IT'S DEBATABLE

Watching the deer enjoying their usual sunrise smorgasbord - my yard - I was reminded of an assignment we had in my college speech class. We were told to pick from amongst a list of hot issues, then we had to write one paper touting the pro side, another for the anti side, and finally, we had to chose a side for ourselves and give a speech that would convince everyone to support our stance. One guy chose the issue of hunting, and I chose to discuss whether or not having access to birth control pills was making young women more promiscuous.

Hunter Guy launched a very impassioned argument supporting his belief that, due to loss of habitat and overpopulation, hunters were actually doing the deer a favor by saving them from a life of starvation. It made perfect sense, but still...I had to wonder. So, when it came time for Q&A, I raised my hand. "That's a very good argument," I said, "but one thing confuses me. Are you saying that, as you pull the trigger, the thought that's actually going through your head is 'I'm sorry little deer, I'm only doing this for your own good,' rather than 'Hot Damn! Right between the eyes, Suckah!' ?" At least he had the decency to blush and stammer.

Oh, and as for my speech, I said that though it was true that the number of teen pregnancies had climbed steadily in recent years, it was my belief that the girls getting pregnant were probably not on the pill, and perhaps it was something else that was making them so promiscuous. Or, maybe, teenagers have always had sex, and it's just that they are no longer going to such extremes to hide the results. I got an A.

Of course, that was back in the good ol' days, when married couples on TV still slept in twin beds. Maybe I should do a paper now, on whether the media has made kids more promiscuous. I think I might have to argue in favor of it, this time!

Don't forget to leave a comment between now and the wee hours of Monday morning, to be included in this month's big give-away!

P.S. Many thanks to wortblog.blogspot.com for the above image.