Here is interesting data about changing opinions about sex and gender roles. It goes against what many might think. For example: Younger people are more interested in marriage than older generations. And for men their interest in committed longterm relationships has increased while for women it’s decreased.
Here is further evidence of how people become socially conservative when in a social situation that causes fear and stress. I’ve brought this up before because it explains why social conservatives have motivation to fear-monger.
As the researchers concede, these experiments aren’t proof that thoughts of terrorism have a uniquely negative effect on parenting. Exposure to images of an attack might simply have increased the parents’ stress level, “which could then translate into harsher and more controlling social interactions with their children.”
But they note previous research has found a link between terror threats and authoritarian political beliefs. The notion that this mindset could slop over into domestic decision-making seems entirely plausible.
Either way, it’s one more example of how fear can inspire behavior one may later regret. So in turbulent times, perhaps it’s wise to avoid reading the newspaper before heading to the nursery. It’s never a beautiful day in Mr. bin Laden’s Neighborhood, but that doesn’t mean you and your children need to live there.
The latest data, compiled by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, showed 1600 people were charged with committing a range of 27 offences in the state’s “places of worship” in 2008.
Surprisingly, the figures showed only 282 people were charged in premises classified as adult entertainment over the same offences.
This video is about a recent study that has been described as “abstinence only” and some are claiming it proves “abstinence only” is effective.
There are two problems:
It actually only promotes abstinence, but as far as I know all sex education promotes abstinence. Most people (whether liberal or conservative) don’t want young kids to have sex. This supposedly “abstinence only” program didn’t teach kids to wait until marriage but merely told kids to wait until they were ready. Also, this program taught the use of condoms. So, this study in no way disproves all the studies that came before it, and tall the studies that came before it conclude that “abstinence only” doesn’t work.
This study can’t tell us about “abstinence only” or much of anything at all. Even if this had actually been a study about “abstinence only”, one study doesn’t prove anything. You can find a single study with almost any conclusion. The scientific method, however, operates by way of replication. Anyways, this study was way too limited. The study was done with 6th and 7th graders and only followed them two years, but most kids don’t lose their virginity until their mid to late teens. Even within these limitations, this program only discouraged a fairly small percentage of kids not to have sex for two years. That is a rather minor success.
In a study from Ohio State University, conservatives who watched the Colbert Report were more likely to report that Colbert only pretends to be joking and genuinely meant what he said while liberal…
In a study from Ohio State University, conservatives who watched the Colbert Report were more likely to report that Colbert only pretends to be joking and genuinely meant what he said while liberals were more likely to report that Colbert used satire and was not serious when offering political statements.
In other news, conservatives think world wrestling is real!
Marmalade 