Senior Sex Ed on TV: Kudos to Parks and Recreation

I rarely recommend any TV show's treatment of senior sex, but the "Sex Education" episode of Parks and Recreation 10/18/12 had me laughing and applauding.

 Leslie (Amy Poehler) has learned about an STD outbreak among seniors. As she explains it,

Lots of old people have chlamydia. Seniors in Pawnee have a lot of time on their hands, and what they're doing with that time is going at it hard, old-people style. A lot of them haven't had proper sex education, and as a result, STDs are having a field day. It's amazing what a few old guys can do with a little bit of charm and a lot of crabs.

They role play "gross" questions that the seniors might ask, which are pretty tame compared to what the seniors, who look to be maybe 75 to 90, really ask them. For example, when Leslie prepares to demonstrate putting a condom on a banana, one man asks, "That's all fine and good, but what if the banana is soft and mushy and doglegs sharply to the left?"

Yes, the show makes fun of elders. ("Can everyone hear me okay?" "No!" shouts the audience in unison.) When Leslie asks, ""Does anyone know what we risk when have unprotected sex?" she hears these responses:

•  "Heart attacks!" 
• "Falling in love!" 
• "Your partner dies on top of you!" 

But what I love is how hilariously the show makes fun of those who think that seniors either aren't or shouldn't be sexually active. The seniors in the sex ed audience are having sex and they accept their sexuality as an ordinary part of life. This is despite the town's "abstinence only" law that prohibits any other kind of sex education (sound familiar?) -- whatever the age of the participants.


The "morality watchdogs" of the Family Stability Foundation (who obviously have their own secrets in the, er, closet) attempt to enforce this law. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that they don't succeed.

The "Sex Education" episode of Parks and Recreation is funny and right on target. You can watch the full episode here. Enjoy!