Boys Will Be Boys…

Boys+Will+Be+Boys...

Gabbi Green '21, Staff Writer

Every time a boy is being violent or harassing someone we view it as if they are just being a typical boy. Principal Dr. Willmore said, “It is a poor excuse for boys to act the way they want to towards girls and that harassment will not be tolerated here at Wakefield.”  Not all boys act this way. There is nothing wrong with boys in general.

Boys will be boys is a dangerous saying. This saying is insulting to boys. It implying that boys are animals that can’t control their actions and keep their hands to themselves. It excuses the unacceptable behavior of some boys and the violence that follows with it. Sophomore Erika Amaya said, “We are a country that is supposedly known for…equality; it is definitely not the way to go” to promote equality among the different genders. If boys are brought up hearing this phrase, they start to think it is acceptable. It is prompting gender stereotypes.

According to The Observer, Selena Strandberg said, “Boys will be boys is a logic that excuses or trivializes male behavior at all stages of their development…It is a phrase that, in many ways, captures the root of gender inequality.”

When a boy talk to a lot of girls, he is most likely not shamed. Rather than being shamed, he is most likely congratulated for winning female attention. He is praised as if he had just won a trophy, an object. But if a girl is in that position, she will be looked at differently. If a girl talks to a lot of boys, she will probably be called some harsh and offensive words, which proves that we still have double standards. Freshman Banu Ahmad said,”Girls are a lot more harshly critiqued and criticize than boys.” Why should everything a girl does be so quick to be judged, but with some boys they get a free pass for the exact same behavior? Why are girls held accountable and boys given a free pass?

Thinking that boys will be boys also condones bullying. It’s an excuse for bad behaviors towards people. Boys need to be respectful at all times. When a boy bullies, harasses, or makes fun of another person, some people easily dismiss it as a boy just acting like an average boy; get over it. That dismissal sends a message that those actions are ok. When a boy does something as simple as compliment someone’s outfit in class, and other boys hear him and call him soft (or worse), and no one talks about the ignorant message that sends; that is bullying. Remember back in elementary school (or maybe middle, or even high school) and the boy in your grade used to tease girls? Then, the girls went home to their parents and the parents simply said ignore the boy, or maybe even if a boy is teasing you then he probably likes you. When you ignore and deflect, you are justifying violent behavior as a true nature of boys. That those actions are normal and acceptable. That isn’t it. It is unwanted attention and needs to be acknowledged as that.

Stop excusing such behaviors. Boys will be boys….accountable for their actions.