Figure 1.--Here we see two little girls playing cowboys and induians with toy cap pistols. I recalkl that my cap pistol was one of nmy gasvirite toys in the 1940s-50s. I dot recall a single girl ever joining in annd suspect that most boys has similar experiences, although there may have been occasioinal girls.The same was true for BB guns. Of course we no longer see much play like this+ as modern mothers have unilaterally disarmed the American boy. The photograph was taken June 15, 1949 in Cleveland Ohio. we are guessing this was a staged photo and the girls are not really bplaying with the guns. They do not even seem to be hilding the guns correctly.

Another major factor in children's play is gender. Leading figutes in trhe women's movement would have us bneliece that therre are no inherent differences between boys girls amifested in play (dolls, toy guns, ect.). For ideological reasons, there is a desire ton pretebnd that boys and girld, menm and weomen are not different. This is stunning because it is women that are the primary care tskers of young children. And only a ideologically woman can fail to see the obviious inherent differences beyween boys and girkls. Of course many of the majofr leaders of the woman's movenment are not alkl that interested un family abnd children abnd ghus do not iobserve the behvior of small children at first hand. Now this is not to say that parental and other social influences are a factor/ And it is true that some boys like to play with dolls and that some girls (but not so many) like to play with toy guns. But the simple fact is that the vast majority of boys prefer toy guns and other action toys. While the vast majority of girls prefer to play with tolls and other care giving toys. ASnd wehile social influences enhasnce these preferences they do not create them. This issue has maifested itself in American politics when Supree Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson refused to answer the simple question, "Are men and women different?" (2022) Refusing to understand the inherent differences is leading to very poor social policies, especially in schools.

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Sources

Geary, David. "Sex Differences in Children’s Play Boys will be boys... or will they?" (October 15, 2019).

Created: 5:46 PM 1/21/2023
Last updated: 5:46 PM 1/21/2023