Topic: Power
When I complained to some in my family about the skewed sports coverage in our local paper and how it's really a complex, cultural issue, my son James said: "Mom, you need to send a letter to the editor."
I did! It was published Saturday.
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2013/feb/09/letter-gender-bias/?letters_to_editor
This is actually a matter close to James' heart, as well as mine and his father's. Our son grew up building cultural bridges in our back yard for years. That space served many purposes, including a soccer field where grass seldom dared to grow.
Sadly, the girls didn't come to play much. They couldn't, though not because they weren't welcome. Our daughter, Renita, spent many lonely hours waiting for her friends to find a few minutes away from their household chores and childcare. Most of the time she had to venture out to build bridges in her friends' homes, joining them, sometimes visiting with them while they did some task that was very culturally specific, where she might not have been so comfortable.
Renita is the mother of three boys who tend to love music and drama more than sports. Our two teenage grandsons are as comfortable in cross-cultural activities as either of our children are. In fact, our granddaughters (James is their Dad) are, as well.
Today, James chooses to be an elementary girls' soccer coach. Partly for his girls, perhaps also unconsciously because he saw the inequities that were far, far greater in Malawi. He and the other coaches do not encourage competitiveness so much as skill development. They don't even keep score in the early years!
As they get older, the girls are sure to notice the inequities, though. How could anyone miss how our media today seems to be the "dog" wagged by the "tail" of public opinion? How can any thinking person fail to see how much more money is poured into boys' athletics than girls'? How can this be justified?
I hope my granddaughters will both become strong and able to take stands for the gender inequity, which so many of the men and far too many women don't even seem to notice.
