HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Should White Boys Still Be Allowed to Talk? Proper response: Fuck off, bigot.
But this more nuanced response from the comments is good: “It’s not often that racist and sexist thoughts are married so well on the page, so kudos to the writer for creating this perfect storm of hate. Who will get space next on the editorial pages of The Dickinsonian? A Klansman? A gleeful misogynist?” And I’m happy to say that that’s the general tenor.
Meanwhile, a friend on Facebook observes: “Ever notice that in every discussion of girls vs boys it is: How we can encourage girls. vs How we can correct boys. Or Girls ‘kick ass’ and boys are ‘toxic.’ Notably even in cases where Genderists claim to care about boys it is about fixing their problematic nature. If boys fare poorly it is because their failings, not because of the failings of those to whom their care was entrusted. At this point it is fairly obvious. But the post-mortem analysis of the effects of Genderism will astound in the coming decades. It will make the Catholic Priest child abuse scandals pale in comparison.”
Related: Tell The Social Justice Warrior Mobs To Go Pound Sand.
Education, politics, and anything else that catches my attention.
Sunday, February 10, 2019
A Proper Response
I don't usually post foul language on this blog but will make an exception this time:
First, of course the woman who wrote that terrible editorial was wrong, and it is important to condemn what she said.
ReplyDeleteBut it is not true that we do not try to encourage boys when they struggle. Sessions on how to help boys do better in reading are part of any literacy conference. Schools have tried everything from special "boy friendly" practices to enlisting male role models to help boys thrive. And men are routinely given affirmative action to help colleges improve their gender balance. These things are common and not at all controversial.
I'm a female English teacher who has fought against the feminization of our English department's reading choices and writing topics for over 20 years--I a"ttract boys to my classes because I don't make them write about their feelings" every day in writing journals,for one example. Another teacher approached everything through modern feminism and chose novels such as The Color Purple. There was no balance with more reading choices that appeal to young me. I developed courses that appealed to young men, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey. School can be a nasty place for young guys these days.
ReplyDeleteI add "I concur" to the original linked post.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. Case in point, bright male children who get bored in class. My grandson is one of these. He's the youngest in his class, reads years beyond what they are doing and is taking GT classes in math and science with kids three years older. Yet, he only gets B's in class because his teacher doesn't like the way he acts. How many other bright young male children are being similarly bullied? If he was female this would never fly. My oldest son was similar in that he read far beyond his years. He was reading To Build A Fire in fourth grade, but nearly failed Language Arts because he didn't like fantasy and fairy stories. 20 years later he still prefers non-fiction stories to fiction. We're told to be sensitive to special populations but I don't see anyone being sensitive to the needs of young males in our school. All I hear is rhetoric against them.
ReplyDelete