those are action figures... 8^)
Posted on 03/03/2013 6:04:59 AM PST by Kaslin
This past week an episode of Sesame Street set off a firestorm of debate over whether a boy muppet named Telly should be ashamed that his muppet friends caught him playing with dolls.
In one corner "traditionalists" who called out the episode as gender and sex confused. In the other "modern feminists" who were offended by almost everything the traditionalists said and believe.
In light of these op-eds and arguments I decided to do a bit of personal surveying for myself.
I popped the question to my bride and her best friend as the two couples were headed to Gramercy (in Manhattan) for dinner on Friday night.
"What do you think about boys playing with dolls?" I asked.
"If the dolls are laying around (belong to another child), then it's unlikely to bother me," one of them replied. "If they happen to pick it up, if they are at friend's homes that are girls then it's almost unavoidable."
"But would you ever buy a doll for your young son?" I followed up.
"NEVER!!!" came the reply.
The fervor with which they answered the second question intrigued me. In essence it boiled down to the reality that boys are boys, they are designed to do boy things, and grow from boys into men. Throwing feminine play into the mix delays, interrupts, or intrudes on the development of masculine identity.
In one article Caryn Rivadeneira, writing for Christianity Today, in her even more boldly titled piece, "God Made Boys To Play With Dolls," she argues that: "When we say baby dolls are for girls, that only girls should cuddle and coo dolls, we claim that babies are women's domains, that only mothers should rock and coo and play with their children."
Even though I disagree with her premise, I also disagree with her comparison, and the implied conclusion.
She is arguing that boys should play with dolls because men should become the primary or equal caregivers for newborns? Really?
In a world where abject fatherlessness already exists. In a world where that fatherlessness has single-handidly created the largest welfare state in American economic history. In a world where discernment and wisdom about appropriate sexual behavior is threatening the very well being of our children's future...
Do we really need to question whether or not women are--by nature--designed to be--better at nurturing children?
There is a fascination with the theological and political left in America to appear to have an absence of judgment against immorality, while simultaneously attempting to judge the theological and political right so as to win popularity with the culture, to appear to be intellectual, and to imply that God would love it all.
But to be candid, we are entering "stupid territory" now.
I even confessed to the girls last night that I imagine it won't be all that long into the future before someone writes an article for Christianity Today on the idea of allowing the man to carry the baby to term (since it appears to be medically possible) and that in some way some person will write an article defending it as the ultimate sign of feminist justice.
Meanwhile God sits and laughs at us.
Why? Because we are going to such great lengths to go the other way around the universe to arrive at a simple conclusion: "What's best for children?"
No God didn't make boys to play with dolls. God created boys to grow up and become strong men who would provide for their family and would protect them from the harmful elements of this life. That is the true core of manhood at it's most basic element.
But men that I know personally who excel in that, also generally tend to be some of the most tender-hearted fathers I've ever seen. Fathers whose children feel their love, appreciate their sacrifices, seek diligently to obey or to make them proud, and even desire to pass on a similar legacy when they become parents themselves.
Sometimes the modern feminist (someone who believes in "sameness" between men and women and NOT "equality") ties themselves into pretzel-like knots to argue something foolish to replace something traditional--almost always for no good reason.
In life children are a blessing. In training them to become responsible for their own behavior and consequences it is important to groom them with truth. And the truth is few boys who ever became great fathers ever "played with dolls."
Taking responsibility for your future, owning your actions and behaviors, understanding the choices you make in this life will affect those you love, and preparing them to be ready for it, is what our young men most need to learn.
Miraculously... Having affection for their flesh and blood, learning to be tender with them when they are little and can't sleep, and loving them with all their heart comes much more instinctually to fathers than most feminists would like to believe.
And I should know...
That humility, affection, tenderness and love grew deeper with all three of my sons, and I never played with dolls.
Your comments had nothing to do with the thread and you are clearly following from thread to thread. Please try to stay on topic or start your own thread. AND STOP STALKING ME1
Mods take stalking seriously and will step in if you report.
Just a suggestion.
Waiting on the "Blame it on Public eduction" comment 5,4,3,....
He/she is not worth the effort. But thanks anyways.
I bet he thinks hardhats are girly too since real men don’t prepare themselves appropriately
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There are places that hardhats ARE appropriate.
However, on a Paving Crew the only thing it protects one from is whatever may fall from the sky.
But since ‘we’ aren’t allowed to single one group out, Paving is considered Construction and the rules for Construction are Hard Hats will be worn.
I remember a (Seinfeld??) episode where he went to some girls office to ‘heckle her’ at her work site, after she had heckled him during his act.
These ‘desk jockeys’ that make all the rules should be ‘forced’ to wear hard hats and safety shoes, seat belts etc and when they object, ‘force’ them to explain why they are ridiculous while you counter with “Well, a ceiling tile could file, or a typewriter(ha) could fall on your foot or during the same tremor you may get flung from your seat.
Not to worry no tremors had been reported for centuries.
Then tell them “Just in case”.
If you want to wear a helmet, seat belt, safety shoes, brown slacks, grey shirt etc etc, FINE, please just don’t force them down my throat.
If you don’t think it is right for people to be armed, fine don’t carry a pistol or have one in your home. I won’t ‘rail’ on you for what you think is right, so just leave ME be.
those are action figures... 8^)
We'd take apart packs of "lady fingers", un-braid the fuses to get more bangs for our bucks. We held our "wars" in an apple orchard, scrounging up overripe fruit from the ground and sticking crackers in them to make "hand grenades". If one landed close to you you'd get splattered with "apple guts" which was sufficiently gory for our young minds.
One afternoon the dry grass caught on fire and we canceled the war and spent the rest of the day stomping out the flames.
Mississippi has it's warm sun for those perfect days spent out playing with your friends. But Wisconsin has snow forts, snowball fights, sledding, tobogganing, and ice hockey. Summers are shorter here but still fun. Thanks for the memories!
Regards,
GtG
PS There was a guy in my High School class ('61) who lost the sight in one eye to a stray BB shot, Ralphy's Dad was right!
What’s wrong with a backpack?
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I have been ‘carrying the weight of the world’ on my shoulders for so long I can’t handle the extra weight. <: <:
One of the better ‘scams’ is people making back packs ‘bullet proof’.
My thought is save yourself a couple hundred bucks and CARRY books in them, serves the same purpose and that is what it was designed for anyway...
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I agree with that. I used to work as a roofer, but I always used my tether even though it made me slower than the other roofers.
The other side of the coin is consequences. What happens if you get injured on the job because you weren’t wearing your hard hat? Should your employer be liable for the injury?
This is why the employer requires Hard hats - to protect themselves from liability associated with avoidable workplace accidents. So unless you signed a waiver the first day of the job saying that you agreed to accept all responsibility associated with injury, I wouldn’t hire you.
How many cases of splattering brains have you heard of.
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Some excellent examples but, OTOH, I can point out at least 10 years of bicycle riding where I never suffered as much as a scraped knee...or actually know of anyone that suffered severe injury.
In the same trend if I remember correctly, wearing the strap on the trousers leg wasn’t a ‘mannish’ thing either....you just takes your chances and hope you don’t get caught in the chain..
Absolutely nothing wrong if YOU want and demand YOUR family to wear them etc, that is your choice and I respect that. I will NOT belittle you for wearing a helmet.
NOW as to the Spandex YOU definitely do NOT want to see ME in Spandex or any ‘tight’ fitting garb.......<: <:
So, as a service to mankind and trying to maintain some sort of dignity, I choose NOT to wear any of the above...
In the same note, not a whole lot of people see me nekkid either.....for reasons pointed out above...
Some things are wrong to even try to envision - it is a sure way to quick blindness......
I agree I would much rather read a real book than a Nook
I despise the way the cyclists look wearing that stuff, so creepy. Oh and they stick their hind quarters out while riding and they run in packs on the curvy roads where I live and refuse to follow the single file rule hogging the entire road and making us afraid they will veer off into the driver and then blame the driver. Maroons.
so unless you signed a waiver the first day of the job saying that you agreed to accept all responsibility associated with injury, I wouldn’t hire you
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Excellent points all. If your insurance carrier DEMANDS hard hats, safety goggles, safety shoes etc you either wear them or go someplace else for employment.
I am not even sure a signed waiver would actually protect you in todays litigious world - It does show that you didn’t condone NOT wearing them...
One thing ‘we’ as a country has though is the ingenuity.
The bikers didn’t like the helmets, then entrepreneurs started making ‘fancy’ helmets different designs and it eased the reality you would have to wear it.
Even Construction tried to ‘conform’ so they made different colored (can we still say that?) helmets to designate ones position on the crew or company.
Of course then you made the sensitive people more sensitive - but there was a day when sensitive people didn’t run jackhammers or set steel <: <: <:
But just think of the crack shots we have become, and the idea that we will be able to turn away the invading hordes because of our GI Joe experience warms my heart. ; )
But just think of the crack shots we have become, and the idea that we will be able to turn away the invading hordes because of our GI Joe experience warms my heart. ; )
Cheers!
If we did that today they'd haul our parents away.
How so utterly sad.
I had a GI Joe ‘’action figure’’too. Those darned pre-configured hands of his could never hold on to the rifle. Must have been made in France.
Everybody knows if you have a boy and a girl in your home and toys for both sexes, it is very hard to force the boy to play with dolls or the girls to play with trucks, common sense to any body with a brain and a family.
I disagreed with the mandatory helmet requirements. I also disgree with the opinion that you should ride without one. I think you should and ought, but that if you want to do so, you should not be required.
Same with seatbelts, etc.
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