It would help if people would quit stereotyping, thinking that all boys are alike and all girls are alike. Individualism, not collectivism...isn’t that what true conservatism is all about? I’m tired of hearing that I’m supposed to vote for the candidate with the ‘D’ by their name just because I’m a woman.
Stereotypes are shortcuts most of us use to avoid having to think everything through all the time - so people won’t ever quit using them. Gender roles and stereotypes about behavior, like most stereotypes, are at least true enough in enough cases that we continue to use them. Of course, it would be helpful (as you note) if people were more alert to the variations in both women and men, and viewed the stereotypes as more rules of thumb (rebuttable presumptions if you will) than normative prescriptions.
Especially when the woman candidate with D by her name says ‘we have to do something about this cult of the individual’.
Sadly, we’ll keep right on hearing that message day in and day out. The left is in full propaganda mode and will be relentless. They think they see way clear now to achieve their four main goals. First is the the socialization of the country. Second is the destruction of a national identity. Third is the destruction of our ability to dominate the world economy. Fourth is the destruction of our military power.
The left suffered a set back with the Bush choices for the Supreme Court. But it has achieved another of its goals and that is to politicize education and dumb down the population.
What’s really disheartening is the large number of people who are clueless one way or the other. The other day I was speaking with an otherwise intelligent and college- educated co-worker about democrat presidential candidates. He told me he was partial to McCain. I asked him if he thought McCain was a democrate and he said yes. Then I asked him why he favored McCain. He was unable to cite one specific reason.
Conserveababe, we are in the wilderness right now. Our survival as a Republic is in doubt.
Yes. I found myself doing this the other day. I ran into a former friend’s nine year old daughter, and I asked her how she likes being a big sister (to a 1.5 year old brother). She sighed and said she didn’t like it because he is always throwing things at her, hitting her, yelling at her and screaming no all the time. Then, I slipped into the stereotype... I said, ‘That’s pretty normal for boys that age.’ But is it really??? In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that no, that behavior is not normal for a boy that age. After my silly statement, the girl said, ‘I wish I had a sister.’. LOL.