Some students and parents were undoubtedly offended when how-to-masturbate posters stating “Your body is a wonderland” and urging readers to “spend your day thinking about situations that get you turned on” were put up in the campus library at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs New York, but that postering was nothing compared to what happened in a Human Sexuality class at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
John Leo at Minding The Campus:
A course on sex taught by psychology Professor John Michael Bailey recently featured a naked woman being worked on by a man wielding a sex toy. The man was described as ‘a Chicago sex tour guide.’ The 600-student course, which for some reason is one of the largest at Northwestern, features all kinds of sexual expression and guests that include swingers and convicted sex offenders. The optional, after-class sex-toy demonstration, Bailey said, “helps us understand sexual diversity”—possibly the first time a state-of-the-art vibrator demonstration was stuffed in under the campus diversity umbrella.
After a controversy erupted over the classroom activity, the University’s President issued a statement saying that the school “supports the efforts of faculty to further the advancement of knowledge…”
h/t David Thompson
I read this first at Atlas Shrugs, and chuckled at Pamela’s remark: I must have been a self-starter; I didn’t need lessons.
Was gonna reader-tip it, but thought: jeez, I wonder if Pamela’s been had with that class dildo demo story? Sounded kinda urban-mythy. So I demurred.
In Saint John NB on a ride a couple summers ago, I met a young lady in the market. I could tell from the accent that she was from my home province of NFLD; from Dildo as it turned out.
“Some students and parents were undoubtedly offended…”
I don’t know, you’d really have to go out of your way to be a parent of a University Student and be offended by a poster. Why are you there in the first place? Or did your kid let you know about the poster so that you could be offended by it.
Kathy, (waaay up the thread), I was aware when I wrote the post that it’s not a breaking story; it’s just a comment-worthy recent story that a lot of people wouldn’t have heard about.
If being offended by sex offenders with sex toys is “prudish”, I do not want to know what you’re into.
This “demonstration” was highly inappropriate to say the very least.
I find that people who have some abnormal fascination with sex or even brag about it tend to be those who- how shall we say? – can’t “pull the trigger”?
Stunningly revolting. Students paying for such a smutty, useless course?
Heck, when I was in university, you found out everything you always wanted to know about sex in the dorms.
You didn’t need a course — or a dildo.
Kind of sad that young progressive liberals have to be shown via demonstration how to have sex, in my day we figured it out on our own sans “Professional perverted public displays ala Acadamia”.
Oral exams?
Oral exams?
Posted by: DaninVan at March 9, 2011 5:19 PM
Aaaand we have a winner!
The Phantom: “On the subject of the thread, the key here is -funding-. End the free-from-scrutiny government money, and this type of thing will just vanish like the morning dew.”
Both Skidmore College and Northwestern U are private institutions, i.e., no government money.
Oral exams?
that comment just BLEW me away
@Davenport: Please stop interjecting with facts, you’re ruining this hatefest.
@Rose & batb: Missionary procreative sex is so Ward & June Cleaver. I’d hardly be proud to admit I figured that one out on my own. BTW, think Ward was a Republican? Poor June – a frustrated suburban housewife. At least it was over in 3 minutes.
@Osumashi: It always comes back to guns with you guys. Do I need repeat the obvious? Long dong registry? More like handgun registry considering some of the guys around here.
@Black Mamba: Was that a sense of humour I detected? Yes? Good on you!
Notice the liberal put down sneer about “healthy sexuality” and uptight conservatives.
Whoever above mentioned creepy liberal sexual obsessiveness is closer to the mark here. 4 letters L G B T. Over and over and over again. Puke.
We can see an analogue with liberals and race. With them it’s race, race and more race; they’re race-obsessed. If we disagree with Obama, we’re racist. If we like a black, he’ll be an Uncle Tom.
I think it’s fair to say that conservatives are generally race-blind and treat sex as a private matter. Private doesn’t mean unhealthy: the reverse.
I don’t see where lieberal progressives figure the people of a conservative nature don’t have great sex. I guess it is because we don’t need a university degree in it or a parade.
Bill, maybe this link will help you out?
@Me No Dummy: Well I must be a racist then because I not only disagree with Obama, I believe he is the biggest singular threat to the Left since Tony Blair and appeasement third way social democracy.
The only race I’m obsessed is time.
If you can’t tell I’m mostly having fun here, but a more serious question to you might be, if sex is such a private matter why are Conservatives so homophobic? Your disdain for queer sexualities is obvious.
While conservatives may cry out for a self-regulating marketplace of good and services, of free speech, they definitely seem to want a heavily regulated morality, appealing to the heavy and incontrovertible hands of tradition and religion. I mean, if the “invisible hand” is so unimpeachable why not advocate for a free marketplace of morality?
I find it rich that some here are constantly prattling on about freedom of expression not including the right not to be offended and then get freaked out by a wholly consensual sexual act.
I don’t even know where the gun thing came up or the sex thing. I was just commenting on the article.
I guess some people have an unusual fascination with sex and guns.
No wonder so many teachers, females as well that end up in the sack with students. Even grade school kids. Morals come from the top. These Pseudo-educators have absolutely none, & are encouraged not to.
JMO
Personally I like the fact Kathy Shaidle doesn’t have a comments section. I go to her blog for an opinion & news. I’m glad I have no obligation to post a comment because some dimwit said something stupid. I already have to many Blogs I go to that you feel obligated to put forward an opinion to counter what you think is trash.
Kates Blog is different. It invites intellegent controversy to be debated. Kathy’s is a cultural opinion Blog. In my Opinion. Different dynamics.
JMO
Absolutely, Bill Stewart. The only people who think it’s inappropriate to put on a live sex show as part of a university course’s curriculum are religious fanatics who “wants a heavily regulated morality.”
You’re a genius.
“I find it rich that some here are constantly prattling on about freedom of expression not including the right not to be offended and then get freaked out by a wholly consensual sexual act.”
Um, you forgot to add “…performed in front of students as part of a university course.” That’s the salient point, isn’t it? You invoke the spectre of religious people opposing a “consensual sexual act” – as if they’re kicking down someone’s bedroom door – while avoiding the real issue.
Bill Stewart: Just to say that while I found the thing creepy it doesn’t mean I’d like to regulate it away.
I’m a austro-libertarian bordering on anarchism.
Being unburdened with PC, I’m actually very comfortable expressing my disgust with aspects of our culture without having any desire to regulate behaviour. I believe in self-regulation, which the perps in this instance have failed to do. I strongly believe liberals suffer from several kinds of mental illnesses two of which are race-obsession and sex-obsession. And must we really put a public dildo demo at a institution of higher learning in the category of self expression. I mean, conservatives don’t get much self-expression in the university, nowadays, do they? I tell you what: let’s make is safe for conservatives to be conservatives on campus; safe for Jews to push back against the virulent anti-semitism. Then we can do the dildo thing.
Revnant Dream: I completely agree with what you say about Kathy’s always edgy site. I visit it daily and think her no comments policy makes perfect sense. You can just imagine the fetid swamp she’d have there!
@Osumashi: “pull the trigger”??? -your analogy not mine.
I visit here because Kate’s hot, I stay for the dimwits. Where’s ET lately? Revnant Dream’s good, but he’s no ET. I miss those know it all monologic self-evident dictatorial pronouncements that only ET can make. Not much of a sense of humour -which Revnant to his credit has-, but such good proclamations.
@EBD”…performed in front of students as part of a university course.” Umm, you forgot to add students who are adults in a private university and whose choice to attend was completely voluntary.
Let’s be real, it’s not a matter of inappropriateness, the response initially was immeasured and filled with disgust, not because of the poor students but at the sexual act itself. Personally, I’m disgusted by mechanical predictable missionary style sex acts, but I would never begrudge someone for not knowing how to find a woman’s G spot. That’s just not the type of good guy I am.
@Me No Dummy: “let’s make is safe for conservatives to be conservatives on campus…”. Oh Pleaaase! There no comparison. It’s not like this was a sex act foisted on the public. This was done within the confines of a classroom and only attended by registered students wholly out of their own volition. Secondly, you make it sound like being conservative on campus is as dangerous as say being queer or trans, or even a woman.
I can’t even be sure what you mean. Why can’t conservatives be conservatives on campuses? They’re rebuked by their political economy professors for spouting outdated neoliberal trickle down economics? Their ethics teachers are atheists who don’t proclaim Jesus as their Lord and Saviour? They can’t run around and publicly denounce pro-choice advocates as pro-abortionist baby killers with grotesque pictures of decimated fetuses? As far as I can see there’s lots of conservatism on university campuses, and unless by safely you mean having their views dogmatically accepted, I don’t see how they are unable to safely be conservatives.
We already had “tune in”: TV and the internet.
This must be the “turn on”.
Next comes the “drop out”.
I wonder what that will look like?
The telling thing is … that to a “progressiev” this actually qualifies as higher education.
“…the response initially was immeasured and filled with disgust, not because of the poor students but at the sexual act itself.”
You’re dreaming, guy. Your apparent argument, such as it is, seems to consist of mulishly reiterating a groundless assertion that those who oppose live sex acts being part of a university curriculum are, like, uptight. It’s a ridiculously circular, self-contained and self-referential “argument”.
As for your dog’s breakfast of ill-formed shots at conservatism, it’s just a boilerplate, comfortably parroted reiteration of ill-informed received wisdom. It’s trite cliche dressed up as analysis.
Bill Stewart
An egotist is a self-made man who worships his creator.
Bill Stewart, you’ve just said in a roundabout way that you’re a jerk.
Did folks read this in Drudge. You can bet Canadian schools are hardly better.
82 percent of US schools may be labeled ‘failing’
(AP) – 8 hours ago
The number of schools labeled as “failing” under the nation’s No Child Left Behind Act could skyrocket dramatically this year, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Wednesday.
The Department of Education estimates the percentage of schools not meeting yearly targets for their students’ proficiency in in math and reading could jump from 37 to 82 percent as states raise standards in attempts to satisfy the law’s mandates.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gPmjfDMN5nHOpeSIZYLwkVfKAHGQ?docId=c7dc0757afd54b5ca2836c00de44535f
I can’t even be sure what you mean. Why can’t conservatives be conservatives on campuses? They’re rebuked by their political economy professors for spouting outdated neoliberal trickle down economics?
More evidence! Or it this one satire?