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“Worst-First” Thinking When it Comes to Men

January 13, 2011 by Lance Somerfeld

What is our world coming to?

Listen, as a teacher, I “get it” that hugging a 6th grade student in a school is not a wise move … so I opt for a high five instead to demonstrate my affection or excitement. Today’s Wall Street Journal had a disturbing article (at least from my male point of view). Eek! A Male! – Treating all men as potential predators doesn’t make our kids safer by LENORE SKENAZY provides several examples around the country and abroad were men are thought of as creeps or perverts when it comes to contact with children.  See example below:

(Skenazy) calls it “Worst-First” thinking: Gripped by pedophile panic, we jump to the very worst, even least likely, conclusion first. Then we congratulate ourselves for being so vigilant….Consider the Iowa daycare center where Nichole Adkins works. The one male aide employed there, she told me in an interview, is not allowed to change diapers. “In fact,” Ms. Adkins said, “he has been asked to leave the classroom when diapering was happening.” … Now, a guy turned on by diaper changes has got to be even rarer than a guy turned on by Sponge Bob. But “Worst-First” thinking means suspecting the motives of any man who chooses to work around kids.

I can understand in our ridiculous little world, especially based on what we see in the media, that some might point fingers at many men as potential predators. Believe me, I understand that a man standing around a playground who does not have a child present, could be considered creepy. And yes, New York may not be the most male friendly town.  But, is it fair to stereotype all men that spend too much time around children? As Skenazy concludes, “that’s not a society that’s safe. Just sick.”

Are my opinions jaded or are we better than this?

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Filed Under: media, NYC, relationships Tagged With: gender roles, newspapers, The Wall Street Journal

About Lance Somerfeld

Lance Somerfeld, co-founder of City Dads Group, lives with his wife and two children in New York City. He frequently contributes to the conversation about modern fatherhood, work-life balance, shifting gender roles, and brand’s marketing to dads. He has appeared on local and national television, including CNN, Today and Katie. He has been quoted by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, GQ, Parenting and The Atlantic.

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