Boys dressing as girls in BC schools today

[Drongoman]

A friend of mine has a daughter who goes to school here in Kelowna. He told me that her school is participating in some sort of fund-raising program to empower girls in the 3rd world, and part of the fund-raising process is that boys are dressing up as girls, and are walking down a red carpet in the gym and parading in front of the rest of the school. He's not too happy as he feels that the kids are being brain-washed, and that they should be in school to learn and not participate in these events that appear political in nature to him, rather than philanthropic. It's his daughter, so he does have a right to his opinion I guess. So this is what our kids are doing in school nowadays? I get the part about helping 3rd world kids, but my questions are - is this what our kids should be doing during school hours? Are the teachers and the principal endorsing this? The program is being conducted by a for-profit company called "Me to We" - does anybody know anything about this company? It just seems odd to me that dressing up boys as girls and parading them around in the gym during school hours is somehow a positive event that is going to help 3rd world kids. If they wanted to do this after school, with parental permission, I guess it is a free country after all. Anybody else have an opinion on this?

[OnTheRoadAgain]

what our kids should be doing during school hours?

Learning. Learning about the world in which they live, as well as the three R's.
Home economics could also make a comeback, so kids are better prepared when they do enter 'the real world'.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Adults are still learning too, it's a life-long process really:

http://www.metowe.com/me-to-we-is

This is not mandatory reading and no exams will be issued.

[Drongoman]

Learning. Learning about the world in which they live, as well as the three R's.
Home economics could also make a comeback, so kids are better prepared when they do enter 'the real world'.

but what are they really learning in this exercise? I don't get how boys being humiliated in Kelowna is helping girls or kids in the 3rd world. I do agree with the Home Economics courses, I learned to sew and bake and it was fun, especially the baking part.

[Captain Awesome]

He told me that her school is participating in some sort of fund-raising program to empower girls in the 3rd world, and part of the fund-raising process is that boys are dressing up as girls, and are walking down a red carpet in the gym and parading in front of the rest of the school. Anybody else have an opinion on this?

I'm sure the fact that few boys dressed up like girls in Kelowna, BC will do a HUGE DIFFERENCE in the world, make life so much easier for women in 3rd world countries, force men in Africa and Middle East treat them with respect, and unicorns will appear and poop rainbows over Sahara desert.

[Oxl3y]

Are the boys being forced to do it? If its free will who cares?

[OnTheRoadAgain]

but what are they really learning in this exercise? I don't get how boys being humiliated in Kelowna is helping girls or kids in the 3rd world. I do agree with the Home Economics courses, I learned to sew and bake and it was fun, especially the baking part.

Similar to the sea of pink shirts, they are learning to make a group statement in support of others.
Is this such a bad thing? This is more valuable than learning calculus IMO.
Sewing is one aspect of home economics, however budgeting, managing credit, applying for mortgages, rental regulations, all those real life skills are important to learn and many parents are not able to teach these things, through lessons, or example.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

I'm sure the fact that few boys dressed up like girls in Kelowna, BC will do a HUGE DIFFERENCE in the world, make life so much easier for women in 3rd world countries, force men in Africa and Middle East treat them with respect, and unicorns will appear and poop rainbows over Sahara desert.

It is through learning about such issues that things can be changed.
Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed individuals to change the world...indeed, it is the only thing that ever has...(Margaret Mead)

OR a committed individual (think Rosa Parks)

[Drongoman]

[
Is this such a bad thing? This is more valuable than learning calculus IMO.
.

and this is why our kids are coming out of schools not being able to do basic math, but they are taught if they parade around in a gym dressed as their opposite gender somehow kids in Africa will be empowered. Too bad they can't even add up the amount of money they raised, because they skipped math class to go sit in the gym being socially engineered instead. The more I think about this, the more I just find it another meaningless exercise, much like Earth Hour, that lets people believe they are making some sort of difference in the world to soothe whatever guilt complex they are experiencing for their own personal reasons, but in reality they are accomplishing nothing.

[Captain Awesome]

It is through learning about such issues that things can be changed.

Yup. Look at all unicorns pooping rainbows already. World has changed already!

[Drongoman]

Yup. Look at all unicorns pooping rainbows already. World has changed already!

This event is accomplishing the main goal though - as the funds being raised are being donated to MetoWe, there is the question of who exactly is benefiting from this event. Just like people who were concerned about the environment were pouring money into Al Gore's pockets five years ago, and then were outraged when he took their money and bought a bunch of 20,000 sq ft houses with it, and used private jets to commute between them, I'd like to see how much of these funds that these kids are being told are going to change the world actually end up in the hands of empowered 3rd world girls, and how much ends up at a BMW dealership.

[Urbane]

Yet another reason why a lot of parents are taking their kids out of the public school system and putting them into private schools. If it's not one thing it's another. Does anyone seriously think that this exercise, which includes boys dressing up as girls, will make any kind of impact on girls in the third world? As for kids here I think that if anything the exercise tends to trivialize the subjugation of women in the third world. What'll stick in their minds is boys dressing up like girls. We really need a thorough examination of the curriculum and the manner in which it's being carried out.

[Drongoman]

Yet another reason why a lot of parents are taking their kids out of the public school system and putting them into private schools. If it's not one thing it's another. Does anyone seriously think that this exercise, which includes boys dressing up as girls, will make any kind of impact on girls in the third world? As for kids here I think that if anything the exercise tends to trivialize the subjugation of women in the third world. What'll stick in their minds is boys dressing up like girls. We really need a thorough examination of the curriculum and the manner in which it's being carried out.

here here! Great post!

[Urbane]

This is more valuable than learning calculus IMO.

Please tell me you're not serious. Please.

[Drongoman]

Math is hard, at least for most kids, and so by default it isn't fair, or fun. Social engineering and being involved in a cause of empowerment is fun. And not very hard. Look at the Occupy movement, how hard was it to sit in a tent, doing basically nothing. Yet learning how to do that is more important than calculus apparently. I just shake my head.