It seems American youth has a “know-it-all” attitude about them, sex included.

On Jan. 16, the MSU student success series presented “Sex and Excess: Surviving the Party” with Elaine Pasqua.

Pasqua presented ideas and alternate solutions to situations students would encounter at parties or other establishments providing alcohol.

Students who attended the interactive lecture enjoyed themselves and commented that they were going to use the tips, tricks and pointers Pasqua presented.

About 25 percent of people younger than 21 years old carry a sexually transmitted disease.

What does this say about the intelligence used when it comes to sex?

Does all common sense go out the window when we close the door to the bedroom?

American society as a whole may be partially to blame. Instead of pushing the importance of condoms, politicians and educators are pushing abstinence.

In a perfect world, abstinence would be plausible. But this is not a perfect world – it is a highly sexualized society.

Religion pushes for abstinence, and parents push for their children to realize the gravity of having a sexual relationship.

A clear understanding of sex and its dangers needs to be engendered in today’s youth.

And “wait until you’re married” just isn’t a good enough lesson to be teaching.

Advertisements, television, magazines and even music is sexualized.   The plausible solution – using condoms and other forms of contraception – isn’t being pushed into the spotlight like it should be.

In Europe, condom advertisements are on billboards, in magazines, on television and on the radio. In the U.S. there is less and less publicity when it comes to this plausible and safer option.

Making safe sex a taboo subject isn’t helping the situation. Instead, it is leaving youth to believe that having unprotected sex is okay.

The importance of using a condom has been overlooked, replaced by the political debate about religion, healthcare.

If teenagers and young adults are surrounded by reminders of safe sex practices, they would be more likely to employ them.

So to wrap it up, just wrap it up.