Girls attacking boys: Feminism may go too far in girls vs. boys
By Holly Browne
Detroit Free Press
28 March 2008
I recognize that U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton has the ability and as much
right as any man to run for president. I firmly believe in equal pay for
equal work, and that women can do any job they set their minds to doing. I
grew up witnessing the many positive changes feminism has brought about -
including economic and political gains for women, as well as changes in the
way we live, dress, make a living and dream of a future.
But as I sat in the stands of my local indoor soccer facility, watching my
son's under-12 boys team being physically abused by a girls team, I
couldn't help but wonder if perhaps feminism has finally gone too far.
During the game, I saw a female player actually punch one of our boys in
the back of his head (the ref did not see it) and later, I saw my own son's
face being smashed into the boards by another young lady. (The ref did see
that.) I noted the parents of the girls' team smiling smugly whenever one
of their players managed to knock over one of our boys.
Now, the fact is, when you get into the age of puberty and beyond, most of
those boys could, if they chose, send a girl flying into the boards at any
point. Feminism aside, it's a simple fact of nature that men are physically
stronger than women. But they are taught never to use that physical
strength against a woman.
Listening to the grumbling coming from the parents of the boys, it was
obvious that our guys weren't playing their best game. They would hesitate
for a second too long or hold back just a bit, yielding to a baser instinct
not to hurt a girl. Our boys were simply not playing full-out against this
girls team. And to be honest, I'm not sure I would have wanted them to.
We drill it into our boys' heads from a very young age that they should
never push, shove or hit a girl; if anything, they are to step to the
defense of a girl when necessary. Then we put them all out on the soccer
field - basketball court, wrestling mat, pick a sport - together where the
boys are supposed to be as physically competitive with girls as they would
be with boys. We are confusing our boys.
If men abusing women is never appropriate, why should the reverse ever be
all right? Our culture seems to be blurring the lines between feminism and
offensivism.
I recall a shopping trip I made with my daughter a couple of years ago. As
we were browsing in one of the popular mall shops, we came across some
T-shirts that stated "Boys Are Stupid - Throw Rocks at Them." We were
appalled, and I had barely uttered the words, "Who would buy something like
that?" when we noticed a young mother on the other side of the display
searching for a shirt in her little girl's size. Do we women really need to
teach our girls to bash boys, physically and emotionally, to make our mark
in the world?
After the soccer game, I asked a manager why this talented girls team
didn't play up a few levels within the girls division instead of entering
the boys' leagues. I was told that prohibiting them from playing in the
boys division would be considered discrimination. Amazing. Women have
fought a long, hard battle to earn equal rights. We now have clubs, sports,
colleges and political organizations solely for women and the support of
women's rights. But we're still not satisfied.
We are raising our boys to be men in a world that increasingly disrespects
men in a variety of venues. If we truly believe in equal rights, then we
women need to speak up and stop allowing TV programs, clothing, and even
children's sports to get away with the male bashing that is going on. We
need to build up our boys instead of tearing them down. We need to teach
them how to be men. Men who are intelligent, sensitive and strong.
Men who know how to treat a lady.
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