Psychology Today: "Boys and Young Men: A New Cause for Liberals"

Submitted by anthony on Mon, 2010-03-29 22:31

Article here. Excerpt:

'In case you haven’t noticed, America’s boys and young men are in trouble – not doing well in school, lacking ambition, often floundering. Not all of them, of course, but enough to take notice. There's more and more in the news lately about the trouble America's boys are in (“crisis” was the term used in a Newsweek cover story in 2006). As a psychologist with a longstanding interest in gender issues, I have been aware of and upset by this for many years. (And I will freely admit that an important motivator for me is the fact that I have three sons and three grandsons.) What has disturbed me even more has been the response I have often received when I’ve mentioned this issue to female friends over the years. Either they have been unaware of it, surprised to hear that males in college are a distinct minority – now down to 43 percent of college undergraduates -- or they have said something like, So what? You guys had your turn, now it's ours.

Aside from the fact that this attitude is blatantly anti-child and anti-youth, since it absolutely denies the aspirations of half our children, it is bad for today's girls and young women too. As New York Times columnist John Tierney – among others – has pointed out, high achieving women want even higher achieving men as partners, and these men are in ever shorter supply http://select.nytimes.com/2006/01/03/opinion/03tierney.html
...

There are lots of theories about its causes, including absent fathers, schools geared more to girls than boys, brain differences between the sexes, boys' obsession with videogames and so on. But because no one has ever launched a major study, it's all still speculation. But it’s very easy to point to something that has let the problem grow to the point where even the most ardent feminist may find it hard to ignore: Caring about boys and young men -- as a social group -- is not something liberals do. At least they haven't, right up to this day.
...
I think things have changed somewhat since that conversation, but on the list of liberal causes, the “boy problem” is barely on the radar screen. Maybe a new book by Richard Whitmire (cited by Kristof), will help. It’s called Why Boys Fail, and, as Kristof says, it has “mountains of evidence” showing how boys are lagging behind girls in school.

I hope my fellow liberals read it. The time has more than come.'

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Comments

I've heard that selfish, dismissive, and simply oppressive way of thinking many times before (at least you can tell they thought it). "You guys had your turn now its ours".

First off I wonder what they would say to me as I was raised in a time where I was less likely to do well in school, go to college, be healthy, or get support becease I'm a Guy. If she is white ask her what she owes to African Americans. Ask her how she would like to be a black man during slavery or today. Ask her what the Jews, native Americans, decendants of japanese in concentration camps, Palestinians, and Irish deserve. If her family has money ask her what she owes to the poor. If her great grandfather shot my great grandfather what does she owe me. If her ancestors are Christians what does she owe Muslims for the Crusades. If her ancestors are Catholic what does she owe to prodestants and vise versa. The list goes on and on and you can divide people into any number of ways...

You can't blame individuals within the society for not being all powerful and all knowimg to be able to single handedly change the rules of the game. That argument alone is sufficient for those living at the time of slavery and who were actually part of it.

When it comes to gender roles it is not even remotely comparable to what blacks faced. Both women and men created, supported, and were benefitted and burdened by their roles.

If the cow still tries to argue ask her and her friends to work in a factory every week just to pay the bills, let most the money be spent on kids and by the spouse, get small amounts of time with the kids, get poorer health than your spouse, only retire until you are nearly dead (sooner than your spouse), and take the lead (though its all just responsibility) but you must plan, stress, and never complain. Have her tell her friends that that they will go to war, build America, and do all police and rescue work. Tell them the will take over 95% of work related deaths. Tell her most her friends will work like her, but some will make it rich. Then tell her more will be in jail and some will be homeless. Remind her that the opposite sex can search for those richer, ignore the poorer, and even live off the blood money of a drug dealer and never go to jail. Then tell her afer ALL that there will be a very influential movement on behalf of the opposite sex that will resent you.

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Submitted by fondueguy on Tue, 2010-03-30 04:46

I have a theory that anytime government intervention is used to set prices or special programs to promote a group of people, etc. it is like interfering with the food chain, There will be consequences.

I am a HUGE believer in accepting nature and the natural characteristics of males and females as well as the law of supply and demand.

This article does not surprise me at all as females have been promoted in school, college, etc. now it has upset the balance of eligible men for these 'successful' women to mate with.

I am a little offended by the title ("a new cause for liberals") as I believe liberals have caused this mess (they do run the educational system). They are always trying to equalize everyone with government intervention, quotas, special programs, etc. so I have mixed feelings about asking liberals to fix the problem as it will probably involve everything I am against.

I am well aware that my comment will provoke liberals to defend themselves. I don't want to divide MRAs into political parties as it would be counter-productive. There is good and bad with both. But when you put up an article with a title that indicates liberals will be the heroes, what do you expect........

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Submitted by Kris on Tue, 2010-03-30 05:46

He is conflicted about being a liberal and talks about joining the right for the sake of the male youth; but then wont because all the other things he takes side with the left. He also says that political correctness is causing people to ignore the facts, of course he knows PC is from the left. I just want both sides to take on the issue and I expect them to deal with it the way they normally do.

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Submitted by fondueguy on Tue, 2010-03-30 06:35