In gender wars, advocates for boys battle back

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...n/13348609.htm
In gender wars, advocates for boys battle back
BY RICK MONTGOMERY
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Even as the nation's parents, a decade ago, began taking
daughters to work for a day, the murmurs were the "What about the boys?"
Eventually, society's focus on the plight of girls stirred a backlash from
boys' advocates. Drawing little media attention at first, their arguments
gained both statistical strength and often uneasy support in a culture where
gender inequities have long made Americans defensive and edgy.

"We need to get beyond the gender wars," said Elena Silva, a research
director at the American Association for University Women. "Wanting both
boys and girls to succeed - we don't think that's a zero-sum game."

Many accuse Silva's group, however, of lighting the fuse by commissioning a
landmark 1993 report: "How Schools Shortchange Girls." It triggered waves of
teaching seminars and education grants to lift girls' spirits, grades and
career goals in traditionally male fields.

By decade's end, the report came under fire for its use of data -
overlooking girls' higher grades and college admissions while underreporting
the struggles of many boys. The American Association for University Women
also did not disclose poll results showing broad agreement among students of
both genders who thought girls enjoyed better treatment by teachers.

"What was so bizarre," said Joe Manthey, who now leads school programs for
boys in California, "is that it came out right at the time girls had
overtaken boys in almost every area.

"It was phony ... and it was harmful."

American Association for University Women spokeswoman Jean-Marie Navetta
said the harshest critics "seemed hell-bent on finding issues" but the
research accurately reflected troubles for girls at the time, "though now
we're seeing girls doing better and boys who are lagging."

The report helped raise awareness that "specific with each gender, there are
issues we need to address ... I don't know of any harm in that fact," she
said.

The rallying around girls swelled as the 1990s clicked on:

The Ms. Foundation for Women launched "Take Our Daughters to Work Day." More
than 10 million parents invited girls to explore the career world, leaving
sons to stew in class.

Psychologist Mary Pipher examined the dispirited teen girl in "Reviving
Ophelia," a top-selling book that still serves as scripture for parents
helping their daughters through the bumpy years of early adolescence.

Colleges and courts stepped up enforcement of Title IX, the 1972 federal
initiative to combat gender bias in schools. Advocates credited the U.S.
women's soccer victory in the 1999 World Cup to schools finally taking
girls' sports seriously.

The self-esteem of our daughters, of course, needed attention and still
does: As teens they attempt suicide more often than boys, although boys are
almost five times more likely to complete the task.

When it came to school, however, critics over time lined up to argue that
girls' struggles had been hyped by a leftist teaching establishment bent on
quelling overactive boys.

Author and culture critic Christina Hoff Summers looked back at the American
Association for University Women report and decreed it "The War Against
Boys," a blistering book excerpted for the cover of Atlantic Monthly in
2001. If many girls felt neglected in class, Summers noted, they were more
likely than boys to stick with the program - graduating at higher rates and
joining more advanced placement courses. They earned lower grades than boys
in physics but hardly any other course.

Today, Silva says, "Yes, boys are absolutely in trouble," along with girls.

Title IX faces its own battles. A coaches' group filed suit claiming the
federal provisions discriminate against men, as universities feel compelled
to cut wrestling and men's gymnastics.

As for "Take Our Daughters to Work," some groups dangled lawsuits in front
of public employers for favoring girls. The Ms. Foundation changed the title
three years ago to "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work."

Foundation president Sara K. Gould said her group has now placed boys on a
front burner - in hopes they will become more compassionate men and less
likely to assault women: "There needs to be a redefinition ... of what it
means to be a man."

Such talk gets gender warriors on the other side loading their muskets.

"When girls were thought to be hurting in schools, the approach was to
change the schools," said boys advocate Manthey. "When it's boys who are in
trouble, people say, `Change the boy.'"


--------------------------------------------------------------------
Liberalism: that haunting fear that someone,
somewhere, can help themselves without
Government intervention.

Dusty wrote:

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...n/13348609.htm

"When girls were thought to be hurting in schools, the approach was to
change the schools," said boys advocate Manthey. "When it's boys who are in
trouble, people say, `Change the boy.'"

Lets "change the girl" to be a non sexist entity who dies on average at
the same age as boys to men in defending freedom and their equal perks
without a helping hand from boys to men.

Daughter slaughter is the future for our girls assuming they want to
keep their equal rights, opps and status otherwise men will just have
to taketh away.

wrote in


Daughter slaughter is the future for our girls assuming they want to
keep their equal rights, opps and status otherwise men will just have
to taketh away.


Why don't we teach our children that no government is worth dyeing for?

In article ,
says...

wrote in


Daughter slaughter is the future for our girls assuming they want to
keep their equal rights, opps and status otherwise men will just have
to taketh away.


Why don't we teach our children that no government is worth dyeing for?



Well, if you're not going to dye for the government, the uniforms will
be pretty bland----that could hurt recruiting and result in fewer
deaths in the military! ;-)


Mark Borgerson

Dusty wrote:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...n/13348609.htm
In gender wars, advocates for boys battle back
BY RICK MONTGOMERY
KANSAS CITY, Mo.

(edit most of article)

"When girls were thought to be hurting in schools, the approach was to
change the schools," said boys advocate Manthey. "When it's boys who are in
trouble, people say, `Change the boy.'"

When girls were being shortchanged in schools, it was because of
discrimination against girls. They discovered that girls were not
getting as much teacher attention, time on computers and sports
funding. Boys are NOT facing discrimination. They have an equal
playing field in school already. So what special rights for boys are
you seeking?


--------------------------------------------------------------------
Liberalism: that haunting fear that someone,
somewhere, can help themselves without
Government intervention.

wrote:
Dusty wrote:

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...n/13348609.htm

(edit)


Daughter slaughter is the future for our girls assuming they want to
keep their equal rights, opps and status otherwise men will just have
to taketh away.

Men can't "take away" that which they don't own, and today's western
women have both law end guns to assure their equality.

Men have both as well and the will to use both especially against
menopausal nutcases like you!!

How can u say "Boys are NOT facing discrimination." and actually
believe it?

Girls can go to schools dressed as hookers with their boobs on display
(not to mention their panties) and if a boy notices these things (which
is normal for a heterosexual boy), he's automatically branded a
potential sexual predator. He's the one with the problem, not the
undressed girl. And why parents let their daughters dress so scantily
is another discussion altogether.

I have a normal active son. Boys don't sit around all the time and play
tea party. They like to run about and need more physical activity
because they have testosterone. It's a physiological fact. I removed my
son from a school because they didn't allow the kids access to a
playground, which is detrimental to girls but disastrous for boys. They
need to get rid of that energy by running around and climbing on the
monkey bars. I always look for high energy or strenous activities for
him, like hockey, soccer, football, swimming, running, etc.

It's amazing when you look at the stats about ritalin use and ADHD.
Boys are more likely to be diagnosed with the disorder and be
prescribed the drug. I'm lucky enough to have a great pediatrician who
tells me my son is a normal active boy who is STILL maturing. Other
parents aren't so fortunate to get good advice.

I'm not looking for special rights for him, but I will fight tooth and
nail against anyone who tries to undermine his learning because of his
sex.

Hockey Mom and loving it!!!


Hyerdahl wrote:
Dusty wrote:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...n/13348609.htm
In gender wars, advocates for boys battle back
BY RICK MONTGOMERY
KANSAS CITY, Mo.

(edit most of article)

"When girls were thought to be hurting in schools, the approach was to
change the schools," said boys advocate Manthey. "When it's boys who are in
trouble, people say, `Change the boy.'"

When girls were being shortchanged in schools, it was because of
discrimination against girls. They discovered that girls were not
getting as much teacher attention, time on computers and sports
funding. Boys are NOT facing discrimination. They have an equal
playing field in school already. So what special rights for boys are
you seeking?


--------------------------------------------------------------------
Liberalism: that haunting fear that someone,
somewhere, can help themselves without
Government intervention.

"Hyerdahl" wrote in message
oups.com...

Dusty wrote:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...n/13348609.htm
In gender wars, advocates for boys battle back
BY RICK MONTGOMERY
KANSAS CITY, Mo.

(edit most of article)

"When girls were thought to be hurting in schools, the approach was to
change the schools," said boys advocate Manthey. "When it's boys who are
in
trouble, people say, `Change the boy.'"

When girls were being shortchanged in schools, it was because of
discrimination against girls. They discovered that girls were not
getting as much teacher attention, time on computers and sports
funding. Boys are NOT facing discrimination.
===
Really? How many boys do you have on which to base this conclusion?
===

I seriously hope you don't need clarification about testosterone.

Just as I did, talk to doctors, counselors, and do your research. Or
better yet, go to your schools, especially middle and high, and see how
many boys are in special ed as opposed to boys. Let me tell you it is
rare that I meet parents of a boy who haven't been told that their son
needs ritalin or a similar drug.