Why can’t the daughters do it?
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- April
- 9
As the mom of a daughter, I just had to take a moment to share a wonderful and pithy article I read on how pop culture sometimes ignores the potential for female heroes. NPR’s Peter Sagal, the host of the popular program “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” explains how in a great commentary. He went to see the new “Horton Hears a Who” movie with his three daughters and came out sputtering with irritation over a new plotline that involves the mayor of Whoville’s son — but ignores the mayor’s 96 daughters.
Here’s a quote from Peter’s essay:
And there’s this — not only does the movie end with father and son embracing, while the 96 daughters are, I guess, playing in a well, somewhere, but the son earns his father’s love by saving the world. Boys get to save the world, and girls get to stand there and say, I knew you could do it. How did they know he could do it? Maybe because they watched every other movie ever made?We got into the car outside the cinpeplex and I was quite in lather, let me tell you. How come one of the GIRLs didn’t get to save Whoville? I cried.
“Yeah!” said my daughters.
“And while we’re at it, how come a girl doesn’t get to blow up the Death Star! Or send ET home? Or defeat Captain Hook! Or Destroy the Ring of Power!”
You can read the full version here.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 at 10:14 am by Julie Moran Alterio.
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On a related note, I could ask why every time, when I see a man and a woman interact in an advertisement or a television show, the woman is strong, smart and in total control, while the man is a complete idiot?
This type of thing flows both ways.
Good morning, Julie… About 30 years ago, Harry Chapin had the best answer to “Why can’t the daughters do it”.. refer to his lyrics for the song, “Why do Little Girls”? (You can find these lyrics, and lyrics of other songs which suggest answers to some of life’s challanges at www.harrychapin.com/music).
-Ariana