Teen Sex Show. This week we're talking about parents,” Host Nikol Hasler says.
Hasler talks matter-of-factly about things that make most parents cringe, such as birth control, first-time sex, and dating.
"If you are in junior high and you are dating someone out of high school, he's a pedophile, and pedophilia is a disease," Hasler says in one show.
The mother of three from Waukesha, Wisc., says she's able to do because she learned sex-ed the hard way -- when she got pregnant at 18 after a one-night-stand.
"One birth control method we don't recommend is the 'pull and pray.' That's the reason I have two of my three kids," Hasler said.
That kind of brutal honesty has made the Midwest Teen Sex Show one of the most popular health podcasts on the Web - with more than 60,000 subscribers tuning into to the twice-monthly episodes.
Some of her upcoming shows are going to be homosexuality in high school and porn.
Hasler says: "We're encouraging both boys and girls to be responsible for having safe sex. And we're also telling them that they don't necessarily have to have sex at all."
A scene from one episode involves a girl telling her mom: "There's something I've been wanting to tell you."
"Oh, my god. You're pregnant," the mother replies.
"No, mom. I'm not pregnant," the girl says. "I'm gay."
Filmed on a shoestring, the show is the brainchild of Hasler's high school classmate, aspiring filmmaker Guy Clark.
"We're presenting it in a way that maybe it's not such a big deal," Clark, the show's director, said. "It's okay to be curious about it; it's actually kinda funny."
Although this racy approach to sex-ed may make parents nervous, a recent study found abstinence programs that preach "just say no," just don't work.Read more on the Midwest Teen Sex Show on Couric & Co. blog.
Sex educator Erika Pluhar says there's a place for this “in your face” approach to teenage sexuality.
“A lot of parents have difficulty having these dialogues with kids,” Pluhar said. “I would want them to be dialogue starters, rather than stop, period, end of sentence."
One group of Chicago-area teens gave the show a big thumbs up.
“I was impressed at how honest it was,” said high school senior Jack Dengel. “I mean, they were explaining, they weren’t preaching.”
Creators say their ideas come from viewers themselves: teens with age old questions, getting answers in a whole new way.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
More From CBS Evening News
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
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See all 30 CommentsYoung people from around the country have sent in videos about their own ***-ed or the ***-ed they wished they''d had. They''ve poured out their hearts and thoughts about how desperately they wish adults would talk openly and honestly about *** and sexuality.
Anyone can vote on their favorites from our top ten. View some here:
http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2008/01/09/vote-now-***-ed-101-and-my-***-ed-experience
and then go and vote!!
I think you have me confused with denn034 or someone...I think the podcast idea is a good thing. I tended to avoid churches even before I realized Christianity was a mostly Roman construct designed to re-enforce the slave mentality of their slaves and most of the stories about Jesus are obvious rip-offs of the Egyptian Horus myths.
"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature...It is the opium of the people."
www.abstinencethecondom.com
Now this is what choosing Abstinence should be all about!!!!
people who say "ROTFL"
ARE GAY
There are mums who won''t talk about this with their children, They think it is taboo. I was visiting Mum years ago and she asked me about my then 14 year old sister who was moody.*.She lives in yer home and ye don''t know why..*She never even bought her items she would need . I asked about if she had her first period*,did ye talk about it with her. no ye did not.* Mum was dumb..My sister got her first period and I gave her the items I had. Yes in my day the birds and bees were not talked about.It should. I was not raised in the church. Children should not have children. I am the reason that mum had to quit school,marry. She did not graduate with her class of 54. They need to know sexx ed.
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Posted by shanev137 at 03:20 AM : Jan 10, 2008
+ report abuse
Ummm??? Not much of a Nazi are you? ROFLMAO
The more special people are ,the more time they have.
In the place,bigpersonal.com, there are many special people,because of their special big body.As I kown,they have much time to listen to that.
I''ll just point out one example, because several other people have already demonstrated your id.iocy. You claim, "if *** is only a biological function, then, there''s no philosophical basis upon which to oppose pedophilia and underaged ***." This statement indicates that 1) you don''t understand logic, and 2) you don''t understand what a "philosophical basis" is, and 3) you don''t understand that laws don''t require any "philosophical basis" other than the catch-all, "the law is the law".
Let me explain your logic failure:
1. Assume that s.e.x. is "just" a biological function: reproduction of the species-- creating the next generation and raising them until they can survive successfully on their own.
2. For reasons that should be obvious, children do not make the best parents, either physically, socially, emotionally, financially, educationally, etc., etc.
3. Therefore, there is a very sound reason to discourage pedophilia and underage sexual activity.
You don''t have to be a "born-again" fundamentalist, or any other kind of religious nut, to oppose pedophilia. Intelligent people can find many reasons to agree on reasonable norms. Ignorant nutcases, unfortunately, can''t agree, because for them, there is only One Truth. Sadly, that "One Truth" is usually false.
..but who is this denn034 crackpot anyway? There are so many absurdities in your comment I don''t know where to start! Here''s a couple bits:
1-Homosexuality IS normal! People like you used to try to force left handed kids to write with their right hand!
2-*** Ed attacks the family? You are joking right? Evidence?
3-Last time I checked, "Pro evolutionary forces" are not promoting pedophilia, or saying that humans are no different than animals. That''s the "evolution" part, see.... I''m pretty sure that the cast of MTSS doesn''t promote pedophilia either...
4-Condoms, pills banned...ok really, this is a joke right? While we are at it, can we take away the vote for women...or maybe we can take a lesson from Saudi Arabia and bring back whippings and mutilation for adulterers!
sorry , I know my tone is a bit sarcastic, but I just can''t take this sort of ranting seriously...thank you CBS for your piece, and thank MTSS for doing what you do!
Posted by mrbrill
Forgive me for not having my library nearby. Besides, something tells me that you wouldn''t listen to reason anyway. You just want to pervert children to realize your perverted homosexual agenda.
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