Posted on 05/07/2013 12:47:29 PM PDT by BruceDeitrickPrice
Four years ago, psychologist Leonard Sax (MD, PhD) wrote a well-received book titled Boys Adrift. The doctor tried to answer the question, why have so many young males fallen into passivity and indifference?
Dr. Sax had heard more and more parents complain that their boys stayed indoors most of the time, spent hours on video games, and in general seemed to lack the confidence and esprit de corps that had characterized boys throughout history.
Something scary is happening to boys today, Sax concluded. From kindergarten to college, American boys are, on average, less resilient and less ambitious than they were a mere twenty years ago. The gender gap in college attendance and graduation rates has widened dramatically.
The books full title is, Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men. Sax lists the five factors right on the cover: video games, teaching methods, prescription drugs, environmental toxins, devaluation of masculinity.
Its worrisome that he seems to like them all. That might be a clue that he has not solved this mystery. Indeed, lets consider the possibility that none of these theories is the deep answer we want. Lets start from scratch and consider the things we know for sure.
First of all, critics have often noted that schools seem organized more for girls than for boys. Most boys do not want to be confined to a desk; they would rather be outside playing and competing. Second, not only are boys kept passively inside, they are forced to deal almost the entire day with reading, writing, and arithmetic, probably not their own first choices.
But these factors are historically common. Boys have always been restless at their desks. They have often stared out the window and daydreamed...
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Exactly. “War Against Boys” is one of the most insightful books I’ve ever read.
Women are natural socialists and abhor the thought of rugged individualism.
Because women are well organized by feminists who hate men.
Pray for America to Wake Up
“Women are natural socialists and abhor the thought of rugged individualism.”
Not all of us. I’m on FR aren’t I?
You aren’t an old fart who mis-remembers (and I don’t even know you personally, muir_redwoods...
Many of the things that boys were suited for and that prepared them for manhood have been discouraged in society.
Kids aren’t encouraged to go out and play on their own with other kids. It seems like every hour of the day has to be scripted from front to back so there is no time for them to be “boys”.
Being in the Boy Scouts is now looked down on, as belonging to a homophobic organization. And the Boy Scouting that remains is going to be changed very soon.
Tackle football is going to be eventually made unavailable for boys at any level, because girls can’t compete in it, and you can actually hurt yourself playing it via broken bones or concussions.
Soccer is the game of choice, because all kids can play.
In my day, if a kid filled something up with match heads to try and make a firecracker, most adults would roll their eyes. Now they are viewed as fledgling terrorists.
In school, if you act even the least bit rambunctious, they fill you with Ritalin or funnel you into a special class.
I don’t have kids. If I did, I would never let them watch television. I would make a deal with them. You want to get a pilot’s license? Skydive? Scuba? Mountain climb? You name it, you can do it if you really want to, but you cannot watch television.
The portrayal of masculine men as idiots, and the glorification of pussies, if not outright teenage homosexuality as the ideal is appalling to me.
It isn’t just you. Things have changed.
What happened?
Beta male politicians discovered appeasing the numerically superior female vote was their ticket to power.
Simple as that.
People will have to stop the TV and movies etc. from setting the standards of decency for them. Women are not ladies and men have been warned for the most part to fear being a gentleman. Opening a door or giving an honest complement can get you in trouble nowadays. I’m a 57 year old female and I honestly still cannot get over women wearing pants in church. The standards have sunk so low for both men and women.
Men/fathers who capitulated while the feminists and the biased school system ran roughshod over them.
That sums it up better than a thousand "studies".
Open it, get it playing and then open another page and keep reading FR.
What? Do you expect Men/Fathers to revolt because they didn't like the results of a fair election?
It boils down to greed. Men for the most part owned those publishing houses that allowed the feminist hags to write those articles for the “ladies magazines” promoting all the stay at home types were losers and unfulfilled.
“econd, not only are boys kept passively inside, they are forced to deal almost the entire day with reading, writing, and arithmetic, probably not their own first choices. “
Wait just a minute. I thought boys were always better in math or science than girls. Now they are telling me boys don’t want to do that? I don’t buy it. If they are not interested then I have a feeling it is because they are not actually learning math or science.
“Im a 57 year old female and I honestly still cannot get over women wearing pants in church.”
I have no problem with females wearing pants in church as long as they are dress pants and clean. Jeans for women or men in church is not okay, as I have seen both.
I really don’t mind it seeing that with some that is all they have. So as long as they are clean and modest I don’t care.
where they supposed to spike books that had a clear market?
Stop trying to figure a way to blame men for things women have inflicted on our culture.
I’m not blaming all men as a whole. But it was allowed. Just as today the media would have you believe that 80% of America is queer. Back in the 60s when the feminist rags really started , they would have you believe 80% of men were wife beaters. It is allowed.
You've never had to go into "family" court with the boat anchor or a Y chromosome around your neck, I take it. Hey, maybe all those guys will man-up, ignore what the man in the long black dress tells him he is allowed to do, ignores the guys with the fine hats and badges who will beat, cage and/or shoot him if he persists in disobeying the judge. Is that the kind of backbone you're waiting to see?
Are you saying men should just cave in to everything that is done to their sons, on the assumption that they can't do anything about it anyway because women make up the majority of the voters?
Here's what an MRA said about this.
Time for Some Male Bashing of Our Own
He agrees. "You" do take it.
Our boys are rather masculine. Must be their dad’s influence.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.