"WTF" of the day

Salon writers puzzle over a Belgian sex-ed PSA that attempts to answer the age-old question, "Spit or swallow?"

Published September 19, 2008 4:52PM (EDT)

Sometimes, when things start to get scary and frustrating in the US of A, it's nice to get a little international perspective. For instance, while Barack Obama has been defending himself from a McCain ad that spuriously suggested he supports teaching kindergarteners all about sex, Belgium has been having a more, well, progressive discussion about sex education. Or, at least, a weirder one.

In a PSA for a Belgian sex information site that's been circulating on the Web, a teenager who appears to be holding her breath makes a mad dash for her computer. I won't spoil the eye-popping surprise for you, but suffice it to say that what transpires by the end of this ad is bizarre enough to merit a Broadsheet powwow. It raises a whole host of unanswerable questions: Where could this girl (and her brother!) possibly have come from in the middle of the day? Why did a Belgian site make an English-language PSA? And, most important, Why?

Watch the video (posted below) and then follow along as your favorite Broadsheet writers -- plus token males Vincent Rossmeier and James Hannaham, minus a few ladies who found themselves rendered uncharacteristically speechless by the ad -- try to puzzle through it.

Lynn Harris: One look at this, and the neocons in the congressional cafeteria will change the menu to "Freedom Waffles."

James Hannaham: When your country disappears, I suppose everything becomes a little harder to swallow ...

Judy Berman: This poor girl could have saved herself a great deal of time and trouble by remembering that helpful saying, "When in doubt, spit it out."

Sarah Hepola: Was she giving head to King Kong? It looks like she's holding at least a quart of liquid in her mouth!

Rebecca Traister: Yes, Sarah. She went down on King Kong. But apparently, she couldn't even say goodbye to him before she ran out the door. That must have been awkward.

Tracy Clark-Flory: More like a giant ape gangbang. On a more serious note, am I the only one who has encountered the sex-ed maxim "Swallow or spit, just don't let it sit"? Not only is the ad tacky, it's inaccurate!

Catherine Price: I just made the mistake of watching that while eating lunch.

Vincent Rossmeier: Why wasn't I born in Belgium?!

(Via Buzzfeed)


By Judy Berman

Judy Berman is a writer and editor in Brooklyn. She is a regular contributor to Salon's Broadsheet.

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