Men can cry
Laura Ingraham made fun of Brett Favre for crying (Awful Announcing). She suggests it's not a good message for boys to "act like a girl."
There is so much wrong with this that I'm disgusted. First, there's the implication that we're all better off with our rigid gender stereotypes, meaning men are supposed to act stoic and not express emotions. Please. That men are more open about expressing emotions is a good thing--just ask our kids. We don't need more encouragement for boys to hide their natural emotions. Next there's the suggestion that it's bad for a boy to "act like a girl," suggesting superiority of males over females. This is typical of our language: when one refers to a boy behaving or performing like a girl, an insult is usually implied ("You throw like a girl"). We need to be conscious of this implicit ranking in our language.
Men, if we feel emotion, whether it be great joy or deep sadness, we shouldn't be embarrassed for expressing those emotions.
Links
Bernard Berrian's contract may be big, but it's structured well for the Vikings (Star Tribune).
What are the Vikings going to do about backup quarterback (Viking Update)?
The Fanhouse has some posts on Eugene Robinson and Jamal Lewis, athletes with past legal troubles that are now doing well in life. These stories are important: they remind us that few people should be defined by their biggest mistakes, and that no person is beyond redemption.
Cold, Hard Football Facts has some nice things to say about the Vikings.
Adrian Peterson says he was average last season; it's good to see the team's superstar setting a high standard for himself (Vikings War Cry).
Daily Norseman talks about Bernard Berrian.
MJD remembers the USFL. We should do more to remember leagues like this: after all, Hall of Famers like Steve Young, Reggie White, Jim Kelly, and Gary Zimmerman played in the USFL, so it's not just some slouch league.
On Peter King's MMQB
I didn't write about this here: it wasn't at all about sports, and I don't think the purpose suited this blog. But if you're interested in how a pacifist responded to Peter King's recent column, feel free to read it at Costanza Book Club. It's not so much a criticism of King as an exploration of our screwed up way of talking about violence.
uh-oh. pacifist viking defending brett favre?!! i think i see the tear in fabric of the universe...
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Bottling-in one's emotions seems to build pressure that I think is a major source of aggression.
ReplyDeleteAlso, a loyal Vikings fan for over a decade, I'm upset to see Favre go. What a guy.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised when Kordell Stewart took a lashing a decade back for crying on the sideline. The implication was he exposed himself as too overwraught and feminine for the position. That Kordell Stewart was a failure as a quarterback seemed to prove the argument (I actually liked Kordell--I thought the Steelers coaches ruined him alas). I would think with Favre's reputation as a rugged he-man type his crying these last two years would somehow make the water-works acceptable for mans men.
ReplyDeleteRK
Suck it up, Sally.
ReplyDeleteI just get the feeling that had this happened on any outlet other than polarizing Fox News, that PV (and a lot of other people) wouldn't be ripping on her.
ReplyDeleteMaybe she finds crying men a turn-off. God forbid.
This is an awful, awful woman. Her shows are not to be watched or listened to. They are to be ignored. Ignorant, biased, smug and wrong about everything.
ReplyDeleteAnd she really doesn't know her audience, if she's picking on Brett Favre.