In this compelling PragerU five minute video, Dr. Christina Hoff Sommers tells us that being a “normal boy” is a “serious liability in today’s classroom.” Schools are becoming less tolerant of what used to be called simply, “boyishness.” You know, running around and getting into things!

She says that Michael Thompson points out that little girl’s behavior is considered the gold standard of behavior in school, while typical boys are treated like defective girls. Boys get lower grades, receive less honors, and are less likely to go to college. Even though she is a devout feminist, she is an honest feminist and she admits that this is not a recipe for a productive society. And unlike many feminists, she doesn’t hate men.

Four reforms she suggests:

1. Turn Boys Into Readers
2. Inspire the Male Imagination
3. Zero Out “Zero Intolerance”
4. Bring Back Recess

PragerU says of the video: “What ever happened to letting “boys be boys?” Take these two cases: In one, a seven-year-old boy was sent home for nibbling a Pop Tart into a gun. In another, a teacher was so alarmed by a picture drawn by a student (of a sword fight), that the boy’s parents were summoned in for a conference. In short, boys in America’s schools are routinely punished for being active, competitive, and restless. In other words, boys can no longer be boys. Christina Hoff Sommers, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, explains how we can change this.”

Christina Hoff Sommers is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where she studies the politics of gender and feminism, as well as free expression, due process, and the preservation of liberty in the academy. Before joining AEI, Dr. Sommers was a philosophy professor at Clark University.

She is best known for her defense of classical liberal feminism and her critique of gender feminism. Her books include “Freedom Feminism—Its Surprising History and Why It Matters Today” (AEI, 2013); “One Nation Under Therapy” (St. Martin’s Press, 2005), coauthored with Sally Satel; “The War Against Boys” (Simon & Schuster, 2001 and 2013), which was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 2001; and “Who Stole Feminism?” (Simon & Schuster, 1995). Her textbook, “Vice and Virtue in Everyday Life,” currently in its ninth edition, is a bestseller in college ethics.

Her writings have appeared in publications such as The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. In addition to frequent radio and television appearances, Dr. Sommers is the host of the popular video blog, The Factual Feminist.

Dr. Sommers has a PhD in philosophy from Brandeis University and a BA from New York University.

We'd love to hear your thoughts about this article. Please take a minute to share them in the comment section by clicking here. Or carry the conversation over on your favorite social network by clicking one of the share buttons below.

 
 
 

Join the conversation!

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.