what we teach little boys . . .

For some strange reason known only to Facebook, I cannot share this video on my facebook account. Whaaaat? Personally, I think its brilliant, and I did share it several years ago to my personal fb page, but it came up in my memories today and I thought it worthy of bringing it front of mind. Well, not according to facebook. They warned that my account has been restricted because of it. Oh bruuuther. I have my theories about key words fb is programmed to detect, and yes, I realize that they cannot spare human hours to find those key words, and machines cannot be reasoned with . . . . . .

But in the meantime, this wonderful demonstration interviews several young boys, who appear ‘normal’ and average in every way. They prove themselves however, to be extraordinary when push comes to shove. The first time I watched it, it brought tears to my eyes. Wouldn’t it be nice if they could actually ‘influence’ the behaviour of adults, who sometimes justify their own sense of right and wrong. You can see the boys struggle with the seemingly innocent instruction to ‘hit’ a girl. Unfortunately, you start to wonder about one or two of them, but in the end their gentle inner voices prevail. They are each examples of what Thomas S. Monson taught “May we ever choose the harder right, instead of the easier wrong.” One has to wonder if there were others who were initially part of the ‘experiment’ but who failed and so not included in the video. Oh I hope not.

In this world, too many still justify violence against women. Even some who are idealistically against it in principle, find ways to rationalize their behaviour when they choose to give in to “the easier wrong.” In some cultures it is completely accepted, and horrendous crimes perpetuated against women go unpunished because society justifies it. This is a discussion that should be had around the dinner table over and over again. President Ronald Reagan said it best — “All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So, tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins.”  Well I am not American, but I completely concur with what he says. Truth is truth, and is irrefutable, so let me take a minor liberty: “All great change begins at the dinner table.” God bless our dinner tables. God bless our homes.

A good film to show your families, and an important topic to discuss. Every where.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle