Reality check: 95 percent of Americans had premarital sex

[DCAPBTLS77]

well ...ok then

[Captain Chaos]

Quote by: Gods_Mercenary This is a debate forum I can pass judgement on whatever I want. Anyway, I'm not saying you're a bad person, just that your sexual habits could use a little moral restraint. Not to be intrusive of course.

Moral restraint - he's had a whole four partners!

Dude, I have had like 40. I am married now, and I never cheat. So I am living a perfectly sexually restrained life (well, monogamous anyway).

40 is not even that many, when you divide it out over 15 years, which is about how long my non-married sex life lasted.

I know guys with partners that number above a hundred.

What is your opinion of them?

[Chancellor]

Quote by: Captain Chaos If a sample is biased, that will screw up the results.

Well, in this case 33,000 out of the 38,000 people questioned were women.

For an unbiased sample, it is the sample size that matters more than the population size.

The sample size is significantly less than one percent (more like less than a hundredth of a percent) and, quite clearly, cannot be representative of the entire population (the article concluded that 95 percent "of Americans" and not "of American adults and teens") since a significant portion of the population consists of prepubescent children (and no prepubescent children were part of the sample size).

Really, this has been studied in extreme depth. Instead of just doubting it for the fun of it, why don't you study it first?

If this particular statistic is the result of something that has been "studied in extreme depth," do you really expect people to take that study seriously?

[Captain Chaos]

Quote by: Chancellor The sample size is significantly less than one percent (more like less than a hundredth of a percent) and, quite clearly, cannot be representative of the entire population

Actually, a sample size of less than 1%, if it is unbiased and is a large number (even though it is a small percentage), can be quite representative of an entire population.

If you doubt the math behind this, study it and comprehend it rather than just making unfounded claims.

If this particular statistic is the result of something that has been "studied in extreme depth," do you really expect people to take that study seriously?

That is not what I meant. The science of statistics has been studied in depth. Most studies have flaws of one form another. I do not care to try and defend this particular study. You are criticizing nearly all of statistical methodology, without any understanding of it.

I am saying you should study it before you dismiss it.

[Gods_Mercenary]

Quote by: Captain Chaos Moral restraint - he's had a whole four partners! Dude, I have had like 40. I am married now, and I never cheat. So I am living a perfectly sexually restrained life (well, monogamous anyway). 40 is not even that many, when you divide it out over 15 years, which is about how long my non-married sex life lasted. I know guys with partners that number above a hundred. What is your opinion of them?

I was making the point that saying something someone does is wrong does not mean that person is bad.

[Captain Chaos]

Quote by: Gods_Mercenary I was making the point that saying something someone does is wrong does not mean that person is bad.

ah, ok...

So what is your opinion of guys with like 500 partners?

[Gods_Mercenary]

Well, first of all, rock on, and second of all, at that point, you might as well keep going.

[Cephus]

Quote by: Captain Chaos I know guys with partners that number above a hundred. What is your opinion of them?

Complete immoral sluts, or whatever the male equivalent might be.

Hey, you asked.

[Captain Chaos]

Why does having lots of sex partners equate with immorality?

[Sappho]

Quote by: Captain Chaos ah, ok... So what is your opinion of guys with like 500 partners?

Bull Shit Artists, is what I say, with an unhealthy attitude towards sex and sexual partners.

[Sappho]

Quote by: Captain Chaos Why does having lots of sex partners equate with immorality?

It depends on how those sex partner's come about. If it is lifestyle swinging, then it is not immorality, but rather a different set of values in opperation. If however, these are individual pick ups at the pub and what not, then it is immoral because of the objectification of the sex partner.

[Captain Chaos]

Quote by: Sappho It depends on how those sex partner's come about. If it is lifestyle swinging, then it is not immorality, but rather a different set of values in opperation. If however, these are individual pick ups at the pub and what not, then it is immoral because of the objectification of the sex partner.

What do you mean by objectification, and why is it bad?


I mean, I have had a few one-night-stands. In no way did I disrespect the person I had sex with. We both just wanted sex.

I can think of psychological reasons for why my behavior was emotionally unhealthy, from my point of view, but I am not sure why it would be immoral.

[Captain Chaos]

Quote by: Sappho Bull Shit Artists, is what I say, with an unhealthy attitude towards sex and sexual partners.

I would tend to agree.

[Sappho]

Quote by: Captain Chaos What do you mean by objectification, and why is it bad? I mean, I have had a few one-night-stands. In no way did I disrespect the person I had sex with. We both just wanted sex. I can think of psychological reasons for why my behavior was emotionally unhealthy, from my point of view, but I am not sure why it would be immoral.

A few one night stands is not lots of one night stands, which is what my response refers.

To have lots, which is a subjective amount, which to me means.......... well lots, many, an amount well above average cause it's lots, is to consider a woman or man as a sexual object only. But humans are more than a means to sexual pleasure, and to treat them as less than what they are is bad morally.

Also, where it is that a person seeks sex from lots of sexual partners, not in a swinging environment, I begin to question the amount of consent entailed.

Is it really the case that consent is given by all of these in the lot that is lots, or is coercion entailed by the sexual predator. I think the latter would be more true than the former.

[TheColdTruth]

Quote by: Sappho A few one night stands is not lots of one night stands, which is what my response refers. To have lots, which is a subjective amount, which to me means.......... well lots, many, an amount well above average cause it's lots, is to consider a woman or man as a sexual object only. But humans are more than a means to sexual pleasure, and to treat them as less than what they are is bad morally. Also, where it is that a person seeks sex from lots of sexual partners, not in a swinging environment, I begin to question the amount of consent entailed. Is it really the case that consent is given by all of these in the lot that is lots, or is coercion entailed by the sexual predator. I think the latter would be more true than the former.

Are you saying sluts are sexual predators? :confused:

[Praxius]

Bottom line..... many people have sex before marriage..... who cares?

Once you answer that question..... Why do you care?

[Captain Chaos]

Quote by: Sappho But humans are more than a means to sexual pleasure, and to treat them as less than what they are is bad morally.

I think perhaps we use the word "moral" in different ways. I would think of such behavior as emotionally unhealthy. As long as both partners are consenting, I would not think of it as immoral.