I was bothered by that too. If someone is politically aware enough to know about that horrible history of black female sexual victimization and want to act in a way that overcomes that, they wouldn't reify the idea of "hypersexuality" by tailoring their actions to the perceptions of white people.

"Hook-up" culture is not about having unsafe sex or "sex that results in" babies. At least I hope not, it's just a catchall for casual sex among young people.

My point is that it's more about access to abortion clinics/reproductive health clinics than the about the cost of abortions vs. the cost of not having an abortion. I have been very carefully following the news on the closure of abortion clinics and I live in a state that is affected by this horrible trend.

Actually, Wade said that students felt "partying" would risk their academic performance, not sex in and of itself. She doesn't even define what "hookup" means, though, the article isn't particularly scientific.

This article mentions that one reason for avoiding sex is not to appear "hypersexual" to peers.

All this hand-wringing about sex. It's something as natural as breathing for most of us. And yet all this hand-wringing.

I've read that drug use is consistent across socio-economic lines. The types of drugs may be different, but young kids have and continue to use drugs at consistent rates. The consequences, however, are different, as you referenced (Hello Drug War).

Since when is casual sex correlated with poor academic performance? That's quite an assumption.

Sex is a basic human instinct that crosses racial and socioeconomic lines. I agree with you, for the most part. Although if you have to work two jobs and are so poor that your housing in overcrowded, getting sex becomes more difficult, though certainly not impossible.

Abortions can be inexpensive if you have access to a local clinic. And having an abortion is way less expensive than giving birth. Not to mention raising the kid. I think your comment's a little condescending toward poor women.

Doubtful. The sooner you get married is the sooner you have kids and remove yourself from working, for some people anyway. Even if you're still working, your not likely to uproot your family for a better job offer with a better salary somewhere else.

Something to lose? Oh give me a break. This correlation between "hooking up" and wealth probably reflects religious ideas (or lack thereof) more than anything else.

That's how all jails should be!

Thanks for your perspective. Just reading your comment, I'm thinking that the name itself, "Orange is the New Black," is pretty offensive in and of itself, as if it's stylish for this privileged white women to spend a year in prison.

Being in jail for a week definitely counts. Conditions in jails are often way worse than in prison.

Fair enough. But 2.3 million Americans are in prison. And many more are still in the system (probation or parole). Many more are illegally detained (stop and frisk for example) or arrested (protesters for example). You don't know one person who's experienced this, even just secondhand (i.e. their family members or…

Also, as a viewer, I'm less interested in the stories about rich people going to prison. Unless they're some sort of political activist, honestly, I just don't care. They've been given every advantage in life, and I'm just not interested.

The thing is, they're not and never will be in the same boat. Look, I haven't read the book or watched the show. I'm sure the show is well done like you said.

I guess I'll give it a shot. I just found it kind of annoying that the real life character/creator of the show got a fancy book deal by writing about the experiences of many poor women of color from her position of privilege. The Help also showed the experience of black women, sort of, and problematically, y'know?

I find it very problematic that people only seem interested in learning about problems that are facing communities of color through the eyes of white women. Not that white women don't go to prison (obviously she did). But still. Glad the show's well done I guess.