Thursday, August 18, 2016
Do We Need to Change the Way We Raise Boys?
An interesting Room for Debate article I found was "Do We Need to Change the Way We Raise Boys?", which discussed gender norms. Boys have traditionally been taught from social standards to only participate in "masculine" activities or have "masculine" interests, and the same has been taught to girls . However, debaters think that the upcoming generation of kids are being raised to break gender norms (which I think is a great thing!). I feel like the current geneation still has hints of gender roles, but we are slowly but surely breaking away from them. One of the debaters, Kate Lombardi, explained how when parenting sons, it seems as if feminism is put to a halt and parents teach their sons that even the slightest bit of sexism is okay. She further explained that the reasoning behind this is because parents think their own sons as superior to others. I personally think that gender roles and sexism are flaws of our society that we can hopefully move past. There should be no such things as gender norms; boys and girls should have the right to enjoy hobbies they're interested in without being judged. It doesn't make very much sense to me that our society is so advanced, yet we can't wrap our heads around the idea of gender equality.
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Yeah I see what you're saying. It possible to think of different genders as different cultures. From early ages in school, boys hang out with boys and girls hang out with girls. It's not that no one told the kids to do this, it just happens. In doing this, from early ages different cultures between the genders have developed. This isn't a bad thing or a good thing, it is what it is. But yes, some "bad apples" can arise in boys that are elitist and sexist. I agree severe sexism is disappointing, but I am not too sure how this can be solved with the amount of freedom America gives its citizens.
ReplyDeleteBoys and girls have every right to follow whatever interests whatever they like. However, they do not and should not have the right to not be judged because that is thought policing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that boys are still raised to be even the slightest bit sexist. This is due to the fact that people want men to not be weak or show any signs of feminism or they will not be considered "manly". On the other hand, women are seen as delicate and not as strong as men. Many gender roles are seen everywhere. For example, I remember one story I was told of a girl who joined an all-male football team. She was often ridiculed by her teammates for being a girl, also thinking that she couldn't be as good as them. The moment of satisfaction comes when she actually becomes a better player than some of them. The point is, gender roles, in my opinion, limit a man's chances of seeing the abilities of women, and vice versa. What people should do is raise their children to know the principles of gender equality and the good treatment of all people.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, many boys are raised to show their masculinity and assert their dominance. Any sign of weakness or feminine characteristics is frowned upon and made fun of. I think that its great that gender roles are slowly becoming non-existent in today's society. People shouldn't have to feel limited or feel like they have to act a certain way because of their gender. With gender roles slowly diminishing, the way both men and women are treated in the work force will improve drastically.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with this, though things are beginning to change, parents have raised their children with the typical pink for girls and blue for boys. This creates a division between the two genders generating standards that are set for what is right for each gender to do. Likewise, it brings up the topic of sexism as many boys are raised to display their manliness through sports and games while girls are viewed as delicate flowers growing up. I think that this is a rising problem that should be dealt with.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you on this issue. Many children these days have been raised with gender norms that restrict them to participate in some activities. Kids are often afraid to participate in activities that are not common for their gender because they are scared that they wont 'fit in'. Parents often want their children to interact with kids of the same sex, so they will be like the rest of the kids. I think kids should be able to do whatever they want without being judged, for it is during their youth that expression and curiosity is at it's pinnacle. As we progress socially, gender boundaries should be broken by people. I feel like that would cause many kids and adolescents to be themselves and to embrace their personal qualities.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that a boy or man shouldn't have to act a certain way to fit in. It is good that boys and men are learning that they don't have to show off their masculinity to show that they are manly. I personally think that it is great that gender roles are slowly becoming nonexistent. Gender boundaries should be broken so that our future kids don't feel like they need to defend and prove there genders masculinity and dominance.
ReplyDeleteI agree that boys should understand that girls are different, but we shouldn't treat them different. It is going to be hard to teach them how to no use sexism. Lots of parents are used to the custom of the traditional women roles. It is going to be sorta of hard to push them to change. Overtime its should be more improvements.
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