Because it gets drilled into most boy’s heads from a very young age that you are never to strike a girl, not even in self defense. Violence by women against men gets a pass to a degree that’s almost ridiculous, including sexual violence - though with sexual violence it’s baked into the systems and discussions around it to the point that I can actually find you quote from people involved with researching or dealing with sexual violence being pretty explicit about the double standard and treating it as obvious.
I don’t know if it’s a generational thing. I’m around my 40’s and I’ve always heard/interpreted it in that direction/sentiment.
I’m wondering about that too, since I’m around that same general age bracket and that was definitely the way it was instilled in boys in my community when I was growing up - You never hit a girl, under any circumstances. If she starts it, you stand there and take it or maybe try to walk away if you can but you absolutely do not retaliate.
That one’s fun when paired with the idea that you should resolve bullying by standing up to the bully when the bully is a girl and she’s throwing books at your head several times a week. No right answer. Ask me how I know. At least it stopped after a few weeks after I spent a week in the hospital for something unrelated - I think she got bored and moved on to another target while I was gone.
Because it gets drilled into most boy’s heads from a very young age that you are never to strike a girl, not even in self defense. Violence by women against men gets a pass to a degree that’s almost ridiculous, including sexual violence - though with sexual violence it’s baked into the systems and discussions around it to the point that I can actually find you quote from people involved with researching or dealing with sexual violence being pretty explicit about the double standard and treating it as obvious.
That’s a lie, no boy ever gets told he can’t defend himself.
“You just don’t hit girls” is at face value a statement about offense only. But underlying it also translates to “just stand there and take it”.
I don’t know if it’s a generational thing. I’m around my 40’s and I’ve always heard/interpreted it in that direction/sentiment.
But again, I’m not even making a case on either side of that. The direction should be deescalation through meaningfull dialogue.
I’m wondering about that too, since I’m around that same general age bracket and that was definitely the way it was instilled in boys in my community when I was growing up - You never hit a girl, under any circumstances. If she starts it, you stand there and take it or maybe try to walk away if you can but you absolutely do not retaliate.
That one’s fun when paired with the idea that you should resolve bullying by standing up to the bully when the bully is a girl and she’s throwing books at your head several times a week. No right answer. Ask me how I know. At least it stopped after a few weeks after I spent a week in the hospital for something unrelated - I think she got bored and moved on to another target while I was gone.