Posted on 07/21/2010 9:39:17 AM PDT by Daveinyork
My nephew loves Star Wars.
Isn’t the virtue of reading that it elevates the mind? Dumbing it down destroys the point. And the issue isn’t just reading, it’s the content of what’s being read. If a tweeny girl is spending her time reading Twilight and Harry Potter, while her brother spends his time with the xbox - I see no reason to prefer one activity over the other.
And he could still wind up supporting you all someday.
>> devalued and emasculated males and dumbed us down
What you mean, “us”, kimosabe?
Boys would read Tom Sawyer if it was allowed.
Women being in charge of stuff was supposed to make the world a more loving, better place than the boy’s club could.
We live in a world run by thugs in suits that will sue you for the slightest thing.
We’ve over-litigated everything, and blown the smallest infractions into hanging offenses.
Men aren’t going to church for the same reason. Every sermon papers over reality in some female-friendly way, where everyone is misunderstood, and nobody is to blame for anything, unless they are white, male, and/or rich.
Everyone gets a participation trophy. We can’t go to the moon, and by today’s standards, we never would have gone in the first place. Churchill’s a villain, Chavez is a hero. Bush is to blame for everything, and there’s a religion that has as central to its doctrine the primacy of men over women, to the extent where beatings are considered normal, even necessary.
In the book “Rocket Man”, Andrew Aldrin ended up running a large aerospace company, and has said that were he in charge of NASA there is no way he would have green lit the moon project based on what he knows now.
Boys are growing up today with ZERO heros. No more astronauts. No more fighter pilots. No more war heroes. No more John Wayne. We barely have Clint Eastwood. Our kids don’t.
What new horizons await for men, when every day they are being told they are just like women, no better or worse, and in fact, perhaps not necessary at all going forward if genetic research progresses much further?
Even feminists can’t stand themselves. Germaine Greer was a feminist for years, but in her last book, she essentially says, “Why bother?” You see, feminism isn’t willing to stand up for women everywhere, just women democrats.
Yet the only way to make females better in math is to take numbers out of math tests.
That book cannot be the definitive collection; I was not consulted.
My son is 11 years old, reads far above grade level, is straight A in every subject and plays football & baseball. He also enjoys video games such as Halo and Call of Duty (so do I). We also do fart jokes, joke together about the dems and obama (today it was the ‘epantsipation’ slip up by the mouth of our exalted leader and last week it was the youtube video of obama golfing his blackberry), and we also enjoy discussing real American History. The stitching that holds us together and keeps him focused on his studies is that I, along with his beautiful mother actually parent him.
>> Boys would read Tom Sawyer if it was allowed.
To be allowed, it would have to be extensively corrected, politically.
“Person Of Color Jim”, etc.
My daughter is going to be a sophomore at UMASS Amherst in a month (insert single gun shot sound here) so I haven’t bought any children’s books for many years. Do they still sell Little Golden Books? Her favorite was The Shy Little Kitten.
I shall read it at her wedding. heh heh heh
I had a conversation at a party with a young lady who was bragging about how women outnumber men at universities and are going to "take over America." I told her that the day when we value English and women's studies majors over Engineers and quantitative finance professionals (fields that remain overwhelmingly male), then we will be in serious trouble.
Reading and playing video games produce very different brain activity.
Reading is clearly more positive, as long as it is not harmful material.
Twilight is pretty lame, but Harry Potter is good.
When I was courting the other half and a cold winter wind was blowing, I'd stand upwind and say "I'll just stand here and break wind for you, maam." It always cracked her up.
Speak for yourself!
Of course, I'm also the guy that thinks "those dishes ain't gonna wash themselves" is only partly a joke...
What? Tom Sawyer is not allowed? That was my favorite growing up, even more than Huck Finn (which is probably better literature, but not quite as fun as Tom).
Damn. Glad I’m not a kid anymore.
Harumpf! See post # 17.
Oddly enough I have/had precisely the sort of situation you describe. (well, she didn't read Twilight)
Darling Daughter just graduated from the UC system with 2 majors and special recognition.
Ratboy is flunking out of high school.
It's not Harry Potter per se that made the difference, it was the love of reading developed while reading Rowling that did.
As Ratboy is starting to voluntarily read, I still have some hope.
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