The other night, the ABC program, "Primetime: What Would You Do?" had a segment regarding gender stereotyping. In the segment, the producers sent actors playing a father and a young son into a toy store, where the boy is to choose a Barbie doll and the father is to argue with him. The object was to see what the reactions would be of bystanders in the store. The exercise was then escalated with a third actor playing a hostile man berating the "father." A third iteration involved boys wearing dresses in the store.
In all cases, the public reaction was surprisingly supportive of the child's right to choose his own toys and clothes.
Watch the whole thing [click here].
Comments
The Outcome Seems More Predictable By Region
The outcome of the experiment seems more predictable by region. This was in Livingston, New Jersey. I know that Northeastern parts of the country tend to be more open minded. I am almost certain that if they tried that experiment in a city in the South, the reaction would be more along the line of the hostile man. The Bible Thumpers have been brainwashed more about Gender roles because of their evangelical upbringing. The lady who was a Kindergarten teacher talked about seeing it more in her classroom and was more accepting of it. I wonder what the answer would be if they asked a teacher in the South? If she was raised like my sister-in-law, they would be doing anything and everything to keep a child in their neat little gender stereotyped box. The school would be getting calls from irate parents if boys were ever allowed to play with something or wearing anything that would be considered feminine.
Another thought about all
Another thought about all this is the fact that up to and including the very first few years of the 20th century, the NORMAL color for boys was actually PINK and for girls BLUE. How they became changed is any one's guess. Additionally, through the centuries, again up to the early 20th century, boys actually did wear dresses or what could be construed as dresses or feminine attire until they were around age 7-8 or older. There are several photos of famous people dressed in that manner, and one of the most famous is Earnest Hemingway (the author).
If you ever confront an evangelical person with FACTS, it seems to ruin their entire day, as they simply do not have an answer to what you are presenting to them. This is because FACTS do not fit neatly into their preconceived little boxes. Thus the very old adage "don't confuse me with facts, I have my mind made up".