Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex

If almost-sex were a sport in the Olympics, Americans would dominate. Just flip on MTV and see what I mean.

Young adolescent males will spend hours watching waiting for that one video with the "almost-nipple shot." Most the time I think we'd be just as well off having a 24-hour musical porn channel.

With all this sex in the media, it's no wonder that STDs and unwanted pregnancies continue to be a problem for so many young people today.

So what are we as a society to do? First, I think we could use an honest assessment of how we treat sexuality in our media. While all the thinly veiled carnality that appears in the media can't be healthy, I just don't think censorship should be the answer.

I do, however, think cable systems should allow parents as much choice as possible in regulating what their young children watch.

Maybe every time a sexual act is about to be depicted, the channel would cut to reruns of "Mama's Family." I imagine that for an 11-year-old, even reading would be favorable to this psychological torment.

Second, I think much more information about how STDs and unwanted pregnancies can occur needs to be brought to the public's attention. Information about sex needs to come from a parent or parent-like figure.

I can remember my mom telling me about sex for the first time as a young boy. I was sitting in the back seat of our station wagon with my older brother, and we were giggling our heads off.

To this day, when someone brings up sex, I giggle uncontrollably. However, it's talks like these that are necessary for young adults to make informed decisions about sexual acts.

Which brings me to an important point: Oral sex is not a safe sexual act. I think you should begin each day by saying this to yourself in the mirror three times. If this routine wakes your roommate, then you can write it on paper. I realize that oral sex seems to be the magical elixir for abstinence, but the truth is, it isn't.

Some studies show an eighth of HIV transmissions occur this way, not to mention herpes and other STDs. I know it seems like everybody does it, but what you don't think about is the number of cases of STDs that result from oral sex.

Learning about sex in class and at C-TOPS isn't enough. Students still need to talk about sex among themselves. Despite all we know about the dangers of unprotected sex, it's still uncomfortable to suggest a flavored condom or a dental dam. It's uncomfortable to ask someone to take a blood test before you engage in sexual activity with that person. But it's even more uncomfortable to realize at 20 years old that you have an incurable disease.

We have to start talking. I understand what it is like to have an utterly insatiable sex drive that just grows stronger and stronger every waking minute, one that dominates your every thought and every desire to the point that you salivate uncontrollably and ... sorry. I know that it's tough. But hang in there.

Your special someone will come along someday, and until he or she does, extra precaution is worth your while. But even if you contract an incurable STD, it's not the end of the world. Most people who do still experience completely normal lives. However, I'm sure they would recommend avoiding the emotional and physical trauma if at all possible.

Being safe might create some frustrations, but together we can handle them. In the future, when you are feeling especially sexually frustrated, wear a blue shirt. And when you are out, offer a word of condolence and encouragement to every blue-shirt-wearer. Together we can prove that despite our horniness, a healthy lifestyle can be the norm.

Ben Dickens believes so strongly in his message he is changing his legal name from Benjamin Scott Dickens to Benjamin Oralsexisnotasafesexualact Dickens. If you would like to join his crusade by changing your legal name too,

e-mail him at bdickens@email.unc.edu.