“They’re chicks that run their mouths to other parts of the city,” Allen said. “They cause a lot of violence.” Boston Globe
Maria Cramer of the Boston Globe wrote an article called “Girl Power,” that is about how the Boston School District is holding school assemblies where girls are being taught that the spiraling violence in Boston’s streets is THEIR FAULT! Its not the fault of the young men who are engaging in all of the bloodshed, but the girls. Police can’t stop it. The city can’t stop it. The adults in the school district can’t figure it out, so the school district, along with a Clergyman ripped a page right out of Genesis and decided to Blame “females” for all that ails the world. So what if they are only 14 and 15.
OMG. I’ve said this about dozen times on this blog that young Black girls are held to a ridiculous high level of responsibility for all that goes wrong in the world. I most recently wrote about this last week in In Search of the Perfect Black Girl Victim: Dymond Milburn.
On numerous occasions both men and women have basically said that if Black girls didn’t do X, Y, Z, then none of these horrible things would have happened. Well in the Boston Public School district they are rolling a program that does exactly THAT. It is basically teaching young Black and Brown girls that they and other girls are responsible for boys engaging in violence. So lets see. If you are sexually assaulted, you were too fast. If you are disrespected, you were wearing the wrong clothes. If you get harassed while walking down the street, you shouldn’t have taken that route, and now, if boys beat the heck out of each other, it is because you were a “set up chick.”
WOW. Just WOW! I would love for there to be a program teaching young men that THEY are responsible for their actions. That they, as human beings, have the power of free will. That while their judgment is impaired until around age 25, there are severe consequences for their actions. But no, as always, its young girls who are forced to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders in addition to teaching them at an extremely young age that OTHER women an girls are untrustworthy conniving “set up chicks”. Um and who do you think came up with THAT phrase?
During school assemblies, the girls are told to realize that fights among themselves, spats with their boyfriends, even idle gossip or a dirty look can spark a chain reaction that leads to bloodshed. The campaign asks young women to acknowledge the part they play in a culture of violence. It is a marked shift from the traditional calls for peace that usually ask young men to put down their guns.
High school boys “won’t listen to their parents or their teachers,” said Michael Hennessey, the assistant chief of the Boston School Police. “It’s the girls who have a shortcut to the way these kids will react, and it’s a very important thing for them to know and a lot of them don’t realize it.”…..
As part of this program in Boston schools, there is a role play:
The play is the most dramatic tool of the campaign. Two young actresses, who are coalition employees, play high school students and best friends named Rochelle and Patricia.
The plot is simple: Rochelle has a violent fight with her boyfriend, an apparent drug dealer who slaps her after she spends his money on clothes[where is the Girl Power?]; Patricia, furious over the abuse, vows to have her man, a rival of Rochelle’s boyfriend, seek vengeance[so its wrong for a man to defend a woman who is getting the crap beaten out of her? or was it wrong for Rocelle to talk to a friend about being abused> is the message to keep your mouth shut if you're getting beaten up?]. In the last scene, Patricia’s boyfriend is calling his friends.
The performance stops there, but the outcome is tragically predictable – someone will be shot. The story is fictional, culled from different tales TenPoint coalition employees have heard from teenagers they see regularly. To many of the 200 teenage girls who saw it recently at the Community Academy of Science and Health in Hyde Park, it was like watching everyday life unfold in their auditorium.
“Females do have a lot of say. . . . A lot of the drama that happens on the street is over a female,” said Samantha Allen, a 17-year-old senior with short brown hair that sloped over her forehead.
Allen said there is a name for girls who, either wittingly or unwittingly, initiate conflicts through their boyfriends, brothers, or male friends. They’re called “set-up chicks,” she said. Boston Globe.com
But the role play involves a battered teenage girl reaching out to a friend because she is getting beaten up and as a result of speaking out about her victimization, SHE’S responsible because someone shoots her abusive boyfriend???? WTH? I am surprised that this reporter didn’t challenge the people who crafted this program. It isn’t surprising that a preacher started a program blaming girls for all that ails the world after all, he likely believes that its Eve’s fault for biting that apple in the Garden of Eden. I think their hearts are in the right place, but this is a cop out. You say what?
Contact Info
Here is the contact info for the Boston Public School Superintendent’s Office. The contact information for the Boston Mayor’s Office and the contact information for the Ten Point Coalition, the people responsible for this “role play.” I sent all three an email and the suggestion that they review this “role play”
If they are going to teach this message, they ought to at least make sure every staffer responsible has read Jody Miller’s Getting Played one of many studies about violence against teenage girls. Blaming the victim is worse than doing nothing at all.
38 comments ↓
More ridiculousness from hanging around too many damaged Black people.
There is a lot to be said for watching the company you keep. Amen to Faith’s comments.
I suggest we use our Christmas and Easter church plays as vehicles for allowing young people to act out plays that reflect real issues (like domestic violence), instead of retelling a story almost everyone there already knows.
Maybe instead of the liturgical dancing (almost always performed by young women) in church, we should have short monologues on critical issues presented by these young women.
I don’t know if the mostly male ministers would approve, but I am for using every opportunity and taking every opening to tell the stories and truth that need to be told.
This is the same way the soceity treat the rape-victims. Is all about what did you do or how did you dress or who can you say no to your husband… this goes on and on
A lot of churches even in Nigeria blame women for the violence melted out to them
It really so wrong to make victims of abuse feel the have done something to deserve it. Women are always at the receive ends of such. This is so unfair and must change
When all else fails blame the brown chicks.
i wanted to cuss out loud when i read this…but it probably would have engendered some violence…
Unbelievable. This is pure mysogyny.
Good looking out. I am emailing all of them NOW. This is beyond ridiculous.
*Blank effin stare*
If his status ain’t hood, I ain’t checkin’ for him
Better be street if ya lookin’ at me
I need a soldier
That ain’t scared to stand up for me
Known to carry big things, if you know what I mean
If his status ain’t hood, I ain’t checkin’ for him
Better be street if ya lookin’ at me
I need a soldier
That ain’t scared to stand up for me
Gotta know to get dough and he better be street
I know some soldiers in here (where they at, where they at)
They wanna take care of me (where they at)
I know some soldiers in here (where they at, where they at)
Wouldn’t mind puttin’ that on me (where they at)
Why deny the obvious? Teenage girls have some power over boys and can influence their decisions. Why is that controversial? This is not to place blame on girls but merely acknowledges reality.
If Beyonce and her friends want soldiers they will get them and if girls want to be like Beyonce and her friends they will dance like Beyonce and they try to make the same demands as Beyonce.
Let us use whatever power we can to tackle this problem.
Ok. I sent several emails and I am anxious to see if I get any response.
I can’t believe it, but I guess I have got to believe it. I have been noticing that some women are advocating that BW have got to get out. I now see why.
It has all started to really congeal in my brain now.
I am so livid my head is spinning. How can they blame the babies? They can’t take care of and protect themselves and they are expected to be responsible for others?
This beyond sick.
*very confused* well, again, as usually, because black men refuse to change or do their part, it is assumed that we black women should take up the slack. whatever.
thanks for the emails gina
So how is this any different from blaming men when women willingly shake their butts on music videos or willingly sell their bodies on the streets? Men are blamed for that.
And this article was not racially specific.
Where is the outcry by Black women whose children are a part of this school system? Having 5 daughters I hope that where ever they are exposed to this type of miseducation they would speak up in the classroom setting and inform me as their parent.
As a society too many that are in positions of influence over others in our own communities are actually clueless.
Unfortunately, the seed has been planted and too many will youth will follow this nonsense.
A year of reading your blog has convinced me my duty as a black woman of conscious is to call black male foolishness out – and accept the beatdown the black men will surely throw my way. Then I’ll know I’m doing the right thing. It’s all your fault!
Vinindy,
I would be concerned for your safety- literally. You know some BM have no qualms about actually beating you down and will be more likely to get away with it too.
I think a safer option would be to encourage BW and girls to put themselves first – whether in reaction to their foolishness they must move from neighborhoods, marry out, limit or eliminate contact in some black churches and organizations, stop spending money on entertainers who degrade us etc.
It is not your responsibility to coddle men/boys into being decent human beings to themselves or towards you and other BW/girls.
@Oshun there is no such thing as “safety.” Trust me there are plenty of Black women who did everything “right” that ended up being “unsafe.”
That being said, there is a time and a place and a way to do everything. When Moses tried to mount a revolution of ONE, he ended up in Midian. Together you would be surprised what a small group of determined people can do.
@Vivindy I hope you share ways that you are going to combat the War on Black WOmen and Girls with the rest of us. I too am interested in moving offline to take our argument to those who need to hear it most
This has got to be a joke.
You mean to tell me that someone actually did their “research”, wrote up a proposal, and it was approved by a school board.
Or is everyone just smoking crack up at that school board.
WTF kind of bullshit ass program is this? And it was started by a preacher? WTH ever happened to “separation of church and state”?
For the love of god, does the assault against girls/women ever end?
*walks away in disgust*
This is totally disgusting!
This is some extraordinary bullshit.
Maybe, IF lots of conflicts are started over a “female” (what the hell is A female?), it would help if we taught MEN to stop treating them as property? People and gangs fight over their PROPERTY. This wouldn’t happen if people didn’t see women as their property, but as individuals who had a right to date/sleep with whoever the hell they wanted.
I had abusive boyfriend in high school and heard this kinda shit *all the time*-and everytime I did, I went back to him. Thanks for the PTSD, assholes.
And yes, my abuser stopped being aggressive to other people when I “took responsibility” and he had ME to beat up on and rape behind closed doors. I have a feeling that’s what they want-men taking out their anger and control issues on their partners, where it will go unreported, rather than on the streets. God, I feel sick over this.
Disgusting. E-mail(s) sent.
Yet another lame-ass attack on Black females.
I want an all Black-female state, just like the Jews have Israel, an all-Jewish state. When we have an all-Black female state, then maybe this anti-Black female bs will stop.
Females of all ages use more relational aggression against other women and men – this relative inability and unwillingness to associate in a friendly and free way with their own sex is one thing, but bitchiness against members of the other sex is how women sex segregate. Sex segregation leads to aggression in men and women, which leads to evolutionary increases in brain capacity for greater aggression. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the science indicates that being a bitch is not good for peace on Earth. While the religious overtones and emphasis on BLACK women as perpetuators of aggression is definitely misplaced, the general thrust of the scheme should be commended. By the way, in general, men ARE held responsible for theirs and OTHERS actions, as we are deemed the guilty patriarchs, if not before, then at least by the time our balls drop (which is one reason why we do more time for the same crimes, and why women have several mitigating female-only excuses for crime (like ‘he made me do it.’). All the scientific studies show it is women who actually hold control over men (Although less so, black women over black men). Black females should indeed be commended, for they have twice the work ethic of white and Asian women, and so, by taking a fuller part in the workforce, contribute to the dismantling of sex segregation. It is a credit to black women’s ethical radar, that they, although probably the least worst offender among women in the being a bitch stakes, can nevertheless show willing to acknowledge women’s capacity for violence-causing aggression, where other groups of women have yet to.
how dare they.
@tom so are you saying men can’t control themselves?
I’m all for being on guard about misguided ‘education’ which is ultimately victim blaming, but I think this is example may be a bit unfair.
1. the boston globe was covering a story-not personally claiming the thoughts and ideas therein ( so the title of this blog is misleading)
2. The basic elements within the program COULD be positive. By telling girls that they have the ears of the boys they hang out with/date, the program leaders aren’t (necessarily) blaming them, but revealing power within them. There is a big difference between “way to let your BF shoot that guy, it’s all your fault for wearing a skirt and being weak” and letting someone know they have an influence and they are not powerless. That their actions and words effect (positively and negatively situations)
4. Last time I checked it’s always a good idea to tell someone “hey, maybe the best way to solve yur abused friend’s problem ISN’T to have your boyfriend shoot her boyfriend and land in jail.” Nothing is said about what was suggested as different solutions (such as going to counselors, police, parents) in fact the article was pretty short and uniformative, but that doesn’t mean the program was.
Jumping up and down and huffing every time a situation can be veiwed as sexist racist classist or any other form of intolerant without knowing the facts puts a bad mark on any movement towards tolerance, equality and broader thinking.
It’s like they thought “The schools can’t stop the violence, the parents can’t stop it and the police can’t stop it – fuck it, whatever, let’s blame the girls! It’s all on you now, ladies, it’s your fault and now it’s up to you to stop it. Not our problem anymore, maahaa!”
I think the better interpretation of what Tom is saying is that he’s a clueless douchebag who should go somewhere else and stop making sweeping generalizations about issues he obviously has no hope of understanding.
Wow. This is very interesting. I did see the article when it was published. Frankly, I didn’t read it the way in which the blogger did. My sense was not that the author (or the program creators) was “blaming” the blk girls at all. It was instead an acknowledgement that most violence prevention programs in urban areas target male violence, as both victims and perpetrators. (Too often violence against women falls under the domestic violence program agenda–and the two tend to be separate). This new program speaks directly to what youth workers, counselors and girls themselves see and say is going on. Frankly, in my own work with girls I’ve heard them talk about girls’ culpability in “starting shit” that they know the boys will finish. Of course this is not the behavior of ALL (black) girls, but it does capture the experiences of some girls. While I appreciate the voices of women who wish to stand up and defend (black) women against false accusations (that we are responsible for men’s violence), this particular program was created in direct response to what youth workers were hearing and seeing on the ground. The girls who behave in this way do so for a variety of reasons ranging from having been victims of abuse themselves to internalizing problematic images of masculinity and loads of reasons in between. Without a doubt there are probably better ways to talk about girls instigating male violence than was mentioned in this article, but that’s the fault of the newspaper editor. It doesn’t mean that the entire idea should be discredited. Sometimes there is a temptation to think of girls as faultless victims, and often they are. But to deny this reality of culpability in some instances is to do a disservice to our efforts to eradicate youth violence, particularly in low income communities of color.
To 25. Gem2001, who asks if I’m saying men can’t control themselves, I would say men can control themselves under normal circumstances, however the actions of unthinking and/or malicious women manufacture abnormally or unnecessarily hostile circumstances, a case in point, the comment here from 28. Ayla, who says I am stupid and a douchebag and should go somewhere else, because I know nothing of what I speak. Ayla exhibits aggression, attempting to define this space as her own,
then attempts to disparage my knowledge base rather than address it. I have an IQ of 131, am studying a Masters in Gender at a super elite university, and am informed by scientific findings, which do indicate women have a distinct role in creating violent conditions.
One of the ways women have done this, is by sex segregation, which includes the formation of women-only special interest groups. It is so wonderful feministing.com is not one of those immature women-only places.
My main criticism of the Reverend Jessie Brown’s seminars, is that the audience appear to be all-female, as if these young women need to be separated from the men in order for them to be able to cope with the personal reflection, when I feel it would be more helpful to include young men in the classes, as representative of the inclusive free association required between the sexes for mature and peaceful evolutionary gains. I e-mailed the Rev asking him why he’s preaching to all girls, and will let you know if he gets back to me.
Are we really suprised by this BS?
I just read today that the Vatican “thinks” women on the pill are responsible for male infertility due to peeing estrogen into the sewer system. No, it has nothing to do with all the chemicals being released into the environment from the plastic companies, etc.
I believe women are and have always been the scapegoats for “MAN”kind. If MEN have nothing else to blame it on, they will blame it on women no matter what. When do men take responsibility for their actions? Or do they? I’ve not seen it happen yet.
Oh, and for the record Tom is an absolute f’ing idiot who needs to crawl back under his rock!
The usual ad hominem insults and rhetoric aside, Pagan (31), women are ultimately held less accountable for their bad actions than men. This is clear, historically, and persists to this day. In the middle ages, women could plead ‘the belly’ to avoid execution for crimes which carried the death penalty for men. In Victorian times, the legal principal of femme covert held that married women could not be held responsible for their crimes, if committed in the presence of their husbands, who were deemed to be in control of their wife’s brain, so often the man would have to do his wife’s gaol time. And today, there remain around eight or ten female-only mitigating excuses for crime, resulting in less prosecutions of women, and less severe sentencing, to the point that gender is by far the single biggest determining profile when measuring severity of punishment (more than race). A US county released all its female prisoners the other month. I am however, not saying we blame and prosecute men more now than we used to for all the world’s ills, because we don’t. Thanks to the non-bitchy strands of feminism, we have started holding women to the gold standard of equality, resulting in less chivalrous placation of bad female behaviours, as with this brave attempt by Rev Jesse Brown to move the debate on a bit, and look at the underlying causes among women. We know for instance, all the reliable scientific research shows women initiate more relational aggression than men, and women initiate more interpersonal violence than men, although in both cases, there is not much difference. I am staggered that a few of you still express a difficulty to acknowledge women’s part in the violence perpetuation chain, and am surprised some of you express that male violence is always blamed on women, when to my knowledge, this is the first time I have seen a major mainstream programme address women’s roles in men’s violence, and the first time it has been covered by a mainstream media outlet. Perhaps you can provide dozens of other examples of mainstream media pointing the finger at women, as we all do when addressing men’s role in what is afterall, their own violence. Please give us all some mainstream factual media examples from within the alleged female blaming orthodoxy, if it exists. Experimental psychology gives us more and more reliable non-ideological insight into the ways women can manipulate men, and the ways women can form cliques to exclude men, causing the conditions for greater male on male competition, leading to more risk-taking behaviours, accidents, fights, suicides and murders. It is to be commended that the community groups on the ground are at last beginning to reject the angel puff fairy wing myths about women, and address women as mature adults who can take criticism, when reflecting on the human race’s emerging discoverys about itself. I believe women can handle the truth about ALL the route causes of male violence, and that they do not need to be placated to do the right thing, but will reject male hazing practices such as sex-segregation, gold digging, coyness, socially darwinistic disparagement, and misandry, on principal. I believe women do not want their men to be fighters and killers, and if it is made clear how female behaviours towards men can lead to peace or violence, women will choose to treat men with a greater degree of civility, thus ameliorating what might be described as the male condition, allowing increasingly peaceful evolution. Can http://www.feministing.com and its followers work candidly and transparently with the facts though?
Rule of thumb – whenever someone brags about their I.Q., that person is either overstating their score, quoting a score from some bogus online quiz, or has the social skills of a squid.
Nobody is denying the existence of women who maneuver weak and irresponsible men into violence in order to satisfy the women’s ambition. It’s up to the men to show a little backbone in such cases, and refuse. Does anyone think that Macbeth was blameless?
On the other hand, FAR MORE women would prefer to have their men safe and whole, and wish that the men would STFU in men’s dominance games often ending in violence. A dead or imprisoned man is not much of a lover, husband, or friend. Lysistrata, anyone? Sadly, that strategy doesn’t work in real life, where many men will just backhand (or worse) women that ask them to stand down from fights and to ignore insults.
So far as I am concerned, the primary responsibility lies in the hands holding the actual weapon. Any projection that a man puts on a woman – “I am doing this for HER” – as a reason for initiating violence is just that – HIS projection. Don’t assume she wants her man to fight – and if she does make this demand, just leave her (assuming she isn’t being mauled at that moment) – she’s not worth it.
Teen boys need to take responsibility for their own actions and not blame others.
Teen girls need to take responsibility for their own actions – and ONLY their own actions.
As long as teen boys (and “grown” men) see violence as the epitome of manliness, there will be bloodshed over any handy pretext.
Nancy, personal insults aside (civility in action), you appear to be underemphasizing the degree to which women elect men to positions of dominance (or more accurately, prominence) and not just the stupid men (Aries, E. 1996, Oxford). The research shows men do what women want in general, both in relationships, and in the pursuit of relationships. This needs to change, for obvious humanitarian reasons, which to some extent, involves women returning the civility or chivalrous deference afforded them by men, to men, to the point of reciprocity, which women currently fall short on, both in terms of social skills (too coy, failing to bring the interesting conversational topics, failing to make jokes, etc. and with an eagerness to judge information divulged by men, but with a relative unwillingness to divulge information to men (Aries, 1996). Also, there is a lack of reciprocity during sex from females (i.e. selfish passive behaviour with an unwillingness to initiate and reciprocate), and this is by women’s own admissions (BBC, Nationwide anonymous sex survey 2002).
You also seem to be ignoring the conditions which perpetuate violence, which basically boils down to whether or not the men have FREE access to the native females for sex, or whether or not they have to fight/pay to get some. The degree to which females allow free association dictates the degree to which men can stop aggressing other men, and start living like as level 2 humans. Obviously, women cannot be expected to sleep with every man just to alleviate his destructive potential, but I think there is room for improvement when it comes to young (attractive) women holding court, managing their suitors in a more civil and less erratic way, without playing them off against each other (I’ve had more than one female suitor at a time, but I have never played them off against each other!) If you are a young attractive woman who has a lot of guys sniffing around, then you should have plenty of experience to develop the social skills to brush them off effectively, and politely, and without necessarily withdrawing yourself and your other female cohorts entirely from his company, but this behaviour is seen as women’s innate business which cannot be criticized (until now), although by the feminist standard of the personal being the political, there perhaps is room to step up the cultural war against these all too typically cruel rejections, marginalisations, and isolations seen as fair game by most non-feminist women up until this point. Men may not be so great at taking a very subtle non-commital hint that a woman is not interested in him sexually, but equally, many women could do with brushing up their skills to make a rejection MORE than a hint, so the man is left in NO doubt that more chivalry, nuptual gift offerings, and aggression against other suitors will not be required either.
Then there is the whoary old question of whoremongery. Perversely, many a young women today will disparage another young women who gives sex away for free, by calling her a whore – this gives a flavour of the backlash against feminism, by young women. It’s women who set the prices, and unfortunately, there is little evidence those prices are coming down, and despite recent economic prosperity, prostitution has remained constant (Bernstein, 2008), so the old argument about poverty leading to prostitution no longer washes.
Can you in all honesty, look yourself in your feminist face, and say you have done enough to eradicate the large residue of backward female traits listed here?
If you can, then please tell us how we can convince those less evolved non-feminist women to take up the same cause. Can they be trusted/challenged with the truth, or do they need more victim-feminist sidetracking?
Truely stupid people posted here. The article was about how young girls could be an influence on their males peers. That’s all. Nothing more. Look at the influence women had on the “wild west”. They are the reason the “wild west” was so short-lived. Females have a smoothing effect on males. Everybody knows that. Not everybody admits it, tho. I applaud the effort by The Boston School District for some forward social thinking.
Also, Glenn Sacks is running an interesting piece about false allegation of rape on his site, suggesting young women should be given advice about how to give consent, and how not to falsely accuse after the sex. The argument is that innocent men are taught about not raping, so innocent women should be taught about not falsely accusing – makes total sense to me.
I see the usual clueless haters of Black females have shown up with their nonsense, stupid “logic”, and lame-ass “reasons” for why EVERYTHING BAD IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY/WHOLE WORLD is Black female’s fault.
So tired, so lame, so old.
NancyP:
“Don’t assume she wants her man to fight – and if she does make this demand, just leave her (assuming she isn’t being mauled at that moment) – she’s not worth it.”
Ms. Nancy, you’re assigning full-grown adult logic to a child. I don’t currently have the research to back up my supposition like Tom (although I suspect if I looked for it over the next few days I could find it) but I’m thinking the cycle of “girl says ignorant stuff to get guy to do someting ignorant to prove his love for her” or guy does something ignorant to prove his manhood” won’t be broken until BOTH the male and the female see their part in the cycle. That takes either experience or adult-level reasoning.
I posit that most of the children we’re talking about haven’t been taught that level of reasoning nor have they seen it modelled, i.e. they’re getting their ideas about what boys and girls should be doing from popular media instead of Cosby-esque families in their environment.
@Tom, from a cursory reading of your statements, it sounds like you’re parroting the “its-the-Girls-fault” line of thought with your talk of sex segregation being a female trait with the poor misunderstod boys being forced to compete for female attention. Although that may be part of the root cause, you can’t ignore Male beliefs – i.e. beliefs in what Manhood is.
You ever read Na’im Akbar’s Visions for Black Men? You may want to start there with a cogent definition of Manhood and then figure out how you can get Males to that point while also getting Females to realize their part in the cycle.
Teen boys need to take responsibility for their own actions and not blame others.
Teen girls need to take responsibility for their own actions – and ONLY their own actions.
As long as teen boys (and “grown” men) see violence as the epitome of manliness, there will be bloodshed over any handy pretext.