Posted on 05/29/2006 6:17:29 PM PDT by rhema
I n the romantic comedy "Failure to Launch," Matthew McConaughey plays a young man who is affable, intelligent, good-looking -- and completely unmotivated. He still lives at home and seems to have no ambitions beyond playing video games, hanging out with buddies and having sex. In desperation, his parents hire a professional motivation consultant, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, who pretends to fall in love with McConaughey's character to motivate him to grow up and get a life.
I was struck by how this theme matches what I see in my office with greater and greater frequency; a son goes off to college for a year or two, wastes thousands of dollars of his parents' money, then gets bored and comes back to live in his old room. Now he's working part time at Kinko's or part time at Starbucks.
It is a phenomenon that is getting a lot of media attention as part of the so-called "boy crisis" and one that cuts across all demographics -- rich, poor, black, white, urban and rural. According to the Census Bureau, one-third of young men ages 22 to 34 are still living at home with their parents -- a roughly 100 percent increase in the past 20 years. That is not true of young women. Why?
Before growing into unmotivated young adults, boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed with ADHD, be in remedial classes and become dropouts. Boys are now significantly less likely than girls to go to college.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
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As the authors of the NEA study observe: In 1980, students were commonly assigned books by Ernest Hemingway or John Steinbeck. Today, students are more likely to be assigned books by Toni Morrison or Julia Alvarez. But "For Whom the Bell Tolls" is a boy-friendly book in a way that "Beloved" is not.
During visits to predominantly African-American public schools around the nation, I've learned that many black boys would rather read "For Whom the Bell Tolls" -- a book without any major black characters -- than anything by Morrison.
I'm unmotivated at times and I love my video games, but I certainly never wanted to live with my parents about 3 days after I graduated High School.
Maybe it's just me. Of course I voluntarily went to Iraq as a civilian too :)
So much for that superior education.
This is happening because government run schools and Psycho doctors are drugging young boys into inactivity.
They are being taught by the leftist NOW loving trash in this country, that being male is wrong, and if you are a white male you are 3 times as wrong.
Past time for Dads to stand up and refute this crap, take their boys hunting, fishing, racing, whatever and counteract this BS they are being taught.
Getting them off of the drugs and letting them be Boys would help tremendously too.
Good article. God forbid that boys actually act like they've got testosterone running through their bodies.
As an aside, I've heard of Steinbeck and Hemingway. Who are those other authors? I would suspect that their books are the equivalent of chick flicks? No heterosexual boy is going to be interested in that.
Sure it offers a solution. Separating boys from girls in classrooms, right at the end. And giving them different curriculA too.
One co-worker of mine paid $60,000 to send her to college for four years. Then she got pregnant and he paid another $25,000 for a big wedding for her (she HAD to have the very best). A year later, she left her husband and went back home to daddy. Now he is supporting her and her kid.
I have two sons, no daughters, and I count my blessings every day.
"Boys who were once labeled "learning-disabled" became enthusiastic learners in all-boys classes where they were free to jump up and down, more consistent with their learning styles."
Did I miss out on something in my education? I don't remember jumping up and down in there as part of the learning process.... Should I sue?
Ditto. Every word you said.
Thanks to the feminazis, we're feminizing the boys and making the girls more masculine. Girls fighting in school is more frequent than ever before; when I went to school girls didn't even THINK about hitting each other.
Boys need to butt heads. It's that simple. Our feminized country doesn't permit that.
Steinbeck is an amazing writer. His books are not chick flicks. They are engaging, powerful, in times disturbing and well worth the read. You won't come away the same person. Try East of Eden or The Grapes of Wrath. I'm a heterosexual boy.
Yeah, but what is the plural of moose?
Anyone who thinks there are no differences between girls and boys is too damn stupid to be associated with children in any capacity.
I would believe that many of these young women:
A. Get married to a man who is motivated, has an income, a career, etc.
B. Are out working hard as all Americans should
For too long, we've assumed that by ignoring gender differences, we'd eliminate gender gaps. That hasn't worked. Now the challenge is to use our new understanding of boys and girls to broaden educational options, customize learning to individual children and move beyond the gender wars
What new understanding? And homogenizing the classroom is not a broader educational option, sorry.
no, you're obviously just gay. (jk)
But seriously, gaaaaaaaaah!
Well that about says it all right there.
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