By Tom Ragan
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Oct. 25, 2012 | 3:45 p.m.
There are the famous three R's: reading, writing and arithmetic. That's old school.
Inside University of Nevada, Las Vegas's human sexuality class, it's about the three P's: polygamy, polyandry and polygyny. That's new school.
On Thursday, 150 students not only learned the concepts of plural marriage in the classroom, they played a reproductive game in the quad that demonstrated how women choose potential mates.
The numbers 1 through 15 attached to the men's backs on sticky notes, represented their virility. A high number meant he was very virile; the low number meant he wasn't exactly in his reproductive prime.
In the end, the men with high numbers had multiple women wanting to be his partner. Meanwhile, the men with the low numbers had few women approach them, with the exception of one.
Please read the entire article at:
http://www.lvrj.com/news/interest-in-plural-marriage-studies-on-the-rise-175876921.html
So what are your thoughts? Do you believe this class has merit, or is it just the 21st century version of the so-called basketweaving/easy credit classes ?
Let's discuss!
The going story might be that Logan chose UNLV for it's liberal policies, but I think it has a lot more to do with finances, scholarships, and being the man around the house for Janelle. Janelle needs someone she can call on her non-Kody days to do all those handyman or child care duties. Out of state tuition costs a lot, especially when you are trying to feed 17 children and 5 parents.
ReplyDeleteTaxpayers just love paying for these kinds of classes. Sometimes they wonder why tuition is so high. Correlation?
ReplyDeleteI see nothing wrong with "these classes" as you call it, and I fail to see a correlation between a university offering classes in human sexuality and high tuition costs.
DeleteI agree with you, Border Collie. Classes like these are fluff and not truly educational that will help a person be competitve in a tough job market. Not a class for serious students who want a good career.
DeleteHave to disagree. I took Human Sexuality as an undergrad. Strangely, I ended up in social work for a while and used quite a bit of the information. It really isn't a class about polygamy at all. The article's example is giving a Darwinian rationale for polygamy.
DeleteBeyond my foray into non-profit work, the class, probably like a lot of psych classes offers an examination into societal norms and critical thinking about diversity. I am bias towards education is never waste even if it doesn't directly relate to a "career". I would rather see kids get a philosophy degree than non at all.
Not every class should be a direct use-able skill like credit and debit transactions. It is also important to learn how to think at a higher level.
I'm sorry I disagree. The point in going to college is to be educated and to learn, not to "get a job", that is what vocational school is for. The difference between college and vocational school is that you aren't just learning skills for a particular job, you are learning how to be a critically thinking and contributing member of society. Additionaly, there are plenty of jobs in social science, both academic and clinical that this class could be used towards.
Deletethat is the freakin' lamest article! was it just written to fill up a webpage or something?? Besides according to a gal who was at the Brown Show at UNLV a few days ago, Logan said he picked UNLV largely because it was affordable. It was Robyn who yelled out the diversity bit. Name me a university (non-religious) that ISN'T diverse. yikes.
ReplyDeleteI really hope that isn't Janelle's thinking. She has other children very close to Logan's age that can take up the slack. Hunter is only, what, 2 or 3 years behind Logan I think? I thought she wanted Logan to go to the Utah school and hook up with an LDS congregation so he could have a spiritual outlet or whatever. Kody squashed that notion right quick. I think it was more Christine and Robyn, because they have the youngest kids, who wanted to keep Logan around. IMO
Omg that article is ridiculous. I'm sure the class is too. I'm all for teaching about human sexuality but you really have to take the time to explore the emotional and legal ramifications, historical context, effect on the children, burden on the welfare system, etc of this lifestyle before coming to this conclusion, as this "Graduate" student says:
ReplyDelete"But because of this class and because of the TV series, I understand it more," said Candland, a graduate student in marriage and family therapy at UNLV. "For those who want to engage in it, and are serious about it, if it feels right, then it's right for them."
Lots of things "feel right" but are not good for our children, ourselves, society and our families. I have to admit, I thought this way about polygamy for about 5 minutes, watching the show, thinking what's the harm? I just think it's irresponsible of the class not to explore it further and using these reality show people as a learning tool. And furthermore, if they were to really be presented as a learning tool, why were they not asked hardball questions, why screen the questions at all? Real learning happens with openness and honesty!!
Actually I don't think Candland got as much out of the discussion as he/she thinks. Looking at the Darwinian approach to polygamy - the idea that it is better to be a 2nd wife to a great guy than the only wife to a "loser", assumes first and foremost that both of the options are better than not being married which in most countries today is bunk.
DeleteI don't think women are choosing polygamy because the single men are not worth marriage and being a single woman is too devastating. I am not sure most of the women in polygynous relationships are "choosing" much.
"I am not sure most of the women in polygynous relationships are "choosing" much."
DeleteProbably depends on where you are and why you practice polygamy. Most countries that still allow polygamy are largely Muslim, and I'm pretty sure that most everyone posting here would agree that Islam is largely a patriarchal religion and most of the women in plural marriages based on Islam probably don't have much of a say in anything. (Same goes for Mormonism and it's breakaway sects.) But a non-religion based polygamist might have a say in much more, like who she marries, ect. I mean when it's a lifetsyle choice you make as an adult and you're not part of a cult or indoctinated in any religion than you probably grew up in our mainstream society and make most of your own choices despite being a plural wife.
But I second SullnSarcasm- college is for learning a little about everything and being well rounded and well informed; thus the point of core requirements. There is definite value to classes on human sexuality and soc and anthro classes that explore the topic of polygamy and the evolution of marriage. (When the classes are taught well anyways).
Seems to me that Darwinism doesn't apply to modern Mormon polygamy. In pure Darwinism, a male is chosen by females for his ability to provide. When FLDS or AUB women choose a husband--or have one chosen for them--the man's earning potential is less important because government programs, i.e. welfare, can keep the family afloat.
Delete"I'm pretty sure that most everyone posting here would agree that Islam is largely a patriarchal religion and most of the women in plural marriages based on Islam probably don't have much of a say in anything."
DeleteUm, no. This Muslim poster, who has indeed lived in two different Muslim-majority countries, doe NOT agree. Not all Muslims follow the patriarchal Saudi version of Islam. Alas, that's the only one that gets any press.
I can't agree with this PC sugar-coating of the Islamic version of polygyny. When it comes to Mormon polygyny versus Muslim polygyny, I'm reminded of the old line from Rocky Horror Picture Show: "Same room, different color!"
DeleteThey need to CANCEL this program, it is sick, demeaning to women and the only thing this plural marriage benefits is him!
DeleteNo one is sugarcoating any version of polygyny. About one percent of ALL Muslims engage in it because it doesn't work, for anyone. Most of those who do it live in rigidly tribal countries like Yemen and Saudi Arabia (except for African-American converts in the US, who are reviving the practice).Polygyny in any religion is an outdated, harmful practice, which is why hardly any Muslim still engages in it.
DeleteWhen does the new season start?
ReplyDeleteYou'll need to contact TLC ;)
DeleteI think the show is dead. Browns want people to contact TLC to get them to show the network there is a fan following, in hopes they will change their mind and give them another season.
DeleteI don't think Sister Wives has the following that Designing Women did. If someone other than Kody's buddies are still filming, I think it's in hopes of a one-time special.
I wonder if Rachael or anyone who was at the UNLV interview session saw anything on the cameras or camera crew to indicate who was doing the filming? Did the audience members have to sign a release agreeing to appear in a film?
I saw a commercial on TLC last night. It will be back on in November. Robyn was talking about not wanting her debt to be a burden to her new family. That's all I caught.
DeleteJeez - Robyn is still talking about being "a burden to her 'new' family"?? she's been part of this caravan for what, 3 years?? time to change the record and quit talking and start DOING. meaning - find a job and if you can't find one, get some training so you qualify and start working.
DeleteI think the whole experiement with the sicky notes is skewed. It has nothing to do with polygamy and everything to do with age. A woman in her 20s wants children so she would naturally choose a virile man. The experiment says nothing about sister-wives being included with those men. Likewise, the 46 year old who already has 6 children would choose the man with the lower number. This is so stupid it makes me sick.
ReplyDeleteOk..One more thing jumped out at me..This quote:
ReplyDelete"Enrollment in the human sexuality class, part of UNLV's Marriage and Therapy Program, has increased each year, thanks in part to a popular reality TV show."
Seriously? How can they honestly connect the 2? This is sloppy journalism. Give these students some credit..Human Sexuality covers a lot of ground...How much of this semester long course covers plural marriage? Give these students some credit. I don't think there were droves of students signing up just to learn more about the Sister Wives..Sheesh...
What's REALLY funny about the so called Sister Wives connection is that anytime a question about sex is asked, Kody and/or the wives shut it down and say their lifestyle isn't about sex, and will not even discuss sex. even though we ALL know that's one big reason people are even interested in the topic of polygamy to begin with. sheesh.
ReplyDeleteLooking around, I just read that there is a "Breaking Amish Reunion" special on November 11th...to answer some of the questions in regards to "fakery" allegations. The time said that it was at 10 pm, which means for us 7:00 pm PST...isn't that usually the "Sister Wives" time slot? I'm not seeing anything...not looking like Nov. 11th is THE day! :) Those poor people on their FB are having such fits about when they are coming back.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure someone has already mentioned it, but I think they couldn't get enough ad sponsors for SW. I know, there was lots of boycotting their ad sponsors this last season. After, season premiere in May, lot of the ad sponsors pulled out, b/c of all the boycotting. Besides, HBB has surpassed the SW & ratings are thru the roof. In the UNLV discussion, didn't Christine, something like, "Once our ratings go down, then we'll just be another normal family"??...Lol Well, Christine, the Brown's have arrived to the corner of Normal & Boring, b/c SW ratings have been spiraled down!
DeleteI betcha it just burns Kody & Krew's asses that their 15 minutes of shame are over & all b/c of Honey Boo Boo....HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Caramel Brownie I think you are right. If the ad dollars are not there due to sponsers boycotting, if they can put another show in that time slot that brings in those ad dollars, the network gonna do it. HBB is a prime example. I'm sure TLC has discussed this with the Browns, making them aware that not only have they lost sponsers, viewership has gone way down too so that would explain Christines words. The show costs more to produce than revenue it brings so...sorry but you're cancelled.
DeleteFunny, we played a version of this game in one of my nursing classes to see how easily sexually transmitted diseases are spread...
ReplyDelete"with the exception of one"....was Kody in the quad?????
ReplyDeleteIm wondering wether or not they put the number with the "high virility" on the hottest of the guys to begin with? Because Im pretty sure if they would repeat that game with Kody and one of the hot guys de jour (Daniel Craig or whoever floats the boat nowadays) they would not pick Kody even if he would have a 15 and the other guy a zero.
ReplyDeleteThey should at least have another sticky note with a number refering to income. Because virility 15, income 1 is very sexy, yes?
I gotta say that if i was part of the experiment as the choosers and someone like...Adam Levine...was there, I wouldn't give a rip about the number on his back! i would choose him!! LOL
Delete"....or is it just the 21st century version of the so-called basketweaving/easy credit classes ?..."
ReplyDeleteYep, this.....!!!!
But it does go to show the power and impact of TV.
Doubtful these classes would be part of the curriculum if not for the show and the subsequent press about their lawsuit. Probably, as an academic experiment, this too shall pass.
As for the future of SW?
It sure looks like the Browns and the show are quite low on the list of TLC's priorities.
Their shelf-life is coming due. We know all the ingredients, have seen the packaging and tasted the product. Nowhere else to go with it.
Classes on human sexuality and the evolution of marriage have been in colleges and universities for many years before Sister Wives was on year. I graduated from Smith seven years ago and had some great soc and religion classes that discussed polygamy and the changing definition of marriage. When taught by well educated, informed and inovative professors, classes on human sexuality can be a great advantage for any student majoring in sociolgy, anthropology or religion studies. (One of my classes was even a core requirement)
DeleteDo I think that the experiment mentioned in the above article was inovative or all that relevant or informative- NO
I think this article was commissioned by UNLV to bring more plig kids to the campus. No doubt UNLV needs those tuition dollars and not all pligs are poor like Kody. Have you seen those mansions in Centennial Park?
DeleteAgreed Amused :)
DeleteWell Nov. 11 in sister wives time slot they have final ep. of breaking amish, so maybe sister wives will bee the 18th. otherwise maybe not coming back.
ReplyDeleteI'm watching Breaking Amish now, & just seen a commercial for Sister Wives season premiere Nov 18th....Looks like $$ problems, just like we predicted.
ReplyDeleteSaw that too CB and I got the strong feeling with Christine saying she feels like a single parent and them telling the kids they weren't getting the 4 McMansions that they may be leading up to a move....to oh, Utah? or maybe Y-oming!
DeleteI saw Robyn crying about her debts, but she needs to get over that. Her debts from her 1st marriage were NOT enough on their own to sink the deal for the houses! If she believes that or someone makes her believe that, they are wrong. Yes she had a lot of debt, but maybe if the 5 adults in this family had taken J-O-B-S they could have gotten some reasonably priced homes.
They will be back on Nov 18th. More drama and money problems. Looks like Janelle wonders what would happen if she left and Kody asks Madison why she does not want to be a polygamist. Christine is saying that she felt that being a Sister Wife was a blessing and Kody is shown storming out of the door. This does not look like a happy family. They show some guy sitting at a desk telling the family that there is a great amount of debt. I guess all their spending is finally catching up with them. I predict this is their final season. Unless all of this drama is designed to create interest in their show. They have to give their so called fans a reason to tune in. I just feel sorry for the kids.
DeleteI just watched it too. That door Kody walked out of was not from any of the Vegas houses. And that's a red brick house Aspyn and Logan are standing in front of with Maddie crying. It looks like Meri's mothers house in Utah, in fact I'd bet money on it. All of the sound bits seem disjointed, so I think this is manufactured drama being shown to get viewer interest up. I do think the Brown's are moving into homes but not the ones they put the earnest money on. They are not leaving Las Vegas and I don't think Kody will lose a wife either.
DeleteIt's all manufactured BS. By all reports, the families are still in their LV rentals at this time, and they even said in the UNLV talk/lecture/whatever that they had not moved. of course they are in a great deal of debt! remember they did this the last couple of seasons...sound bites to get the interest up. and then it turned out to be much ado over nothing for the most part - some of the sound bites not even appearing in any episodes...we shall see I suppose! One thing is true I'm sure - they aren't happy. except Kody, and Sol because he's still a baby.
Deleteremember, these were all filmed at least over some months, not last week.
FT - remember that Robyn has really only been married ONCE. she is basically a divorced single mom now. so for all we know, she could have racked up more debt and probably has. Didn't she file a BK after she divorced?
DeleteSewcrafty I too feel badly for the kids. They are so used to being disappointed by what their parents promise or at least heavily promote as something that's going to happen. What a way to grow up! To say nothing of the fact that their family is on TV and I'm sure the kids face lots of questions about polygamy.
DeleteI just cannot understand someone that opens their children up to all the potential problems caused by having cameras following them around. The same as HBB and Kate+8. All of these kids will likely need some type of counseling. Can you imagine when HBB is in junior high or high school and people remember things like the blindfolded breath test game or some of the other things that show has aired? Or Kate's kids when their friends discuss their mom and dad and all that mess?
Parents that will do anything for a buck. *stepping off soap box now*
I just hate that the kids are the ones to pay the price.
I saw that too...Janelle said that she has thought about leaving and Christine said she feels like a single parent (which she kind of is). Their family is crumbling. They didn't show any "happy" moments in the previews. Should be interesting.
ReplyDeleteChristine (and Janelle and Robyn for that matter) aren't "kind of" single parents - they ARE single parents. even in the book, it is clear that for the most part, the financial and child-raising support from Kody is minimal. and of course Janelle has thought about leaving - she DID leave at one point, and I would be willing to bet that if/when that segment in the teaser airs, it's going to lead directly to a flashback from the time she was on her own with her own kids. Maybe the house the kids were standing in front of (I haven't seen the teaser yet) was the house Janelle was living in during that time, the older kids would still most likely remember it...
DeleteI noticed that too. Poor Maddie crying, Robin crying, Christine whining, Kody pissed off. It is just so encouraging to see how a Polygamist family functions! WOW!! Just a note, they might want to hold off on the tweeting for a while until their "story" catches up, otherwise it will be hard to understand how much "fun" they are having (@Disney, Utah, Vegas strip, etc...) yet such turmoil going on! The worst thing a show can do is make the audience feel stupid, making you think that you are buying into their "chosen wonderful life". They need better "reality writers" for this show. Maybe the first boxcar on the train is going to slip off the tracks soon....look out!
ReplyDeleteThat commercial is so contrary to their happy, traveling, tweeting summer.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds just like things we have talked about here. Maybe they have picked up the themes discussed (like Janelle or Christine leaving) just to generate drama. I think someone wrote a script for them, but it won't be enough to make the show interesting. No doubt there will be some sappy resolution to all the problems.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing too, that there will be some form of "sappy resolution" in the form of a nauseating couch session. Where each wife will explain at the time thats how they were feeling & apologize over & over for not being strong enough, blah, blah, blah...then we'll have to hear that they would NEVER leave & how things are just fine now & everyone is just hunky dory.(eyes rolling)
Delete**And Scene**
...Lol
Want to scare your family way from your home, get one of these "ornaments"! Designed by Christine.
ReplyDeletehttp://twitter.com/LuvgvsUwngs/status/262618435958231040/photo/1
It's a paw print squishing a dairy queen cone!
DeleteDefinitely agree that it is all typical SW hype to seduce and secure enough of a viewing block to justify a full season. The teasers, the mini-clips of crying, the Kody-tantrum....just enough to get some ratings.
ReplyDeleteProbably will turn out to be that someone cut their finger and Kody was asked to get a bandaid.
And yes, yes....as has been said here many times before....."the kids!!"
These TLC stable shows couldn't happen if parents weren't willing to pimp their children for $$ and fame.
There is always that fleeting yet poignant moment when watching any of these shows, when you say to yourself....*those poor, manipulated kids*
hahaha if Kody was asked to get a band-aid for one of the kids, he probably stood on Meri's back to reach the shelf where they are kept. :)
DeleteI predict a season filled with debt and many flashbacks. most of which we've seen before...
Ha ha! That is hilarious! I can just see it now!
DeleteDakotaJustice,
DeleteI think your prediction is quite right !!!
A ho-hum rehashing !!!
Has anyone seen the trailer online? I can't find it and missed it on TLC last night. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAs soon as it's available on TLC, I'll embed it in a posting!
DeleteExcellent, thank you!
DeleteCynical Jinx I was hoping you would say that, I don't watch TLC except for sw. So thank-you tho I believe its all hype, to try and build up audience.
ReplyDeleteFor all the Central and Northeast Coast folks....
ReplyDelete** Prayers that we all come through this storm unscathed !!! **