Apparently A County Commissioner Talking About Sex, Drugs, And Alcohol During A Middle School Awards Ceremony Is Frowned Upon In 2017
(Source)- New Hanover County Schools has issued an apology to anyone offended by remarks made by Commissioner Skip Watkins at Trask Middle School’s eighth-grade award ceremony Thursday. In a video posted to social media of a portion of his speech, Watkins can be heard speaking to students about avoiding premarital sex and drug use.
“Young ladies, unfortunately, you’re the ones who tend to end up with a lot of the consequences,” Watkins said to the crowded auditorium. “And young men you too as well. All it takes is one partner, one time and you can be exposed to something that can have negative repercussions for the rest of your life.”
“Think about you find the final partner or spouse that you want to be with for the rest of your life,” he continued. “Don’t you want to give them the best body you can give them?” After indicating he would talk about other topics, Watkins then discusses the risk of teen pregnancy. “Guess what, baby, you just dated a mama — that’s why they call it, a ‘baby mama’ [indistinguishable],” Watkins said.
A wave of chuckles then spread throughout the crowd of mostly 13 to 14-year-olds as Watkins tried to continue his speech, at which point the commissioner tried to regain control of the auditorium.
After further discussing teenage pregnancy and its consequences, Watkins transitioned to taking care of your body, specifically mentioning avoiding drugs and alcohol, as the video ended. Kelley Ahlers, who was in the crowd as her son was taking part in the ceremony, said she was appalled by Watkins’ message. “Listening to the dangers of drugs and sex and hearing about a murder that happened last night in Wilmington changed what could have been a beautiful memory into a very confusing and awkward moment,” said Ahlers.
Let me just take a minute to thank people like Skip Watkins for keeping it real for those middle schoolers during their award ceremony. There will be thousands of award ceremonies and graduations around this great country of ours this year and 99.9999% of them will be fucking useless. Telling a bunch of kids about working hard or how the future is theirs or some other pointless mumbo jumbo that won’t help them in life. High school isn’t about any of that shit. It’s about being a bundle of hormones, trying to look cool, figuring out a way to talk to the opposite sex, getting invited to the good parties, and maybe just maybe getting laid. Skip isn’t telling those kids anything they haven’t seen in a comedy about high school. He’s just telling them the truth. It’s like Nate said in his Big Short blog. Kids should learn important stuff when they are still young. Whether it’s real deal economics or that wrapping it up will do them a world of good for their immediate and longterm future.
If I had to give a speech to a bunch of middle schoolers, I would be just as honest. As a dad that is currently dealing with raising a kid in his 30s, TRUST ME you do not want to have a kid in your teens. This shit is All-Madden tough as it is with a wifey and some money in the bank. I get depressed enough thinking about all the fun I’m missing out on during 8 pm bedtimes and shit. I can’t imagine how I would feel if I lost my teenage years, college, and my 20s to raise a child. I can’t really speak to the STD stuff since being scared to talk to girls in high school kept my dick clean as a whistle. As for booze and drugs, there is a time and place for having fun, but just don’t be an asshole. I guess that transfers into all walks of life. Just don’t be an asshole would be my speech.
Plus lets be honest, you can never actually get mad at a guy named Skip. That nickname is bestowed upon only the nicest and most beloved people on the planet. If you are an asshole, you lose your Skip privileges immediately and have to go by whatever your real name or middle name is. I’ve never met a Skip that I didn’t love.
As for the parents that complained, all our boy Skippy should do is hit’em with the Costanza and keep on doing what he does, which is being a fantastic commish and an even better Skip.
h/t upm