Re: Curiosity between GSA and BSA
Cheryl Singhal (csinghal@CAPACCESS.ORG)
Fri, 27 Sep 1996 09:35:33 -0400
On Thu, 26 Sep 1996, JASON CRUSE wrote:
> The conclusion today at the in-school meeting was that it almost seems to
> be more prevalent in girl scouts than boy scouts, or that is more likely
> to happen to girls than boys, or something equally ambivalent. The
> answer definately was NOT girl scout leaders are more sensitive to the
> issue than boy scout leaders.
Jason, I think, perhaps, the key may lie, at least in part, in the use of
the word "sensitive" and in the definition being assigned to it.
If you mean that BSA leaders are no less aware of the issue, that's one
thing.
If however you mean that BSA leaders pick up the same subliminal<sp?>
clues as GSA leaders, I think you overstate BSA's antennae. Several
Psychology studies in the past 5 yrs or so demonstrate that women notice
(are more sensitive to?) certain body language in far greater numbers
than men (individual exceptions duly noted, here and there).
If a child flinches, the man is more likely to assume the boy is
experiencing puberty and doesn't want to be hugged in public. The
woman is more to wonder if the girl is sick or hurt.
I once came very near reporting a friend and neighbor to the Child
Protective people; I heard screams and sobs and thumps from their
apartment and piteous pleas. I finally, reluctantly, and with some
misgivings decided it was an MYOB situation. And two hours later when
the parents came up the walkway still clutching briefcases and still
wearing their professional power suits -- I was VERY glad I had! I was
even gladder when I attended the school play and heard the same piteous
pleas on stage from one of the boys.
Perception counts.
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