Guest guest Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 " Think of two fictional icons of American boyhood, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. The Widow may have attempted to civilize them with starched collars and good table manners, but Mr. Gurian says, 'If Huck and Tom were alive today, they'd probably be diagnosed with a conduct disorder and put on Ritalin.' " http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-jac\ obs_25edi.ART.State.Edition1.77e763e.html or http://tinyurl.com/e8jut s: To be a Man After years of fighting the obvious and neutralizing gender differences, we need to give our boys permission ... 06:22 PM CST on Sunday, March 26, 2006 It's amusingly ironic: A " menaissance " is emerging from the belly of the politically correct beast. In a book recklessly titled Manliness, Harvard government prof Harvey Mansfield proposes rehabilitating the concept – not just the qualities of heroism, courage and assertiveness that the term implies, but their distinctly male incarnations. Manliness, Dr. Mansfield asserts, is confidence in the face of risk, the kind of brashness that made Harry Truman declare " the buck stops here " and propelled to face down the outlaw at high noon. He believes that manliness has lost its place in a society that denies the differences between the sexes and banishes gender-specific language. " To the extent that feminism recognizes gender differences at all, it presents them as bad, and as the fault of men, " he writes. Of course, the word is obsolete, except in the ironic sense. Think of the " manly man's man " skit on Saturday Night Live and its comedic antonym, the " girly man. " But the reality of " manliness " is still with us, Dr. Mansfield says. " Young men still pick fights, often with deadly weapons, " he writes. " What we suffer from today is a lack of intelligent criticism of manliness. " As the mother of a 16-year-old boy, I'm reading the book because I believe Dr. Mansfield is wrestling, philosophically, with a question that has pragmatic implications for our boys. Raising one boy and one girl, it's obvious to me that the idea that boys and girls are the " same " (except for their equipment) is patently idiotic. I cherish my son's abundant " boy energy. " Despite a year of indoctrination in women's studies in college, I found I didn't have the stomach to fashion him into a tamely sensitized male. That would deny the essence of who he is. I love him in part because he's a boy, not in spite of it. In his book, The Minds of Boys, Gurian points out that boys get the majority of D's and F's in most schools – in some, as high as 70 percent. Boys make up 80 percent of our discipline problems. Over 80 percent of schoolchildren on Ritalin or similar drugs are boys. Of high school dropouts, the majority are young males. And young men now make up less than 40 percent of our college population. Mr. Gurian links these difficulties to our schools' inability to handle boys' natural physical aggressiveness and to teach boys in light of the ways their brains work so differently from girls'. Mr. Gurian asks: " The question becomes, should we keep trying to change our boys, or should we change the educational system in which they are now taught? " What that really boils down to is our culture's view of manliness. If we're stuck in a pathologized understanding of manliness – if we can't even say the word with a straight face – then how can we manage its youthful equivalent in healthy ways? Women have always attempted to rein in boys' reckless impulses, Mr. Gurian says, but feminism made maleness inherently defective. Think of two fictional icons of American boyhood, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. The Widow may have attempted to civilize them with starched collars and good table manners, but Mr. Gurian says, " If Huck and Tom were alive today, they'd probably be diagnosed with a conduct disorder and put on Ritalin. " Mr. Gurian believes the feminist notions that inform our educational system help girls – a good thing – but hurt boys. The idea that differences between boys and girls can be neutralized with the right socialization was an experiment worth trying – but it didn't work. " We can't just teach boys how to be adults, " he says. " We have to teach them how to be men. " Encouraging boys to be more sensitive and to express their feelings is fine, but it won't teach boys how to channel their aggressive " boy energy, " and it won't keep them from acting out violently. In fact, Mr. Gurian adds, " The idea that making boys more feminine will solve the problem of male violence is exactly wrong. " Boys need mentors and male kinship systems that keep violent impulses in check. Someone who's doing that with great success is inner-city football coach Joe Ehrmann, a former star of the Baltimore Colts who has achieved extraordinary results, on and off the field. Mr. Ehrmann talks to his boys about what it means to be a man: a person who pursues courageously a cause that's bigger than himself. As I was interviewing him, Mr. Ehrmann made a remark I'll never forget: " Any boy that's willing to pick up a helmet and shoulder pads in August – that's heroic. They ought to be affirmed for that. " Before my son was born, I might've disdained that kind of " heroism " ; now Mr. Ehrmann's comment moves me deeply. I look at my own son – a football player, despite my best efforts – and wonder, " What is this amazing drive that makes him choose to get up early on summer mornings to spend hours in the punishing heat, getting yelled at by coaches and pummeled by teammates? " I think it's young manliness – an instinct to take risks, to test his courage and make his mark in the world. Instead of disdaining that, we ought to seek to understand it and offer more ways for boys to channel it positively. But first we have to be clear that maleness isn't a pathology that needs to be medicated, and that testosterone isn't a poison that fuels all of the world's ills. We need to love our boys in all their boyness, not in spite of it. s is a Dallas freelance writer. Her e-mail address is mary jacobs44@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 " Think of two fictional icons of American boyhood, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. The Widow may have attempted to civilize them with starched collars and good table manners, but Mr. Gurian says, 'If Huck and Tom were alive today, they'd probably be diagnosed with a conduct disorder and put on Ritalin.' " http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-jac\ obs_25edi.ART.State.Edition1.77e763e.html or http://tinyurl.com/e8jut s: To be a Man After years of fighting the obvious and neutralizing gender differences, we need to give our boys permission ... 06:22 PM CST on Sunday, March 26, 2006 It's amusingly ironic: A " menaissance " is emerging from the belly of the politically correct beast. In a book recklessly titled Manliness, Harvard government prof Harvey Mansfield proposes rehabilitating the concept – not just the qualities of heroism, courage and assertiveness that the term implies, but their distinctly male incarnations. Manliness, Dr. Mansfield asserts, is confidence in the face of risk, the kind of brashness that made Harry Truman declare " the buck stops here " and propelled to face down the outlaw at high noon. He believes that manliness has lost its place in a society that denies the differences between the sexes and banishes gender-specific language. " To the extent that feminism recognizes gender differences at all, it presents them as bad, and as the fault of men, " he writes. Of course, the word is obsolete, except in the ironic sense. Think of the " manly man's man " skit on Saturday Night Live and its comedic antonym, the " girly man. " But the reality of " manliness " is still with us, Dr. Mansfield says. " Young men still pick fights, often with deadly weapons, " he writes. " What we suffer from today is a lack of intelligent criticism of manliness. " As the mother of a 16-year-old boy, I'm reading the book because I believe Dr. Mansfield is wrestling, philosophically, with a question that has pragmatic implications for our boys. Raising one boy and one girl, it's obvious to me that the idea that boys and girls are the " same " (except for their equipment) is patently idiotic. I cherish my son's abundant " boy energy. " Despite a year of indoctrination in women's studies in college, I found I didn't have the stomach to fashion him into a tamely sensitized male. That would deny the essence of who he is. I love him in part because he's a boy, not in spite of it. In his book, The Minds of Boys, Gurian points out that boys get the majority of D's and F's in most schools – in some, as high as 70 percent. Boys make up 80 percent of our discipline problems. Over 80 percent of schoolchildren on Ritalin or similar drugs are boys. Of high school dropouts, the majority are young males. And young men now make up less than 40 percent of our college population. Mr. Gurian links these difficulties to our schools' inability to handle boys' natural physical aggressiveness and to teach boys in light of the ways their brains work so differently from girls'. Mr. Gurian asks: " The question becomes, should we keep trying to change our boys, or should we change the educational system in which they are now taught? " What that really boils down to is our culture's view of manliness. If we're stuck in a pathologized understanding of manliness – if we can't even say the word with a straight face – then how can we manage its youthful equivalent in healthy ways? Women have always attempted to rein in boys' reckless impulses, Mr. Gurian says, but feminism made maleness inherently defective. Think of two fictional icons of American boyhood, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. The Widow may have attempted to civilize them with starched collars and good table manners, but Mr. Gurian says, " If Huck and Tom were alive today, they'd probably be diagnosed with a conduct disorder and put on Ritalin. " Mr. Gurian believes the feminist notions that inform our educational system help girls – a good thing – but hurt boys. The idea that differences between boys and girls can be neutralized with the right socialization was an experiment worth trying – but it didn't work. " We can't just teach boys how to be adults, " he says. " We have to teach them how to be men. " Encouraging boys to be more sensitive and to express their feelings is fine, but it won't teach boys how to channel their aggressive " boy energy, " and it won't keep them from acting out violently. In fact, Mr. Gurian adds, " The idea that making boys more feminine will solve the problem of male violence is exactly wrong. " Boys need mentors and male kinship systems that keep violent impulses in check. Someone who's doing that with great success is inner-city football coach Joe Ehrmann, a former star of the Baltimore Colts who has achieved extraordinary results, on and off the field. Mr. Ehrmann talks to his boys about what it means to be a man: a person who pursues courageously a cause that's bigger than himself. As I was interviewing him, Mr. Ehrmann made a remark I'll never forget: " Any boy that's willing to pick up a helmet and shoulder pads in August – that's heroic. They ought to be affirmed for that. " Before my son was born, I might've disdained that kind of " heroism " ; now Mr. Ehrmann's comment moves me deeply. I look at my own son – a football player, despite my best efforts – and wonder, " What is this amazing drive that makes him choose to get up early on summer mornings to spend hours in the punishing heat, getting yelled at by coaches and pummeled by teammates? " I think it's young manliness – an instinct to take risks, to test his courage and make his mark in the world. Instead of disdaining that, we ought to seek to understand it and offer more ways for boys to channel it positively. But first we have to be clear that maleness isn't a pathology that needs to be medicated, and that testosterone isn't a poison that fuels all of the world's ills. We need to love our boys in all their boyness, not in spite of it. s is a Dallas freelance writer. Her e-mail address is mary jacobs44@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 " Think of two fictional icons of American boyhood, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. The Widow may have attempted to civilize them with starched collars and good table manners, but Mr. Gurian says, 'If Huck and Tom were alive today, they'd probably be diagnosed with a conduct disorder and put on Ritalin.' " http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-jac\ obs_25edi.ART.State.Edition1.77e763e.html or http://tinyurl.com/e8jut s: To be a Man After years of fighting the obvious and neutralizing gender differences, we need to give our boys permission ... 06:22 PM CST on Sunday, March 26, 2006 It's amusingly ironic: A " menaissance " is emerging from the belly of the politically correct beast. In a book recklessly titled Manliness, Harvard government prof Harvey Mansfield proposes rehabilitating the concept – not just the qualities of heroism, courage and assertiveness that the term implies, but their distinctly male incarnations. Manliness, Dr. Mansfield asserts, is confidence in the face of risk, the kind of brashness that made Harry Truman declare " the buck stops here " and propelled to face down the outlaw at high noon. He believes that manliness has lost its place in a society that denies the differences between the sexes and banishes gender-specific language. " To the extent that feminism recognizes gender differences at all, it presents them as bad, and as the fault of men, " he writes. Of course, the word is obsolete, except in the ironic sense. Think of the " manly man's man " skit on Saturday Night Live and its comedic antonym, the " girly man. " But the reality of " manliness " is still with us, Dr. Mansfield says. " Young men still pick fights, often with deadly weapons, " he writes. " What we suffer from today is a lack of intelligent criticism of manliness. " As the mother of a 16-year-old boy, I'm reading the book because I believe Dr. Mansfield is wrestling, philosophically, with a question that has pragmatic implications for our boys. Raising one boy and one girl, it's obvious to me that the idea that boys and girls are the " same " (except for their equipment) is patently idiotic. I cherish my son's abundant " boy energy. " Despite a year of indoctrination in women's studies in college, I found I didn't have the stomach to fashion him into a tamely sensitized male. That would deny the essence of who he is. I love him in part because he's a boy, not in spite of it. In his book, The Minds of Boys, Gurian points out that boys get the majority of D's and F's in most schools – in some, as high as 70 percent. Boys make up 80 percent of our discipline problems. Over 80 percent of schoolchildren on Ritalin or similar drugs are boys. Of high school dropouts, the majority are young males. And young men now make up less than 40 percent of our college population. Mr. Gurian links these difficulties to our schools' inability to handle boys' natural physical aggressiveness and to teach boys in light of the ways their brains work so differently from girls'. Mr. Gurian asks: " The question becomes, should we keep trying to change our boys, or should we change the educational system in which they are now taught? " What that really boils down to is our culture's view of manliness. If we're stuck in a pathologized understanding of manliness – if we can't even say the word with a straight face – then how can we manage its youthful equivalent in healthy ways? Women have always attempted to rein in boys' reckless impulses, Mr. Gurian says, but feminism made maleness inherently defective. Think of two fictional icons of American boyhood, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. The Widow may have attempted to civilize them with starched collars and good table manners, but Mr. Gurian says, " If Huck and Tom were alive today, they'd probably be diagnosed with a conduct disorder and put on Ritalin. " Mr. Gurian believes the feminist notions that inform our educational system help girls – a good thing – but hurt boys. The idea that differences between boys and girls can be neutralized with the right socialization was an experiment worth trying – but it didn't work. " We can't just teach boys how to be adults, " he says. " We have to teach them how to be men. " Encouraging boys to be more sensitive and to express their feelings is fine, but it won't teach boys how to channel their aggressive " boy energy, " and it won't keep them from acting out violently. In fact, Mr. Gurian adds, " The idea that making boys more feminine will solve the problem of male violence is exactly wrong. " Boys need mentors and male kinship systems that keep violent impulses in check. Someone who's doing that with great success is inner-city football coach Joe Ehrmann, a former star of the Baltimore Colts who has achieved extraordinary results, on and off the field. Mr. Ehrmann talks to his boys about what it means to be a man: a person who pursues courageously a cause that's bigger than himself. As I was interviewing him, Mr. Ehrmann made a remark I'll never forget: " Any boy that's willing to pick up a helmet and shoulder pads in August – that's heroic. They ought to be affirmed for that. " Before my son was born, I might've disdained that kind of " heroism " ; now Mr. Ehrmann's comment moves me deeply. I look at my own son – a football player, despite my best efforts – and wonder, " What is this amazing drive that makes him choose to get up early on summer mornings to spend hours in the punishing heat, getting yelled at by coaches and pummeled by teammates? " I think it's young manliness – an instinct to take risks, to test his courage and make his mark in the world. Instead of disdaining that, we ought to seek to understand it and offer more ways for boys to channel it positively. But first we have to be clear that maleness isn't a pathology that needs to be medicated, and that testosterone isn't a poison that fuels all of the world's ills. We need to love our boys in all their boyness, not in spite of it. s is a Dallas freelance writer. Her e-mail address is mary jacobs44@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 " Think of two fictional icons of American boyhood, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. The Widow may have attempted to civilize them with starched collars and good table manners, but Mr. Gurian says, 'If Huck and Tom were alive today, they'd probably be diagnosed with a conduct disorder and put on Ritalin.' " http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-jac\ obs_25edi.ART.State.Edition1.77e763e.html or http://tinyurl.com/e8jut s: To be a Man After years of fighting the obvious and neutralizing gender differences, we need to give our boys permission ... 06:22 PM CST on Sunday, March 26, 2006 It's amusingly ironic: A " menaissance " is emerging from the belly of the politically correct beast. In a book recklessly titled Manliness, Harvard government prof Harvey Mansfield proposes rehabilitating the concept – not just the qualities of heroism, courage and assertiveness that the term implies, but their distinctly male incarnations. Manliness, Dr. Mansfield asserts, is confidence in the face of risk, the kind of brashness that made Harry Truman declare " the buck stops here " and propelled to face down the outlaw at high noon. He believes that manliness has lost its place in a society that denies the differences between the sexes and banishes gender-specific language. " To the extent that feminism recognizes gender differences at all, it presents them as bad, and as the fault of men, " he writes. Of course, the word is obsolete, except in the ironic sense. Think of the " manly man's man " skit on Saturday Night Live and its comedic antonym, the " girly man. " But the reality of " manliness " is still with us, Dr. Mansfield says. " Young men still pick fights, often with deadly weapons, " he writes. " What we suffer from today is a lack of intelligent criticism of manliness. " As the mother of a 16-year-old boy, I'm reading the book because I believe Dr. Mansfield is wrestling, philosophically, with a question that has pragmatic implications for our boys. Raising one boy and one girl, it's obvious to me that the idea that boys and girls are the " same " (except for their equipment) is patently idiotic. I cherish my son's abundant " boy energy. " Despite a year of indoctrination in women's studies in college, I found I didn't have the stomach to fashion him into a tamely sensitized male. That would deny the essence of who he is. I love him in part because he's a boy, not in spite of it. In his book, The Minds of Boys, Gurian points out that boys get the majority of D's and F's in most schools – in some, as high as 70 percent. Boys make up 80 percent of our discipline problems. Over 80 percent of schoolchildren on Ritalin or similar drugs are boys. Of high school dropouts, the majority are young males. And young men now make up less than 40 percent of our college population. Mr. Gurian links these difficulties to our schools' inability to handle boys' natural physical aggressiveness and to teach boys in light of the ways their brains work so differently from girls'. Mr. Gurian asks: " The question becomes, should we keep trying to change our boys, or should we change the educational system in which they are now taught? " What that really boils down to is our culture's view of manliness. If we're stuck in a pathologized understanding of manliness – if we can't even say the word with a straight face – then how can we manage its youthful equivalent in healthy ways? Women have always attempted to rein in boys' reckless impulses, Mr. Gurian says, but feminism made maleness inherently defective. Think of two fictional icons of American boyhood, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. The Widow may have attempted to civilize them with starched collars and good table manners, but Mr. Gurian says, " If Huck and Tom were alive today, they'd probably be diagnosed with a conduct disorder and put on Ritalin. " Mr. Gurian believes the feminist notions that inform our educational system help girls – a good thing – but hurt boys. The idea that differences between boys and girls can be neutralized with the right socialization was an experiment worth trying – but it didn't work. " We can't just teach boys how to be adults, " he says. " We have to teach them how to be men. " Encouraging boys to be more sensitive and to express their feelings is fine, but it won't teach boys how to channel their aggressive " boy energy, " and it won't keep them from acting out violently. In fact, Mr. Gurian adds, " The idea that making boys more feminine will solve the problem of male violence is exactly wrong. " Boys need mentors and male kinship systems that keep violent impulses in check. Someone who's doing that with great success is inner-city football coach Joe Ehrmann, a former star of the Baltimore Colts who has achieved extraordinary results, on and off the field. Mr. Ehrmann talks to his boys about what it means to be a man: a person who pursues courageously a cause that's bigger than himself. As I was interviewing him, Mr. Ehrmann made a remark I'll never forget: " Any boy that's willing to pick up a helmet and shoulder pads in August – that's heroic. They ought to be affirmed for that. " Before my son was born, I might've disdained that kind of " heroism " ; now Mr. Ehrmann's comment moves me deeply. I look at my own son – a football player, despite my best efforts – and wonder, " What is this amazing drive that makes him choose to get up early on summer mornings to spend hours in the punishing heat, getting yelled at by coaches and pummeled by teammates? " I think it's young manliness – an instinct to take risks, to test his courage and make his mark in the world. Instead of disdaining that, we ought to seek to understand it and offer more ways for boys to channel it positively. But first we have to be clear that maleness isn't a pathology that needs to be medicated, and that testosterone isn't a poison that fuels all of the world's ills. We need to love our boys in all their boyness, not in spite of it. s is a Dallas freelance writer. Her e-mail address is mary jacobs44@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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