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Subject: 
RE: New 2000.2 catalogue - sexism rules OK?
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.loc.au
Date: 
Tue, 20 Jun 2000 02:44:00 GMT
Viewed: 
781 times
  
Sorry about my comments sounding slightly sexist, but I was also considering
my sisters and brother. Whenever we had our lego out, it was always my
brother and I who would build the vehicles [trucks, cars, whatever] while my
sisters would prefer to build houses/shops and to have a town. Also, neither
of my sisters really liked helping out around the farm [they were asked if
they wanted to..it wasn't a case of not having the opportunity], instead
preferring to stay around the house and helping mum. [maybe a case of them
prefering this, maybe they just thought it was expected of them...who
knows.]

BTW, this is looking back 15 or more years...

As a side note...My fiancee told me that she and her sisters used to have
'lego'. Apparently one of her neignbours came over to play with it, had a
look at it, said something along the lines of 'That's not real lego' and
walked home. She's also wishes her parents had got her toy cars when she was
younger, instead of having to play with the next-door neighbours ones. Her
parents considering them to be for 'boys' I suppose. [I haven't bothered to
ask...I'm not that brave :) ] AND I've ben told that if we have kids, the
girls still get toy cars and other so called 'boys toys', and vice versa.
[And I get an excuse for more lego :-) ]

Benjamin Whytcross
BWhytcro@PacificAccess.com.au
Ph: (03) 9856 5282
Directory Technology Pty Ltd
1/436 Elgar Road,
Box Hill, 3128

Growing older is compulsory..Growing up isn't :-)


-----Original Message-----
From: Kerry Raymond [mailto:kerry@dstc.edu.au]
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2000 12:07 PM
To: lugnet.loc.au@lugnet.com
Subject: Re: New 2000.2 catalogue - sexism rules OK?



As to the 'sexist' text....I'm not sure if this is correct,
but from my
own
observation, boys seem to have a fascination for mechanical devices
[including vehicles] and like to use tools like their • Father's do, whereas
girls in general don't seem to be interested in this.

So says a man :-) Unless you are on the receiving end of sexism, you
probably don't notice it as much. I'm on the receiving end a
lot, and so I
am somewhat hyper-sensitive. For example, mail and e-mail
sent to me by
strangers is invariably addressed "Dear Sir". I have people
walk into my
office and ask to speak to Dr Raymond, assuming that I am
*his* secretary.
People who arrange to meet me walk right past me even if I am the only
person at the appointed meeting place, etc. OK, individually
each of these
things is no big deal in itself, but consider the cumulative
effects on many
little "sexist" experiences on a developing and very
impressionable young
child.

In own observation and experience, girls don't get much opportunity or
encouragement in developing their technical interests. It's
one of those
chicken-and-egg situations. If you look at the gifts people
buy for young
children, you will see that they buy different toys for girls
and boys. Long
before the children themselves are probably capable of expressing
preference, they are being "taught" to be girls or boys by
adults who are
already "programmed".

Do a young girl a favour? Buy her a Mybot or one of those
other "boys toys"!
Be the person who makes the difference in her life!

Kerry




Message has 2 Replies:
  Re: New 2000.2 catalogue - sexism rules OK?
 
Of course, the catalogue is age-ist as well as sex-ist. When did you last see a middle-aged person depicted as playing with Lego in the catalogue (as opposed to being shown smiling approvingly in the background as a child plays with Lego)? Actually, (...) (24 years ago, 20-Jun-00, to lugnet.loc.au)
  Re: New 2000.2 catalogue - sexism rules OK?
 
(...) I did note that you also said in your original comments that a kid should be able to choose what he/she wants to play with, and that's the most important thing. But we also have to remember that children of both genders need to be exposed to (...) (24 years ago, 20-Jun-00, to lugnet.loc.au)

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