sooooo...... I don't really know what to talk about today.... I said I'd write about band this time, but I feel like if I start talking about that, I'll never be able to stop..... so I guess I'll talk about whatever pops into my head.
Well, first off, I'd like to say that I am super excited because I got a message today saying that Psych season 6 is out on dvd finally.... although we still have to wait until February for season 7 to start = ( That makes me sad. I want to just find out what happens already!!!
So yesterday before the start of keyboard class (gah, I hate that class so much, I don't like the beginning of a process of learning an instrument; it's so gosh darn boring), I sit down and start talking to Dan, because we have to wait outside of the classroom, since there's another class first. (I didn't know that until that day because I had never been early and have barely been on time for class every week). Anyway, so Robert, Elizabeth, and Austin come back from down the hall, and Austin gets slightly irritated because I showed up on time for once and wound up taking his seat (I hadn't noticed his backpack near the chair.) So I apologize and offer to give his seat back, and he said no, he was going to be chivalrous and let the girl keep the chair. I told him I wanted to give the seat back, but he still wouldn't let me be courteous back.
Long story short, this got me thinking about how chivalry seems kinda sexist to me. I mean, it's great and all when guys are nice and will open doors for you and stuff, but I think that should just be something everyone does. Girls have the capacity and capability to do just as much to help people and be nice as guys do, and we're often better at it. However, it's usually expected that guys are the ones who are expected to go out of their way to be kind to women, and the guys won't shut up and let girls help them when it's offered.
I just read this online, “Chivalry has been one of the victims of the fight for women’s equality,” Mr. Forni said. “It became the assumption in society that women did not want to be treated in a chivalrous way, because it meant they were singled out, thus enforcing the stereotype that women were weaker and in need of the strong presence of a man to protect them.” I don't think it's quite like that, but that's kinda close to what my point is. People should always try to treat each other better regardless of gender. I think kindness and courtesy need to just be gender neutral things.
That also gets me started with thinking about with competitiveness between genders. One example is in scouts. Whenever I go to council events where the venturers can compete against the rest of the boy scouts, our success usually gets singled out in some way. This weekend, I got 10th overall. That means only 9 boy scouts topped my score, and the other 130 or so didn't do as well (granted, a lot of them were on the younger side of the scale). When the results were announced at the end of the day at 'fire bowl', Mr. B made sure to point it out to the boys that they lost to a girl and basically told them they all needed to step it up. Now that can be taken two ways. On one hand, I feel proud whenever I know that I beat most of the guys at stuff, and it's flattering when the adults take note of it. But on the other hand, I start thinking, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Are they saying that girls aren't supposed to be just as good at everything as the boys are, and it means the boys must really suck when a girl starts whooping them? Cause that doesn't seem right. I just want to be their equal, and be treated as such. (maybe that's why I always strive to beat them (other than my insanely competitive nature anyway), because I feel like I need to do well enough before they finally accept that I'm not weaker or less of a scout than they are....)
Plus there's always those times when they say, not bad, for a girl. Why is it a whole different standard?
Gah, I don't know, it just bugs me. Maybe all of my problems would be solved if I had just been born a guy. Then I wouldn't have to worry about all of the double standards in percussion, and scouts, and choir (I'm a super low contralto, with a full tenor range, but it's never accepted for a girl to sing as a tenor in "professional" ensembles. I wanted to be in university choir and sing tenor, but as soon as Stephanie and I went into auditions, they were quick to let us know that "girls can't be tenors" *fumes profusely and pouts in a corner* It's not my fault I'm a really boyish girl...)
(now I do recognize that some guys have to put up with this too, like the countertenors (guys who sing like altos), and the guys who play flute, but it still seems like they don't have so many standards weighed against them.)
........ well, it's late, and I have to study for a midterm still. so. I will end my mindless ranting for the night.
Wiederschreiben!
-Laurel
No comments:
Post a Comment