>Among the “Wild Kratts” supporting cast, there are two highly competent and knowledgeable females (Aviva, “a cool, fashionable, twenty-something who is well on her way to becoming the most accomplished inventor this planet has ever known!” and Koki, “an accomplished computer whiz with a sharp tongue and an even sharper wit”) paired with one hapless male, Jimmy, who is “insecure, hesitant, and unsure—that is until he gets a video game console in his hands!” Jimmy also, somewhat suspiciously, bears more than a passing resemblance to Shaggy from “Scooby-Doo.”
>Just to hammer the “girls rule” message home, at one point during “Wild Kratts Live,” apropos of absolutely nothing, a crazed cartoon Aviva suddenly shouted to the crowd: “GIRLS ARE GREAT AT SCIENCE!” There was a moment of puzzled silence from the audience; then, of course, a smattering of obligatory clapping. Finally, after this awkward spurt of well-intentioned propaganda, the show mercifully moved on.
>I looked down the row at my three children, all boys. I looked at the many boys sitting around us, raptly staring at the stage. “Hey,” I whispered, poking one son. “Boys are great at science, too!” He nodded, noncommittal. Some cheap-looking robots, surrounded by billowing dry ice fumes, had invaded the stage.
>Unfortunately, in its earnest quest for female empowerment, America—never quite good at moderation, and always quite good at fighting the last battle—is quietly and methodically marginalizing boys. Every day, through various media campaigns, America’s boys absorb countless messages that girls can do anything—and that they deserve our unending attention and adoration. When it comes to boys, however, the cacophony of “dream big” media encouragement falls oddly silent. The assumption, one supposes, is that the giant, sinister swath of oppressive male “privilege,” supposedly inherited by young boys, speaks for itself.
…
>Chevron, for its part, recently announced the “Doers” campaign, which aims to encourage girls to move into STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers. “Girls do remarkable things with STEM!” their ad declares, after showing a bevy of bright, spunky girls changing the world. Say what you will about the need to encourage more girls to go into STEM—and that’s a whole other conversation—but to an impressionable child, the message of the campaign is quite clear: Girls are special. Boys don’t merit attention.
>Brawny paper towels, not to be outdone, recently launched the “Strength Has No Gender” campaign. “The brand chose women who embody strength and resilience in male-dominated fields,” AdWeek reported. “Each woman stars in a short documentary showing how she has overcome adversity. They all sport the traditional red and black Brawny Man flannel, too.”
>Here’s a question: If strength really has no gender, why are we obsessively promoting one gender, over and over and over again?
https://malemattersusa.wordpress.com/2016/03/10/defending-boys-in-a-girl-power-age/