A post over at my friends' blog, Below the Belt, about a Christian men's group that attempts to address "masculine" issues prompted me to post today.
The men's group was, on some level, criticizing women for repressing them. They were using a variation of the argument I can't stand, Boys Will Be Boys. I'm sure there is tons written up about this particular subject, but I'd like to know what you, readers, think as well.
I think a lot of how boys and girls/men and women behave is due to socialization, but in my gender studies, I have seen enough to concede that there are some sex differences in behavior between boys and girls. However, this "bwbb" argument oversimplifies it. It is often used to justify violent or sexist behavior, defining those behaviors or preferences as "masculine." Not only is this dangerous, it is often just untrue.
Thoughts?
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2 comments:
Actually, I don't think that you read any of the GodMen website or watched any of the interviews of their founder.
They do not encourage "boys will be boys."
From their website -
"We also recognize that we live in a fallen world where our maleness gets out of control and is out of synch with God's perfect design. We challenge and encourage men to transform these areas of their lives. But this instruction is most effective when it is done by men for men."
And they do not blame women for repressing them, instead they want masculinity to be as welcome and free to express in the church as femininity.
They want men to address issues that affect men in frank terms and without worrying about condemnation.
No where is the idea of "boys will be boys" even mentioned. Next time please read a little about a group before criticizing it.
Check it out for yourself.
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2953525
Anon: you are correct, I haven't read any of the GodMen website--but my post was not about the organization. It says clearly in my post that I was responding to the ideas of the writer at Below the Belt, which prompted me to think about a related topic--"BWBB." I'm surprised that someone who supports that organization somehow found their way to my blog.
The Below the Belt poster quoted the GodMen site: "When boys or men behave consistent to their male nature, our society has a knee-jerk reaction and says men must tone it down." This was the rough idea I was referencing.
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