Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: angry

Let the Sexists Forfeit

In order to keep a girl from playing football, two opposing teams threatened to forfeit if she was allowed to play.  There's a petition against this. 

Better idea?  Don't give in to the fucking sexists by benching girls.  LET THEM FORFEIT.  If all the schools with mixed-sex sports teams did this, the sexists would either have to play them, or substantially get shut out of sports.  Catering to that kind of nonsense is utterly unacceptable.
Tags: activism, education, entertainment, gender studies
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  • 20 comments
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ysabetwordsmith

Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

January 17 2012, 17:59:15 UTC 9 years ago

>>The difficulty is that it deprives players of experience,
and this adversely impacts their future.<<

So it does. And that penalty should fall on the sexists, not on the girls. Their prejudice should cost them something. They shouldn't fob off the cost on other people.
msstacy13

msstacy13

January 17 2012, 18:22:15 UTC 9 years ago

I don't know about North Carolina,
but...
Well, let us suppose the woman in question is pregnant,
and miscarriages subsequent to a tackle.
In some states, the players who tackled her
could be charged with a felony.

If I were a coach, I would be hesitant
to expose my players to that risk.
laylalawlor

laylalawlor

January 17 2012, 18:36:30 UTC 9 years ago

Girls play other physical contact sports, like soccer, field hockey, and basketball. Why should this, or the issue of namecalling that you raised in another comment, suddenly be a special issue in football?

We have a strongly ingrained cultural idea of football as something that only boys can do, so we come up with excuses why only boys can do it. And that isn't right. If a teenage girl can play on a field hockey team or participate in a martial arts tournament, then she can play football just fine.
msstacy13

msstacy13

January 17 2012, 18:52:42 UTC 9 years ago

Every sport is unique to its own degree.
Namecalling in football is very different from namecalling in other sports;
in football, you use it to draw an opposing line offsides,
or to provoke an unsportsmanlike conduct call,
when you need the penalty.
Yes, women can play football,
but there are a number of points that must not be left to solve themselves.
I've only mentioned two of many "worst-case-scenario" possibilities;
if either of those were to actually occur,
the whole idea of women playing football, and of equality in general,
will be set back substantially.
It's good to stand up for equality,
but before you do, be certain of your footing.
laylalawlor

laylalawlor

January 17 2012, 19:20:24 UTC 9 years ago

I certainly don't disagree that changes, any changes to the way things have always been done should be approached with consideration and preparedness.

But I think that allowing unlikely, alarmist worst-case scenarios to dissuade us from making changes would mean that nothing would ever change. It is always possible to come up with bad things that could happen if we enfranchise a whole group of people, because any group of people is large and diverse and yes, some of them probably will use their newfound freedom in unwise ways. But these possible, hypothetical consequences have to be weighed against the consequences of failing to enfranchise those people -- the very real, present, negative consequences to them now.
msstacy13

msstacy13

January 17 2012, 20:03:35 UTC 9 years ago

We're in much more agreement than one might have guessed.

I'm a cautious incrimentalist,
and willing to take risks,
but never urge others to move forward
if I'm not certain they can do so safely.
Even though I think the two possiblities I cite
are reasonable concerns, I don't object to a young woman playing football,
but I can't argue on her behalf in good conscience
unless/until I'm reasonably certain regarding those points.
laylalawlor

laylalawlor

January 17 2012, 20:37:05 UTC 9 years ago

*nods* I think we are actually in more agreement than disagreement; thank you. :) I think that I used to be much more on the cautious-incrementalist end of things, and have gravitated towards being more ... I certainly wouldn't say radical, but inclined towards a more rapid pace of change than I used to be. But anyway, I'm sorry for my intemperate tone in my earlier comments; though I still stand by my opinions, I do think that I was reacting more strongly to your comment than was warranted, and did not express myself as respectfully as I should have.
msstacy13

msstacy13

January 17 2012, 20:55:50 UTC 9 years ago

It's not as if you called me names
to draw me offsides...
:)
ysabetwordsmith

Well...

ysabetwordsmith

January 18 2012, 08:47:29 UTC 9 years ago

Boys who want to play football may also conceal a health condition which would make such activity risky. Sometimes it gets them injured or killed. This does not make most people say that boys should not play football.

msstacy13

Re: Well...

msstacy13

January 18 2012, 15:02:26 UTC 9 years ago

I don't mean the risk to the woman,
I mean the possibility of other players
being sued for things they would normally do.

I'm repeating myself here,
but I think I should:
I'm not opposed to women playing football,
either in this instance or in general,
but I think anyone who supports the idea
must be aware of the two concerns I've raised,
because they are possible, and if they did occur,
it would be a serious setback.
But more imporantly, they are legitimate concerns,
and so long as prejudiced people can raise legitimate concerns
to support their prejudices, it lends legitimacy to their prejudices.

In the name-calling example,
I chose the word "pussy" because it IS something football players call each other,
and it's something a female player might construe as sexual harrassment.
So, other than reminding us that we knew playing football
involves risk, how do you intend to address this concern?
Likewise, if a few players find themselves facing felony charges
in a spontaneaous miscarriage case,
what consolation will you offer them?

You mentioned the Red Tails recently.
When Eleanor Roosevelt insisted that they be given combat assignments,
she knew that if they failed, she, personally, would have to explain
to the parents of the lost bomber crews, to the War Department,
and to the Republicans in Congress, why she had thought it was a good idea.
She didn't simply say that black men could fly,
and didn't simply circulate a petition to that effect.