[POLL] What happens when "Boys Will Be Boys"?

Post Reply New Topic

As the subject line says: What happens when "Boys Will Be Boys"?

Some say that this phrase is used to explain a boys natural tendency to be adventurous, hyper-active, and to engage in risky activities that have the potential to cause harm to themselves or others.

Others may claim that it is used to express the opinion that mischievous or childish behavior is typical of boys or young men and should not be a cause for surprise when it occurs.

Still others may claim that the phrase is merely a lame excuse for grabbing, groping, and raping women.

Even the concept of the so-called "Toxic Male" has been labelled as "Boys Will Be Boys".

What do you think?

(PLEASE don't turn this into a man-bashing or women-bashing thread, or I will ask the mods to shut it down.)

I would hope it would be the first choice.

History would suggest all of the above; only to be clarified by anecdotal records.

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

Other: it means different things based on how it is used.

For example guys being very excited about video games and cars could be described as “boys being boys” which is harmless.

Then locker room and being overly focused on sex while looking down on women could also be called “boys being boys” and that would be harmful.

It really depends on the context.

i would hope that "boys will be boys" applies only to risk-seeking, hyperactive adventurous behavior that does not seek to willingly bring danger upon anyone else who doesn't want it. when it does, there's a problem.

it's not a justification for objectification or sexual harassment. sh***y behavior is sh***y behavior no matter who it comes from. i really wish this didn't need to be explained.

i also have problems with the phrase and associated mentality being used to justify excessive anger in situations where an equivalent display by a woman would tarnish her credibility and label
her as "unstable" or "psycho", implying that males are entitled to a wider range of outward displays of emotion while still maintaining their credibility, compared to women.

I think it's sexist because it implies that girls can't get away with certain behaviors but boys can. It wasn't that long ago that if a girl was even remotely active or adventuresome and didn't sit around all day hugging her doll while wearing a frilly dress she was not a "proper lady" and parents would wonder what they did wrong.

Trust me.....throughout history, there have always been strong, adventurous, brave women. Mothers couldn’t be shrinking violets in the old days.

Does it include transgender boys?

I see it as a just another fallacy, "X will be X" instantiated against "boys." It's a mental off-switch the same as some uses of "it is the way it is." It can be used to excuse just about anything if its wielder tries hard enough.

When literally boys will be boys all of the above will happen.

IRL growing up that expression was used to explain and as a reason not to punish bullying behavoirs that one would get arrested for as an adult.

Really It's more like alpha males will be alpha males.

...All four listed CAN happen.

_________________
Renal kidney failure, congestive heart failure, COPD. Can't really get up from a floor position unhelped anymore:-(.
One of the walking wounded ~ SMASHED DOWN by life and age, now prevented from even expressing myself! SOB.
" Oh, no! First you have to PROVE you deserve to go away to college! " ~ My mother, 1978 (the heyday of Andy Gibb and Player). I would still like to go.
My life destroyed by Thorazine and Mellaril - and rape - and the Psychiatric/Industrial Complex. SOB:-(! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!

[quote="ASS-P"]...All four listed CAN happen.

_________________
Renal kidney failure, congestive heart failure, COPD. Can't really get up from a floor position unhelped anymore:-(.
One of the walking wounded ~ SMASHED DOWN by life and age, now prevented from even expressing myself! SOB.
" Oh, no! First you have to PROVE you deserve to go away to college! " ~ My mother, 1978 (the heyday of Andy Gibb and Player). I would still like to go.
My life destroyed by Thorazine and Mellaril - and rape - and the Psychiatric/Industrial Complex. SOB:-(! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!

...All four listed CAN happen.

_________________
Renal kidney failure, congestive heart failure, COPD. Can't really get up from a floor position unhelped anymore:-(.
One of the walking wounded ~ SMASHED DOWN by life and age, now prevented from even expressing myself! SOB.
" Oh, no! First you have to PROVE you deserve to go away to college! " ~ My mother, 1978 (the heyday of Andy Gibb and Player). I would still like to go.
My life destroyed by Thorazine and Mellaril - and rape - and the Psychiatric/Industrial Complex. SOB:-(! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!

To me, "Boys will be boys" when they engage in relatively harmless activities like fidgeting, horseplay, joking around, and generally being annoying little pests ... and by "boys", I mean male children less than 10 years old.

Back then, we would get in trouble for stupid stuff like making too much noise, cutting through the neighbors' yards, throwing water balloons, and forgetting to turn in overdue library books.

Besides, with three sisters, any word that got back to them that I was being mean to another girl meant that I could wake up in the middle of the night with my hand in a bowl of warm water...

It just depends. Depends on what they are doing are they together just being friends or are they breaking computers in computer class it just depends on what they are doing.