Comments on: That’s What I’m Talking About http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/2008/05/22/thats-what-im-talking-about/ Fearless. Thoughtful. Witty. Canadian. And Opinionated. Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:48:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Sarah http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/2008/05/22/thats-what-im-talking-about/#comment-4730 Sarah Fri, 30 May 2008 05:26:22 +0000 http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/?p=763#comment-4730 No. Leonard Sac is an awful human being who is doing more to hurt boys than anyone else I can think of. Would the men of antiquity that you admire so much accept this total lack of personal responsibility? Would the soldiers and pioneers blame everybody (including those man-hating, evil, teachers) and produce some big conspiracy in order to justify failure on their own part? That's the same attitude that is leading to nonsense like afro-centric schools and constant self-esteem blathering. You decry those, so why are you accepting Sax's thesis that it's those evil feminazi teachers. Seriously, who the hell picks on teachers? Back in the good old days when men were men, there were female teachers as well. And in those days, talking out of turn or fidgeting meant you were sent to the principal's office for the strap. Suggesting that it's better to let boys express their natural, rambunctious spirit and not be contained would have gotten you laughed at by those men you claim to admire for their masculinity. The person doing the most damage to boys' futures is Sax. Just because he never got over his college Holden Caulfield phase he's taking it out on innocent children? Do you want to know why boys perform worse than girls? Because boys (especially white, middle class boys) are told constantly through our culture that being polite and paying attention and doing what you're told is for wimps. Far better to be the dangerous rebel whose spirit can't be contained by by a phony society that doesn't understand you. Look at James Frey, and every famous athlete and musician. No one ever says "I practiced guitar chords for hours every day and paid for lessons," it's always, "I have a heroin addiction because no one understand how special I am." This attitude will continue to hurt boys, but I really doubt Sax cares. Why do so many people seem to believe that if men/women succeed, that means women/men have to fail. To me that's just as logical as saying than only blonds, or brunettes can do will in life, but not both. No.

Leonard Sac is an awful human being who is doing more to hurt boys than anyone else I can think of.

Would the men of antiquity that you admire so much accept this total lack of personal responsibility? Would the soldiers and pioneers blame everybody (including those man-hating, evil, teachers) and produce some big conspiracy in order to justify failure on their own part? That’s the same attitude that is leading to nonsense like afro-centric schools and constant self-esteem blathering. You decry those, so why are you accepting Sax’s thesis that it’s those evil feminazi teachers. Seriously, who the hell picks on teachers? Back in the good old days when men were men, there were female teachers as well. And in those days, talking out of turn or fidgeting meant you were sent to the principal’s office for the strap. Suggesting that it’s better to let boys express their natural, rambunctious spirit and not be contained would have gotten you laughed at by those men you claim to admire for their masculinity.

The person doing the most damage to boys’ futures is Sax. Just because he never got over his college Holden Caulfield phase he’s taking it out on innocent children? Do you want to know why boys perform worse than girls? Because boys (especially white, middle class boys) are told constantly through our culture that being polite and paying attention and doing what you’re told is for wimps. Far better to be the dangerous rebel whose spirit can’t be contained by by a phony society that doesn’t understand you. Look at James Frey, and every famous athlete and musician. No one ever says “I practiced guitar chords for hours every day and paid for lessons,” it’s always, “I have a heroin addiction because no one understand how special I am.” This attitude will continue to hurt boys, but I really doubt Sax cares.

Why do so many people seem to believe that if men/women succeed, that means women/men have to fail. To me that’s just as logical as saying than only blonds, or brunettes can do will in life, but not both.

]]> By: Nick http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/2008/05/22/thats-what-im-talking-about/#comment-4662 Nick Fri, 23 May 2008 14:02:14 +0000 http://www.walrusmagazine.com/blogs/?p=763#comment-4662 There have been a couple of studies over the last few years that show that the so-called "boys crisis" in education is pretty much imaginary. The gap between boys and girls is quickly closing, which some find alarming, but it's a question of girls doing better, not testosterone-starved boys doing worse. And, as always, the best indicators of academic achievement remain class and race. http://www.educationsector.org/analysis/analysis_show.htm?doc_id=378705 Unmotivated, porn-addicted, GTA4-playing twenty-somethings, however, are obviously a different matter. There have been a couple of studies over the last few years that show that the so-called “boys crisis” in education is pretty much imaginary. The gap between boys and girls is quickly closing, which some find alarming, but it’s a question of girls doing better, not testosterone-starved boys doing worse. And, as always, the best indicators of academic achievement remain class and race.

http://www.educationsector.org/analysis/analysis_show.htm?doc_id=378705

Unmotivated, porn-addicted, GTA4-playing twenty-somethings, however, are obviously a different matter.

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