Mother of Boys
As a mother of two young boys, I felt compelled to bring to light an
appalling new trend directed (marketed) at young, impressionable girls.
Todd Goldman, entrepreneur and head of David and Goliath Tees, has t-shirts
and apparel that proclaim, "Boys are stupid, Throw rocks at them" and Boys
are smelly", "Boys have cooties" and finally the shirt that says, "Boy,
Girl, Boy, Girl": depicting the boy with a pig face while the girl is shown
as a cute cartoon representation of a girl's face with innocent pigtails. I
find these sentiments to be thinly-veiled bullying-endorsed!
People Magazine, June 6, 2005, shows Goldman ( a 36 year old MAN) surrounded
by four teenaged girls dressed in his clothing line. His company projects
sales topping $100 million this year, 10% of which will be the "Boys are
stupid" line. Have we not almost obliterated racism and sexism only to have
these proclamations of reverse sexism? Isn't this tantamount to endorsing a
hate crime?
As parents of boys, we are challenged by trying to raise sensitive, caring
children who will be husbands, fathers and future moral citizens. Our
society, unfortunately, is one often not sensitive to the needs of our boys
and young men. Boys are just as susceptible to hurt, self-confidence
issues, peer pressure, but they are conditioned that it is not acceptable
for them to cry or show this hurt, let alone give voice to it. Therefore,
this is doubly injurious. Have we so soon forgotten Columbine? Several of
the boys involved in such school shootings were dealing with emotional hurt
or peer-group humiliation.
Glenn Sacks, an LA-based radio personality and columnist, has spoken out
against Goldman's...in the past year; urging stores to pull this merchandise
from their shelves. He maintains the shirts are "adult humor being played
out on little boys, who don't get the "joke" but keenly feel the insult."
According to a Duke University study on child well-being, boys aged 15-19
attempt suicide at 4 times the rate of girls this age. Boys aged 12-19 are
40% more likely to be victims of violent crimes than girls. Girls are more
likely to graduate high school, enter college, and/or graduate college.
Boys are more likely to have learning disabilities, be held back or even
expelled.
"Since the nineties, the public discourse on gender, youth and education has
largely been set by feminist activists and advocates. The events
surrounding this new study show that this is still true, as both Duke and
the media covering the study have been unwilling to publicize what the study
clearly shows- it is boys who are in crisis." (Glenn Sacks, LA Times
3/20/05)
"Citing an "increase in ethical numbness, moral distraction and spiritual
numbness among boys and young men" noted psychologist and author Michael
Gurian "examines the roots of potential problems- such as the abandonment of
our children's moral development to "potentially toxic" visual media."
(Publisher's Weekly, 8/16/99)
If this clothing line doesn't constitute toxic sentiment, WHAT does?
Women and society want men to be good friends, husbands, and fathers, yet
some are compromising this possibility by taking jabs at oft-innocent boys;
essentially blaming all for the actions of a few. What are we (and the
parents with the purchasing power) teaching our young people? This can be
likened to girls taunting boys while they are expected to sit amiably by and
not react.
Where are the defenders? Are we so conditioned by and immune to the
feminist rhetoric that we will allow this to continue, for our boys, some of
our most impressionable citizens, to keep taking hits? We tell our boys to
respect women, to care for them, and Goldman, in his infinite wisdom, is
chopping us off at the knees, all in the name of a buck.
Our school district has instituted Character Education and banned offensive
and inappropriate attire at school. I hope this will top the list of
inappropriate, and be banned from our schools as well. Having seen
firsthand how sensitive, loving and caring boys can be, and how young they
start to try to conform to society's ideals, I find this truly offensive and
reprehensible. Perhaps if enough people have courage to speak out, garbage
like this will not be tolerated or characterized as humorous.
The only adequate face I can think of to be shown above a caricature of a
pig would be Todd Goldman's.
A. C. in New York
AGPCAB Inc is taking a stand in CT against retailers that
profit from the sale of David & Goliath products
which promote emotional and physical violence against boys.
According to representatives at David & Goliath their
products were recently shipped to the following CT retailers/supporters
of a company that profits off of the promotion of violence against boys :
Wishlist in Greenwich/Westport -approx 1 year since ordering (supporting)
Design Solutions- 203-966-3116 146 Elm Street New Canaan, CT 06842
The Pajama Company- 203-966 9592 175 Hancock Rd. New Canaan, CT 06842
Chickaboom - 203- 656-4475 300 Heights Rd Darien, CT 06820
Nordstrom's - 860-521-9090 600 Westfarms Mall Farmington, CT 06032
Barnes & Noble Bookstores (Norwalk, Westport, Danbury, Enfield, Orange, Canton, Manchester, North Haven, Waterbury, West Hartford, Glastonbury, Farmington)
AGPCAB Inc is urging you to take a stand in your commuity by
writing to the editor of
your local newspaper, local school district
official and the retailers that profit from the promotion of
violence against boys.
You can find out where these products are being sold in your
area by calling David & Goliath at:
727-462-6205
The company is located at:
1230 South Myrtle Ave. Ste 401
Clearwater, Florida 33756
The boy bashing products are also for sale on the company's
website:
http://www.davidandgoliathtees.com/index.php?mode=AGCT
The Company's website also hosts a "Send Us A Stupid Boy Story " page
with a form for anyone who is hoping to have a boy publicly humiliated.
http://www.davidandgoliathtees.com/index.php?mode=B
