As you may know it isn't often I get to serious here, so allow me a bit of leeway here for a moment. I grew up going to the Girls and Boys Club in my area. During the summer Mom and Dad had full time jobs and during the school year the club being an inner city club had the best basketball. The Boys and Girls Club taught me many lessons on and off the court. However one thing I remember most not only growing up around it and later being a referee in the club leagues was how NOT to treat a woman. I can remember vividly cringing every time a woman came into the gym or entered any room for that matter. The way these young women where addressed "Yo Ma!" "Hey Bitch" "Ho!" The teachers where too afraid to discipline the kids for fear of the family backlash and the mentors had been taught it was OK!
I grew up knowing better. My parents would NEVER allow words like that to come out of my mouth. However Some parents let it slide and like most slippery slopes it always gets worse before it gets better. Before long I heard it in school and even in my own suburban neighborhood. I have 2 daughters and when it came time to find a after school program for them I was horrified to even be thinking about the Boys and Girls Club.
So here we are 2014 and you see all over the news stories about pro athletes assaulting their wives. You hear about sexual assault happening on college campuses around the nation and one day I am going to let me daughters attend one of these school. But that shirt although horrible placement of the message! (Really across the breasts on a white T?!) I was amazed I even read the message! I am still a man that can appreciate a woman's figure though I hope I did it in a subtle and classy way... But that T-shirt represents something more. Schools are now having to go back and not only do damage control and say this behavior is not OK. Even better they are taking steps now in the middle and high schools even here in small cities such as Sanford, Maine. A blue collar town that could easily see itself on that same slippery slope. They are reaching these young men and women NOW!
My point being this should have been done long ago. Long before the NFL had to make a player conduct policy when it comes to sexual assault and long before this became an epidemic. However as we know we are a reactive instead of a pro-active society. So only now are schools jumping on this and doing the job the parents should be doing at home. Do not leave this merely to the educators. Be a parent that cares. Be a parent that can see this problem from both sides of the coin and educate these kids before it is too late! So for once I am going to say GREAT JOB to the schools that are making this a priority because it has absolutely no place in our society. This is an issue that needs to come to a halt and thank you for taking it head on. Preach to these kids no while you can. This is an alarming issue especially to me as a parent of two young women! This must stop!
Cheers!
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