We Lie to Ourselves as a Nation

As a nation, America is conservative. And I often joke and tell my students that nobody is more conservative than an old, Black church mother! Nobody! You better not say words like "sex," "vagina," "penis," "pregnant," "lie," or "fool." You better not even think about an abortion. "You laid down there and got it...you keep it!"...that's the mantra.

But also, as a nation of individuals who love money, we also lie to ourselves. We tell our teenagers that the body is a temple, and that we should cherish it. Yet, government seals are broken on alcohol tops. Cancer-causing, addictive cigarettes are legal. Tobacco can be taxed because it needs a specialized climate. Marijuanna, a substance that alters the mood but is not as addictive or carcinogenic as cigarettes, is not legal because it can be grown anywhere. Because it can be grown anywhere, it is extremely difficult to control and tax. Therefore, it is illegal.

Living in the Bible Belt, we often hear elders tell young ladies that they need to wait until marriage to have sex. Yet, our economy demands that we attend more and more school and delay marriage until later and later, possibly the late 20s or early 30s. On top of that, sex sells. It makes money for corporations, so sex is everywhere in our society....television, magazines, internet, cell phones, radio, billboards, and print advertisements. Somebody's flesh is hanging out everywhere we turn...And we ask our young people to wait. We are creating our own volcano of teenage hormones, curiosity, and horniness!