85 - 17 = Disruption of Society As We Know It !

There are 85 girls on my Switzerland program, 17 of them are BOYS. That means there are 68 girls running around in one school. Initially, everyone was worried about the high potential of caddy-ness that could ensue. Me, I was worried about the changing numbers of the world. How many more girls are more outgoing in studying abroad than boys? How many more females are accomplishing more than boys? There's no doubt the role of women in society has changed and will continue to change society, but has it almost reached the level that it has surpassed men, in a men's world?

We know that girls do better on SAT than boys. We know that minority status females do almost twice as better in terms of life status (education, career, income, etc...) than their male counterpart. We know the US undergraduate demographics is roughly if not already 60 female and 40 male. We also know that females don't get the better job or the better salary than males do. We know because of it, girls have to try harder to compete among girls compared to boys. We know that because of it boys do less and are given more options. How is it, after all this time, after all this supposed, celebrated progress, we (girls) play this game according the rules somebody else makes, do better than the rule-makers, yet are left to suffer the consequences of your shortcomings with a loser status?

Without trying to be political, is Obama the real change? Or is it a general world consensus to compromise over a greater, and more fearful change? I only ask this because my conservative fool of a father said that America was more willing to have a black man than a woman. Both my parents have an idea that I don't agree with them, I don't think sex and race should be considered in evaluating a person. But they don't see my point of view and brush it off as a "younger generation" idealism that's not in touch with the real world. In the real world, sex and racism makes a difference and is important. My parents are my portal to conservative views, and I know the people they are around share their perspectives.I can understand where they're coming from, even if I don't agree with it. But it doesn't feel like they understand me, like they don't consider where I'm coming from. They don't want to wonder about other people's perspective.

I've thought about being a boy before. First thing that came to mind were uncomfortable external organs and uncontrollable urges. Second most dreaded thing was asking girls out, how nerve wrecking. Would the world be a better place if we all fantasized about what would happen if the world was a little different? If our perspectives were a little different? We would understand each other a lot better, I think, and maybe we're not so different after all. But yes, boys are losers. Throw rocks at them. Let's see what happens.

If you're bored:
Time Magazine article
New York Opt Ed