: I disagree. I believe the idea of this slide (and a related one about
: positive/negative traits in girls) is to show how boys who don't abide by
: the normal school-age gender ideals are ostracized, and how our society
: (through many avenues, including video game characters) molds boys to fit
: a set pattern. This has damaging effects not only on those who do not (or
: choose not to) fit the mold, but also has damaging effects on the future
: men who will have unreasonable expectations of their own privilege.

: For example, why is "easily upset" (ie: "emotional") seen
: as a negative trait? Many great people are emotional. It's difficult to be
: a great artist, a crusader for social justice, or even a political leader
: without getting upset about injustices in the world.

: Why is being a "snitch" seen as a negative? Shouldn't abiding by
: the rules and wisdom be seen as qualities to be balanced with loyalty to
: your friends?

: Why is being "awkward" seen as a negative? Should people be
: ostracized and bullied because they don't fit in a preconceived notion of
: how people "should" act? We're talking about people who walk or
: talk a little funny in their teenage years. Being awkward pretty much
: describes a person's teenage years.

: Why is "tries too hard" seen as a negative? Shouldn't we want
: children who put effort into things and are proud of their
: accomplishments? The student who works hard and trains hard shouldn't be
: picked on for their efforts.

: Why is "backs down" seen as a negative? Boys are encouraged to be
: confrontational and often have their "manhood" questioned if
: they back down from a physical fight. I think in this day and age we
: should first promote non-violent solutions to problems.

: Why would we want to encourage a society where people are ostracized for
: being short, disabled, fat, or poor, qualities that children have little
: to no control over?

: These are all qualities that are not necessarily bad things; They can have
: a negative spin attached to them. Questioning the manhood of disabled
: people is a rotten thing to do, IMO.

: Notice, too, that the chart does not have qualities like "nice" and
: "mean", or "fair" and "unfair." Those are
: the type of universal qualities that people can agree are categorically
: positive and negative.

: The main question of the article and the presentation is not "What makes
: a man a man?" It's "Why do our children have this impression of
: strength and manhood? And is that healthy?" I think the answer to
: that last question is a resounding "no."

I disagree with your points that those things shouldn't be negative, but I also think that people focus too much on what someone should be. Yes I think that all things should be balanced. You SHOULD get upset over injustice and serious issues, but the phrase "easily upset" to me implies something different than that, it implies someone getting angry over something small. Just like being a "snitch" has more implications than just obeying rules. Now I bring those up not because I disagree with your overall point, I just wanted to make a point that there are more than just the general ideas that can have universally desirable traits. I'm fine with focusing on the idea that there shouldn't be gender stereotypes, but I also think there are universal traits we can all agree are good.