Moors and Christians

Start one cup brown rice cooking according to pkg instruction. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute 4 cloves crushed garlic, one small chopped onion, a pinch of crushed red pepper, a dash or two of cayanne pepper until the onions are soft. Add one cup peas or chopped green pepper, 2 medium chopped tomatoes, and one can (2 cups) cooked black beans. Add to the rice and cook together until rice is done and liquid is absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with biscuits and a green salad.

To be totally un PC, we joked at dinner that this should be called Moors, Christians, Indians and Aliens! (think the colors in the dish)
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I started thinking of the boy's article I posted yesterday. I think boys are like an indicator species. The canary in the coal mine, or the liverwort plant in the woods, are the first in the environment to succumb to toxins, or changes in pH or temperature. Since boys are falling behind in school, I think we need to start looking at the environment for answers. Some people think that making the schoolroom more boy friendly is the answer. It may help, certainly, but I think it is a band-aid. Many schools 100 years ago used the sit down and be quiet model and boys excelled. So what has changed? I think we need to look at the greater world.

In this age of "Girl power," where we (quite rightly) encourage girls to be whatever they wish, what have we told boys? Do we encourage boys to be whatever they want? Nurses, teachers, fathers? No, we still encourage them to be traditional males, no pink, no soft careers, no thinking of their own happiness before their careers. Traditional males. A traditional male once was a leader, strong, protective, independant with integrity and character.

But how do we now view traditional males? When you look at the messages boys are getting, it is quit obvious that we do not think very highly of them. Just spend a few minutes watching commercials, or movie titles, or sitcoms. It is obvious that men are feckless dolts who are barely tolerated by their scowling, imperious wives. Or they are evil perpetrators of crimes. Obviously there are exceptions, but by and large if you count the images of men, the negative far out numbers the good.

We criminalize manhood by domestic violence and sexual assault campaigns targetting at boys and men when most studies done by independant agencies show both to be perpetrated by men AND women. A recent survey came out that showed more high school boys have been victims of dating violence than girls. Yet the educational material is still using the male/bad, female/victim model. Boys are told they are a threat no matter what they do or don't do. They are inherantly bad based on their gender.

Marriage is a huge gamble for men. Is it any wonder why men are avoiding it? Who wants to take the 50/50 chance that you will divorce-of that an 80% chance it will be your wife leaving you and keeping the kids. Who wants to take the chance that you will be relegated to a visitor in your child's life?

Also look at the workplace, which has become increasingly hostile to men. Sexual harrassment claims, once needed to protect women, are now used to ruin people's careers with little or no proof. It is no longer about common courtesy, but about absolute control of the work place by a few easily offended individuals.

Add all this and more, and what motivates a young boy to excel? Not competition in the classroom, not goals of working, not goals of marraige and children, not goals of being respected in society. Is it any wonder that boys are retreating into the video world? Their environment has become hostile, and like any indicator species, they are exibiting the signs of reation to that poisonous environment. Until we address the underlying motivators and conditions which are causing the problems, band-aiding them in schools is not going to help.