That's What Little Boys Are Made Of - The false wisdom of a "dangerous" book [semi-barf]

Reason Magazine ^ | June 18, 2007 | Cathy Young

[joebuck]

"Thus, Rush Limbaugh has praised The Dangerous Book... in an rambling rant against "feminazis..."

If you are going on a pseudo-intellectal rant in a pompous magazine it makes sense to use proper grammar.

[AU72]

Cathy Young is the other ‘house conservative columnist’ for the Boston Globe.

[TChris]

On blogs and Internet forums, readers complaining about the book's exclusionary message have been dismissed as angry feminist whiners; a standard rejoinder is that no one is stopping girls from reading it if they want. Yet my friend Dana, a graduate student who holds no brief for angry feminism or political correctness, shares the concerns about the gender-specific focus of The Dangerous Book. "I would have loved this book as a kid, and it really bugs me how people are saying 'this is such a great book for boys, and it's so wonderful that it's aimed at boys,'" she says. "Where is the book for girls who did stuff like make their own chain mail as kids, or cracked rocks with sledgehammers in the driveway both to see what was inside them and to see if you could get sparks?" Dana is not convinced by the argument that girls can read the book too, given that it is geared so explicitly to boys. Indeed, the message to girls seems to be either "This stuff is not for you" or "You can enjoy this cool stuff if you want to be like the boys."

Yes, there are girls like this. There are also some boys who prefer painting and flowers and birdwatching.

That's all just fine. Really.

Nevertheless, this book was written for the overwhelming majority of boys, and reaffirms the general differences between boys and girls.

Individual anecdotes to the contrary mean precisely nothing in the context of the Big Picture. Boys and girls are inherently, incontestably and irrevocably different.

[Alkhin]

I think its great there are authors out there who are coming out swinging on getting our society to encourage boys to be who they were made to be. And girls who like to do the same things are exceptions not the rule...and thus, as someone who hates the screeching feminazis (as much for their hatred of men...I LOVE LOVE LOVE MEN...as I despise their truly destructive tyranny against other women)...I *did* wonder if there was going to be a book written by a woman who despises the feminazi movement enough to write book telling GIRLS its okay to be what they were made to be too.

Growing up, I read all my parents old Cub Scout/Girl Scout books...found old instruction books that my grandparents had...time after time, I was only interested in what was said about the girls. I was never interested in doing what the boys were interested in doing...although it did seem like their activities were geared toward more outdoor fun and getting out and doing things, while all the girls were unrelentingly stuck in the house. I dont think that girls should invade a book like "Dangerous" - I just dont think girls should be told who and what they are by default...does that make sense? Girls need to be active too, because one day the guys are gonna be interested in the girls, and wouldnt it be great if they had similar interests/experiences they could share?

[Right Wing Assault]

Ah, yes, I made it through intact, too. Good chapters.

Another chapter you reminded me of:

“How to make a lot of money trick-or-treating in bars”

The drunk guys would give us money. We picked up a few $5 bills and this was 45 years ago.

[super7man]

Yup, 45 years ago. Great times.

[Right Wing Assault]

Five years after the original thread:

“How to run across a busy street without looking and not get hit”

“How to run away from irate drivers who nearly hit you”