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Men--It's in Their Nature
The American Enterprise ^ | Sept 2003 | Christina Hoff Sommers

Posted on 07/31/2003 6:16:54 AM PDT by Valin

This past spring, my son spent a month in Israel with his senior class. Only one activity disappointed him. While camping in the Negev Desert, special counselors from a progressive-socialist kibbutz paid a visit and led the students through a sensitivity exercise. The students were told to walk out into the desert until they were completely alone. The counselors (mostly American-born) supplied them with a pencil, paper, matches, and a candle and instructed them to absorb the quiet calm of the desert, to record their feelings, and to “find themselves.”

The girls happily complied. Most of the boys did not. They scattered into the desert, quickly became bored, and sought out each other’s company. Then they threw the pencils and paper into a pile, and used the candles and matches to start a little bonfire. The boys loved it; the sensitivity trainers were horrified. They viewed the boys’ behavior as an expression of primitive violence—a lethal masculinity straight from The Lord of the Flies. Later in the evening, the students sat in a circle while the girls read their impassioned reactions to the “haunting loneliness” of the desert; the boys could barely suppress laughter—confirming once again the worst fears of the sensitivity trainers.

Gender equity experts in America’s schools, universities, government agencies, and major women’s groups would share the distress of the kibbutz counselors, having spent more than a decade trying to resocialize boys away from “toxic masculinity.” In a great number of American schools, gender reformers have succeeded in expunging many activities that young boys enjoy: dodge ball, cops and robbers, reading or listening to stories about battles and war heroes. A daycare center in North Carolina was censured by the State Division of Child Development for letting boys play with two-inch green Army men. The division director described the toys as “potentially dangerous if children use them to act out violent themes.”

Activities deemed “safe” by the gender equity experts and the teachers they inspire include quilting, games without scores, and stories about brave girls and boys who learn to cry. The goal is to resocialize boys, freeing them from male stereotypes, and, ultimately, to promote genuine equality between the sexes—which for the reformers means sameness. But decades of research in neuroscience, endocrinology, genetics, and developmental psychology, strongly suggest that masculine traits are hard-wired. There are exceptions, but here are the rules:Males have better spatial reasoning skills, females better verbal skills. Males are greater risk-takers, females are more nurturing. Boys like action, competitive rough-housing, and inanimate objects, and they are the one group of Americans who do not spend a lot of time talking about their feelings.

Try as they may, parents, teachers, and gender facilitators have not been successful in rooting out male behavior they regard as harmful.An “equity facilitator” tried to persuade a group of nine-year-old boys in a Baltimore public school to accept the idea of playing with baby dolls. According to one observer, “Their reaction was so hostile, the teacher had trouble keeping order.” And then there was Jimmy. At age 11, this San Francisco sixth grader was made to contribute a square to a class quilt “celebrating women we admire.” He chose to honor tennis player Monica Seles who, in 1993, was stabbed on the court by a deranged fan of Steffi Graf. Jimmy handed in a muslin square festooned with a tennis racket and a bloody dagger. His square may be unique in the history of quilting, but his teacher did not appreciate its originality and rejected it.

American classrooms are full of Jimmys. Efforts to change boys like Jimmy or my son and his bonfire companions will be difficult if not impossible. Nature is obdurate on some matters.While environment and socialization do play a significant role, scientists are beginning to pinpoint the precise biological correlates to many typical gender differences. A 2001 special issue of Scientific American reviewed the growing

evidence that children’s play preferences are, in large part, hormonally determined. Researchers confirmed what parents experience all the time: Even with counter-conditioning, boys and girls gravitate toward very different toys. (See the article by Iain Murray on pages 34 and 35, which lays out some of the new scientific findings on sex differences.) The entire anthropological record offers not a single example of a society where females have better spatial reasoning skills and males better verbal skills, where females are fixated on objects and men on feelings, or where males are physically docile and females aggressive.

In the face of what we know, it is altogether unreasonable to deny the biological basis for distinctive male and female preferences and abilities. Does this mean biology is destiny? As anthropologist Lionel Tiger (who is part of the male symposium beginning on page 24) says, “biology is not destiny, but it is good statistical probability.” There is still room for equity. A fair and just society offers equality of opportunity to all. But it cannot promise, and should not try to enforce, sameness. The natural differences between men and women suggest there will never be mathematical parity in all fields; far more men than women will choose to be mechanics, engineers, or soldiers. Early childhood education, family medicine, and social work will continue to be dominated by women. Boys will prefer bonfires to diaries and any teacher who requires them to contribute squares to a quilt should brace herself for insensitive images of monsters, dangerous animals, and weaponry. The male tendency to be competitive, risk-loving, more narrowly focused, and less concerned with feelings has consequences in the real world. It could explain why there are more males at the extremes of success and failure: more male CEOs, more males in maximum security prisons.

Of course, boys’ natural masculinity must be tempered. Social theorist Hannah Arendt is believed to have said that every year civilization is invaded by millions of tiny barbarians—they are called children. All societies confront the problem of civilizing their children, particularly the male ones. History teaches that masculinity constrained by morality is powerful and constructive; it also teaches that masculinity without ethics is dangerous and destructive.

We have a set of proven social practices for raising young men. The traditional approach is through character education to develop a young man’s sense of honor and help him become a considerate, conscientious human being. Sociologists make an important distinction between pathological and healthy masculinity. Boys who exhibit aberrational masculinity define their manhood through anti-social and destructive acts; instead of protecting the vulnerable, they exploit them. Healthy masculinity is the opposite. Males who possess it—the vast majority of American boys and men—strive to be helpful and to achieve. They sublimate their natural aggression into sports, hobbies, and work. They build rather than destroy. And they do not exploit women and children, they protect them.

Efforts to civilize boys with honor codes, character education, manners, and rules of good sportsmanship are necessary and effective, and fully consistent with their masculine natures. Efforts to feminize them with dolls, quilts, non-competitive games, girl-centered books, and feelings exercises will fail; though they will succeed in making millions of boys quite unhappy. Dissident feminist Camille Paglia is one of the few scholars who values maleness: “Masculinity is aggressive, unstable, combustible. It is also the most creative cultural force in history. When I cross…any of America’s great bridges, I think—men have done this. Construction is a sublime male poetry.”

This sublime poetry has been unappreciated in American society for more than a quarter of a century. But that appears to be changing. The awesome display of masculine courage shown by the firefighters and policemen at Ground Zero, the heroic soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, the focused determination and exemplary leadership of President Bush,Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, and General Tommy Franks, have rekindled in Americans an appreciation for masculine virtues. Many courageous and even heroic women took part in all these endeavors. But fighting enemies and protecting the nation are overwhelmingly male projects.

The gender activists who fill our schools and government agencies will continue with their efforts to make boys more docile and emotional. But fewer and fewer Americans will support them. Maleness is back in fashion. And one reason is that Americans are increasingly aware that traditional male traits such as aggression, competitiveness, risk-taking and stoicism—constrained by virtues of valor, honor and self-sacrifice—are essential to the well-being and safety of our society.

Christina Hoff Sommers is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of Who Stole Feminism? and The War Against Boys.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News
KEYWORDS: christinahoffsommers; genderequity; waragainstboys
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To: holdmuhbeer
Metrosexual = Wussy pedicured not quite gay effeminate city dwelling "i don't know how to start a chainsaw" kinda semi-guys
41 posted on 07/31/2003 7:12:47 AM PDT by ctlpdad
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To: Valin

42 posted on 07/31/2003 7:15:03 AM PDT by Fiddlstix (Tag Lines Repaired While You Wait! Reasonable Prices! Fast Service!)
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To: ctlpdad
Metrosexual = Wussy pedicured not quite gay effeminate city dwelling "i don't know how to start a chainsaw" kinda semi-guys

Guys who are forever doomed to be just friends with all the women in their lives. Meanwhile, the women are dating the guys who own Harleys.

43 posted on 07/31/2003 7:15:41 AM PDT by Modernman
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To: scab4faa; All
"No, No, NO it's men are men and women are NUTS! LoL"


I want it noted for the record that this in no way represents the thoughts, feelings, or attitude of your humble servant.

I didn't reach 55 by walking into the lions den with a steak tied around my neck. :-)
44 posted on 07/31/2003 7:15:46 AM PDT by Valin (America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy.)
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To: holdmuhbeer
Maybe I'm ignorant but what is that?

Ditto.
I'm think that what we have here is a case of "ignorance is bliss". And I'm a happy man.
45 posted on 07/31/2003 7:17:57 AM PDT by Valin (America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy.)
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To: holdmuhbeer
Here's a thread on metrosexuals. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/929670/posts
46 posted on 07/31/2003 7:17:59 AM PDT by tnlibertarian
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To: Valin
Have you ever wondered why they are trying to resocialize the boys instead of the girls. It would seem to me that if you wanted "sameness" you would start at both ends and get rid of the extremes.
47 posted on 07/31/2003 7:19:56 AM PDT by Between the Lines
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To: holdmuhbeer
My boyfriend is like that...I still am trying to convert him to football! ;-D
48 posted on 07/31/2003 7:20:11 AM PDT by Ayn Rand wannabe (Veritas vos Liberabit)
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To: holdmuhbeer
If you reach down and grab yourself, and come up with a handful of nuthin', then you're a metro-sexual!
49 posted on 07/31/2003 7:20:24 AM PDT by old school
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To: holdmuhbeer
Not quite sure I could pick out all the positions in football either because I don't watch it...

Neither can I, but I don't particularly care what he thinks ;)

50 posted on 07/31/2003 7:21:20 AM PDT by Woahhs
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To: freedomlover
yep
51 posted on 07/31/2003 7:21:21 AM PDT by holdmuhbeer
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To: old school
Micheal Jackson?!?!
*Hand grab and high pitched "YeeeHeee!"*

Thanks, now I have that image stuck in my head!
52 posted on 07/31/2003 7:23:29 AM PDT by Darksheare ("I didn't say it wouldn't burn, I said it wouldn't hurt.")
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To: Valin
the sensitivity trainers were horrified.

Thats the part I like..

53 posted on 07/31/2003 7:27:33 AM PDT by cardinal4 (The Senate Armed Services Comm; the Chinese pipeline into US secrets)
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To: Valin
Sociologists make an important distinction between pathological and healthy masculinity. Boys who exhibit aberrational masculinity define their manhood through anti-social and destructive acts; instead of protecting the vulnerable, they exploit them.

The great irony in this is that the liberal / socialist / feminazi axis is willing to tolerate, excuse and defend such 'abberational masculinity' in its Democratic leadership.

54 posted on 07/31/2003 7:28:44 AM PDT by Noumenon (Anyone can see a forest fire. Skill lies in sniffing the first smoke. ---Robert Heinlein)
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To: Between the Lines
Have you ever wondered why they are trying to resocialize the boys instead of the girls. It would seem to me that if you wanted "sameness" you would start at both ends and get rid of the extremes.

Because the dirty little secret is they're trying to be diplomatic. They really consider the feminine "right by definition."

55 posted on 07/31/2003 7:29:13 AM PDT by Woahhs
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To: r9etb
Great story and hilarious.

56 posted on 07/31/2003 7:32:55 AM PDT by RJCogburn ("You have my thanks and, with certain reservations, my respect."......Lawyer J. Noble Daggett)
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To: Arkie2
LOL!!

Didn't see that yesterday. Thanks.
57 posted on 07/31/2003 7:34:11 AM PDT by RJCogburn ("You have my thanks and, with certain reservations, my respect."......Lawyer J. Noble Daggett)
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To: Valin
Dodgeball. Ah, great game. For about 3 years, after every Troop meeting the kids in my Troop played dodgeball for about 20 or 30 minutes before they went home. Then, one night, the Webelos Scouts came to visit, and brought their parents. Including the mothers. Said mothers freaked out when they saw the dodgeball game. "They throw the ball so hard! Someone will get hurt!" One of them started screaming at me. One kid did get hit in the head, but he wasn't in the game. His mom had kept him out because she though the game was too dangerous, so he was on the sidelines and was not watching the game. If he'd been in the game, he probably wouldn't have gotten hurt. So, the mothers put the word out that we had a dangerous, undisciplined Troop and I'm still having problems over it.

And what I want to know is, WHERE THE HELL ARE THE FATHERS ON THIS? Some of them were there! Why don't they tell their wives, "Cool it! The kids will be fine! Let them play." Drives me nuts. I've always got to pander to the mothers because half the fathers never say a word to them.

58 posted on 07/31/2003 7:38:07 AM PDT by RonF
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To: Arkie2
That was absolutely hilarious. If you've got any more of them, please post em and ping me.
59 posted on 07/31/2003 7:38:07 AM PDT by chriservative
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To: r9etb
There is no pigggier man than I--but I never let my son or daughter play with toy guns. Toys are toys; guns are guns. Guns are not toys. My children were taught to use and respect firearms from when they were little. They were also taught that there is no room for error when it comes to firearm safety and handling. It's never good enough to say after a tragic accident, "I'm sorry."

I was very proud of my son when we went to Disney World when he was around 10. We were in the gift shop by the OLD Pirates of the Caribbean ride (you know, when pirates still chased wenches and they still sold replica muzzleloaders as souvenirs). My son was holding a toy flintlock when a woman went walking by him. He reflexively raised the muzzle of that fake gun so the muzzle wouldn't point at the woman. He didn't even realize he'd done it, but he'd been taught never to point a gun at a person--unless you need to kill that person, of course. I'm sure if Saddam ever got within 300 yards of my son and his .270, Uday and Qusay would be reunited with their monstrous sire posthaste.

By the way, although I always encouraged my daughter to shoot and hunt, she just never took to it. OhMike
60 posted on 07/31/2003 7:38:56 AM PDT by OhMike
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