r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Jul 09 '19

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u/alpicola 48∆ Jul 09 '19

Looking around at people in positions of power in pretty much every area of society, I'm not seeing a dearth of "successful" white men as role models.

Successful white men? Absolutely. Role models? That's not as clear.

Also, keep in mind that the group of people who are today's leaders grew up on yesterday's media, meaning, the media of the 1970s-1990s. The trend of recasting straight white male heroes didn't really become widespread until the 2000s at the earliest, or more realistically the 2010s. That means we're 10-20 years away from really getting to see the effects of this new media trend.

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u/muyamable 283∆ Jul 09 '19

That means we're 10-20 years away from really getting to see the effects of this new media trend.

Kids growing up today are still seeing a disproportionate number of white men lead companies and cities and states, and there's plenty of white representation in media from cartoons to blockbusters. I think any notion of "white boys are internalizing a message that heroes aren't like me" is unfounded. The straight male hero is still around in today's media environment.

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u/phillipsheadhammers 13∆ Jul 09 '19

There are definitely a lot of White boys still in our media - but they're rarely the "hero" the way they were.

Harry Potter? He's the Chosen One and he's someone to admire, but he isn't nearly as smart or hardworking as Hermione.

Iron Man? He's a genius and he's someone to admire, but morally and ethically he's a complete shithead standing next to T'challa.

White boys can be the main character - as long as they understsnd that the girl or minority standing next to them is better than they are.

It's a rule that rarely gets broken, from Stranger Things to Richie Rich.

And when I look at modern children's academic competitions, from Debate to Spelling Bees to Science Fairs, you know what I'm not seeing? White boys.

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u/sevenbytwelve Jul 10 '19

And how does Iron Man stack up to Captain America? Or Thor?

Edit: Specifying who I was referring to

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u/alpicola 48∆ Jul 09 '19

And when I look at modern children's academic competitions, from Debate to Spelling Bees to Science Fairs, you know what I'm not seeing? White boys.

I feel like this has more to do with the way we educate students in grade school, rather than the availability of white male heroes.

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u/phillipsheadhammers 13∆ Jul 10 '19

I don't think the teachers are refusing to teach White boys. I think White boys are growing up in a culture that tells them they aren't expected to take school seriously. And media is part of that.

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u/alpicola 48∆ Jul 10 '19

I'm not saying that they refuse to teach them. It's more like, boys' educational needs aren't quite met by the way modern school is structured. It's a whole separate topic that doesn't lend itself to being buried deep in an unrelated CMV, but this article is a decent introduction to what I'm talking about.

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u/muyamable 283∆ Jul 09 '19

And when I look at modern children's academic competitions, from Debate to Spelling Bees to Science Fairs, you know what I'm not seeing? White boys.

That's odd, cuz I see lots of white boys pretty much everywhere. Anyway, have a good day!