Posted on 08/17/2013 2:30:05 AM PDT by Olog-hai
More boys are dreaming of becoming dancers than firefighters or policemen, as reality shows such as Britain’s Got Talent and Strictly Come Dancing trigger a cultural shift.
A survey found dancing was the third most popular career choice of boys aged between two and 12—just behind doctor in first place and footballers in second. More boys—8 percent—want to be dancers than girls—5 percent.
Some 7 percent of girls would rather be a footballer than pursue a more traditional female career, such as a nursing.
The research by Mothercare and Save the Children shows the impression left on the kids of today by the success of dance troupes such as Diversity, which sprang to fame on Britain’s Got Talent. …
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I can hear the conversation now.
Private to General-General, sir, the enemy are breaking through the western defense.
General to private-Ok, enough with the tap dancing, time to break out the ballet slippers.
An invading country’s dream.
Because on Disney shows, dancers get chicks.
Firemen are just bumbling dumbbells.
Cheers. You're raising him right.
I wanted to put our extremely active son in tumbling classes, and the only classes around here are at dance and cheering studios. All I wanted was for him to burn off energy during organized play and work on his coordination. Plus he’s very strong, double jointed, and ambidextrous. Yes, my husband already has stars in his eyes about the next great Major League pitcher lol! Anyway, all of the programs around here require their students to perform in programs a couple of times a year, with which costuming and photography fees are required! Not only is the pageant requirement unsuitable for our daughter, but I’m not jamming my son into a dance costume and letting him prance all over a stage. Not happening!
How many men would dance it there were no women involved?
He just wants to dance!
I got the feeling the reviewers would love for most boys to learn how to dance, arrange flowers, choose the right wine, and coordinate their clothes much more than playing sports, hunting, learning to defend themselves, or getting a typically male-oriented job where they'd get their hands dirty. I'd much prefer boys to have the latter experiences and leave the wine-tasting and flower arranging for another time. Maybe never with the flower arranging.
That’s “Billy Elliot” and not Bill Elliot.
What of ours? Or Japan's, Germany's, Russia's and the rest of the world's?
How does such traumatic war and such loss change the direction of a nation or of the world? That was a lot young male energy suddenly removed from our humanity equation and replaced with damage, loss and emotional pain.
Moreover, what if there is no real peace afterwards, but instead a steady, near perpetual condition of being on alert and fighting a cold war and many small hot wars?
I think of how people recover or don't recover from major trauma and loss and believe that nations, being made of people, likely have similar paths and patterns to recovery or recovery interrupted.
The road is still less traveled.
Or a Cyborg. Or a tank.
Fighter pilot.
“My 4-year-old wants to be a fire-breathing dragon.”
Heck, I want to be a fire breathing dragon.
It started during The Great War.
When you have 10,000+ men killed every day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, for over four years, it takes a toll, especially considering that those killed are generally among those willing to risk all in defense of their homeland; the weak and otherwise less-robust avoid the war.
And hairdressers.
In the end, art always wins!
I doubt my boys ever discussed it at age 2—One of my sons did have a very early interest in the Air Force, and he joined up after he finished college. He was a Lieutenant there for one hitch. He was a navigator on some 2 man plane—can’t remember which one. His eyesight kept him from being a pilot.
As I remember, astronaut (I loved watching the Apollo launches) , Train engineer , fisherman and airline pilot all at various times during grammar school LOL. Boys who admitted to liking dancing usually ended up getting beat up and chased home, at least where I grew up in the early 70s.
This is every reason to be THE FIREMAN!!! Phil Phister, South Charleston Fire Department.
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