I read an article in the Evening Standard yesterday which got my interest. It was basically saying that girls these days need to do more sports in schools - right on I thought to myself, but the reasoning behind the sentiment made me chuckle....Girls need to do more sport...so that they get to experience failure!
The performance of girls in the accademic field is now so consistently high that teachers are worried that they are never exposed to failure and therefore may lack the emotional fortitude to cope with disappointment. The concern seems to be that girls constantly inhabit a win, win, win environment in the classroom, so need exposure to an environment where they will at some point experience what it is to lose - an inherent part of sporting activity.
This can only be a good thing as it will encourage more girls to fulfil their physical potential too! Then it will be win, win, win all the way!!!
There are more important reasons than that for girls to take up sports. Results are just a small part of the game. Girls must take up sports for physical condition reasons, most of all. It is unacceptable to choose to be weak. Being weak due to inability isn't a shame. Being weak due to choice is almost a crime against humanity and has to be dealt with as such. I don't care if we are talking about women or men. Everyone has to be as good as possible at every important aspect, including sports. BUT... DO NOT DO THIS JUST FOR THE RESULT. Being good feels better than winning. Being bad feels worse than losing. Get the best you can, but earn it, don't steal it.
ReplyDelete"Girls must take up sports for physical condition reasons, most of all. It is unacceptable to choose to be weak" That's right!!! The shocking growth in obesity and other health problems due to in activity and poor diet/lifestyle in both men and women in the west is alarming!
ReplyDeleteBut do they mean girls need to do more competitive sport against boys so that they can experience failure??? yeah right!! lol maybe to begin boys would win but not for long it would end up with girls trouncing the boys on the sports field as well as in the classroom, displaying more proof of female superiority! Bring it on!!! ha ha :)
You are entirely correct of course. Mind you I think the article was more about girls playing sports against eachother - in which case they would undoubtedly experience failure. Playing sports against boys of course is a different matter and I agree girls would quickly become dominant in the sporting arena too :). It could be a very useful first step...
DeleteHere is a good placing by Xaan. If girls need to face failure, they need to play against each other. Boys are already seen as easy opponents for some of today's little girls (see the two matches in my neighbourhood that ended with the girls winning 3-0 and 4-0 respectively, against boy teams of similar age).
DeleteDomestic violence isn't just physical. It can also be psychological. This is why it is important to motivate girls to go to the gym rather than oppress them. If this is done right, girls won't just build better bodies, but will accompany them with stronger personalities. So at the end of the day you make a valid point. There is something else as well. Women with proper leader personalities are less likely to commit abuse, because of stronger team spirit, an element that helps them consider their man as part of the same total with them. So, stronger girls won't just reduce abuse against them. There will be a GENERAL drop in abuse.
ReplyDeleteExactly right gnome mage!
ReplyDeleteyes absolutely! all a girl needs to do is believe she can be strong, eat well and train well and she will soon find out she is stronger than any guy!
ReplyDeleteHellfire Queen's comment
'Women with proper leader personalities are less likely to commit abuse, because of stronger team spirit, an element that helps them consider their man as part of the same total with them. So, stronger girls won't just reduce abuse against them. There will be a GENERAL drop in abuse.'
is spot on as well, though of course if the man acts a douche and does not play his proper position in the team, the woman being the superior, the captain/leader, will show him in the nicest possible way who is the boss :)
True what Anonymous says just above this comment of mine. I just need to add that, given women's way of leadership, less and less guys will try to be abusive, and that's a big part of how the general abuse rate will drop. Anyone understanding the benefits of women's way of leading will have no reason to try to be abusive. Because leader women themselves are not abusive. This is a basic thing to remember. Everything else comes after it, if one makes an attempt at serious logical thinking...
ReplyDeleteAthletic girls who are into sports are on another level compared to average kids. There was a girl in my neighborhood who was a gymnastics champ and was really good at ice skating as well, and she would beat all the kids on my block at wresting, including the boys. It wasn't even close most of the time.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds normal to me... Congrats to that girl for being on the good road. I hope she's keeping it up.
DeleteUpdate - it happened just this evening: A girl was alone in a nearby yard, kicking a ball around it and running. At some time a boy about her age went in and tried to win the ball from her... Guess what: he never got to touch it, not even a little bit. She was dancing him however she wanted, until his tongue was out and he decided to leave. Unlike him, the girl went on playing for a long time after. I gotta say her pace is really good, I won't be surprised if at some time she passes the door of the team I play for...
ReplyDelete