OK, let’s flash back to first grade: Thanksgiving comes around and you learn about the Pilgrims. As the years go on, you begin to understand the story better—the religious persecution, the first colonial towns, the Puritans. You look at these old Americans with a detached eye. After all, what’s past is past. Right?

Wrong.

Modern Americans are still very much a product of these Puritan ancestors. Just look at other, more liberal European countries to see the evidence. Sex tends to be a taboo for us—something to be whispered about behind closed doors. Europeans, on the other hand, fly giant condoms through the sky.

Yes, you read that right. In an attempt to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, the French have put a 120-foot, helium-filled condom on display in Paris. The giant condom, called Condomfière or Condom Pride, can carry three passengers and a pilot. It will be on display until it goes to the International AIDS conference in Vienna in June and then continues on a continental tour leading up to World AIDS Day on December 1, 2010.

Instead of hiding the potential consequences of sex or how to practice safer sex, which seems to be the American way, the French are flying it through their skies. Maybe their way is better or maybe not, but certainly a 120-foot condom floating above will be a sight to see.

—Taylor McCabe, 17, Staff Writer

The second my friends and I logged on and began to “play,” the shocking image of a very old man’s crotch filled our screen and evoked yelps from a few of the girls. We had just visited Chatroulette.com, a Web site that allows you to video chat with random strangers. This was our first time on the site, and this was certainly an interesting first impression.

Of course, crotch shots weren’t the only thing on there. Some of the strangers we saw were also wildly entertaining, doing crazy things, like salsa dancing and wiggling their feet. Meeting new people is such a fun part of life. It’s no wonder this site is so popular, but some people seem to take it too far.

Exposing your body to strangers gets you a lot of attention, but is it really the kind you want? Sure, compliments are nice and everyone likes to feel wanted, but that kind of attention is probably best reserved for people who actually care about you and, most importantly, appreciate you.

You never know who could be watching or what they might do, whether it’s a dangerous stranger or your own family member! Check out this Dutch commercial that shows a brother and sister who are unknowingly about to have cybersex—and I am almost certain you don’t want that to happen to you!

—Melanie Johnson, 17, Staff Writer

I was talking with some of my friends about MTV’s Teen Mom a few weeks ago, and one of them said, “They’re all whores.” My friend wasn’t calling the guys who the girls had sex with whores, just the girls—not that anyone deserves to be called a whore. I was really surprised and upset that my friend said this.

Why is it that if you’re a teen mother you’re a whore? I don’t hear people calling 20-something-year-old mothers whores, even though they have unplanned pregnancies too. People—teens and adults—make mistakes and birth control fails. But that doesn’t mean you’re a whore, and it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. I don’t look at any of the girls on Teen Mom as whores or sluts. So, they have kids? So, they’re young? So, what?

Being a parent is the most difficult job in the world, especially when you’re young and not ready to take care of a baby. Why say hurtful things about young mothers who are in a really difficult situation?

People may use words like “whore” because they are insecure and want to feel better about themselves by putting someone else—a girl or woman—down. It would make a big difference if people spent half the time they spend talking bad about other people doing something good, like making sure teens get the information they need to help prevent unplanned pregnancies.

—Kait Hamilton, 17, Staff Writer

Condoms, when used correctly, help prevent unplanned pregnancies, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Condoms can be an important part of practicing safer sex, and here at Sex, Etc. we encourage you to make condoms fun. Sex, Etc. is not the only place promoting condom use; in fact, a whole city is promoting it! New York City’s Health Department gives away more than 40 million free condoms a year. Those free condoms have a package specifically designed for New York City, a black wrapper based on the city’s subway motif.

Do you know anyone who has come to school naked? Probably not, but maybe you do know people at your school who have been seen naked because they’ve sexted—shared nude photos or videos of themselves via text or online. Many teens believe that the only person viewing the message is the person they send it to, however, with the click of a button, the sext can easily be shared with many others. Although it may seem harmless, there can be negative consequences for sexting. Who would want a college admissions officer or potential employer to make a decision about you after seeing your nude photo or video online? And even worse, who wants to have a criminal record for the possession or distribution of child porn just because you have a nude pic of your partner on your phone? (This has actually happened in several states.)

Once a sext is sent, there’s no way to take it back, and it is no longer private. Each year teens are fully exposed to their friends, classmates and lots of other people because of sexting. Think before sexting. More than a quarter of 14-to 24-year-olds have received naked photos or videos via text or online, according to an Associated Press-MTV poll. Is sexting really worth risking, not only being completely revealed, but a criminal record? Ponder this public service announcement and let us know what you think.

—Chelsea Sirico, 17, Staff Writer