sjsprWriting

When I was in first grade, a boy shoved me because I was playing with a basketball and I wouldn’t let him have it. Instead of waiting for his turn, he said I threw like a girl and then proceeded to push me to the ground. With a scraped and bruised knee, I went to tell my teacher all about it. Her only response was: “Boys will be boys.”

I did not understand the meaning of this phrase. I only saw that a boy who physically assaulted me was paying no consequences. A single phrase does not excuse violent behavior. All boys should be accountable for their actions. I’m sure that if I had shoved another girl to the ground, I would have definitely been punished, because it was not lady like behavior. Why do we excuse the actions of men but condemn the actions of women?

Society teaches boys that they can be sexual beings but do not teach girls the same. A guy can sleep around and no negative connotations are placed upon him. He is hailed as a man’s man. But when a girl does it, she is immediately branded with a slut label. When a girl is sent home from school because her clothes were a distraction to boys, society is placing a boys’ education above hers. If a girl is turned down, she blames herself; when a boy is turned down, he blames the girl. Society is teaching boys that they are superior beings and, thus, their actions are praised and their bad choices excused.

“Boys will be boys.” Tell that to the woman who is in the ER for the third time this month cause her boyfriend cannot control his anger. Tell it to the little girl with the bruised knee as she is just discovering what a sexist and misogynist world she lives in.