Caroline Paul has been a journalist
at the New York Times for a number of years. Previously a college athlete and a
firefighter, she discusses why fear is linked with females. In her article Why Do We Teach Girls That It’s Cute to Be
Scared?, she uses personal anecdotes and strong facts and statistics to
prove that females should not be taught to avoid danger.
Caroline’s
pride was always bruised when people were shocked to find that she was a
firefighter, and she was even more hurt when they would ask, “aren’t you
scared?” She grew up challenging herself physically and mentally and believes
that it contributed a great deal to her self-esteem and confidence. Her
personal anecdotes show the reader that for a girl, taking risks and stepping
out of one’s comfort zone is just as important, if not more important, than for
boys. It teaches girls self-confidence, independence, and not to fall into
society’s expectations. Caroline also shares a number of helpful facts and
statistics, one of which showing that parents are exponentially more likely to
tell their daughters to be careful than they are to tell their sons. This gives the audience hardcore evidence of the topic, beyond her personal anecdotes, adding more credibility to her argument and making it more concrete. In
general, society believes that it is natural and good for boys to be daredevils
and to explore and challenge themselves, while expecting girls to remain
conservative and follow directions. This double standard is not only a disgrace
to all the progress that women have made, but it shows how much work still
needs to be done. Girls are not inferior, but when parents treat them
differently than they treat their sons, they involuntarily send the message
that they are not as brave, capable, smart, or strong as their brothers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/21/opinion/sunday/why-do-we-teach-girls-that-its-cute-to-be-scared.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
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