National Geographic Bee judge "believes the bee violates federal laws on gender equity because a large majority of the state winners are boys" - I guess boys can't have anything good in their lives, huh?

FTFYcent · 2011-02-02T17:27:32+00:00

The law is for equal opportunity, not equal achievement. Some people just don't seem to know the difference.

qaspok · 2011-02-02T21:05:39+00:00

I noticed that a majority of NBA players are black, that doesn't seem like racial equality to me.

privatejoker · 2011-02-02T14:33:16+00:00

I think women having kids violates the same gender equity law.

My god this world is becoming perversely stupid

MrLOL · 2011-02-02T17:00:47+00:00

Ratcheting effect: if girls are on top its ok, if boys are on top need to fix it; pretty soon girls are on top in everything. better watch out then as it will become increasingly difficult to find ways things to put down men.

The_Cake_Is_A_Lie · 2011-02-02T16:25:37+00:00

Having won a local Nat Geo Geography Bee in Junior High, I can honestly state that unless women aren't familiar with questions like "Name a renewable energy source", then there is no gender bias.

Nottooyoung · 2011-02-02T16:36:27+00:00

[permanently deleted]

fondueguy · 2011-02-02T16:39:13+00:00

More boys in special ed classes is fine. More girls in student office is finnneeee. More boys at something they like and do well in baddddd.

Ted_ex · 2011-02-02T23:18:38+00:00

My first thought was "What kind of contest do they have for bees?" After I realized it was human boys and girls, I thought they were talking about raising bees. I'm fucking retarded.

jaxiak · 2011-02-02T17:50:15+00:00

whoops http://www.maa.org/news/051010usamo.html

2011-02-02T19:05:16+00:00

The fact is, we are all born with different abilities dictated by our genetics. And for some, this will limit their abilities. But for those willing to push themselves, it is wrong for governments/institutions to create glass ceilings. Historically, glass ceilings have kept intelligent and able minorities from higher education and promising careers. But in this toxic atmosphere of political correctness... glass ceilings are being built to prevent others from feeling bad about themselves.

Government should only foster opportunity... not handicap the elite.

jaxiak · 2011-02-02T21:57:34+00:00

How do you even use sexual bias in a spelling bee? You either spelled the word right or you didn't....it doesn't matter what gender you are, and this isn't rocket science. wtf?

2011-02-02T23:31:37+00:00

When I participated in the 1992 Bee, most of the finalists were boys. Most of the semi-finalists were boys. Most of the state finalists were boys. Most of the people who entered the local bees were boys. There aren't more girls in the Bee for the same reason there aren't more women in computer science or software development: most of them can't be bothered.

AnnArchist · 2011-02-02T17:07:11+00:00

apparently credibility matters little to ND professors.

2011-02-03T00:33:28+00:00

Maybe...just maybe those girls could study harder.

imbetterthanmeth · 2011-02-03T04:13:17+00:00

I read the titlle and instantly thought 'OH GOD NOT THE BEES'

2011-02-03T05:48:27+00:00

Too bad. I was hoping for this to be a lot more crazy. At first glance I thought she was angry at nature for the fact that male drones are basically pacifists who get to just lazy about all day.

2011-02-03T06:12:51+00:00

Did anyone else think this was a nature magazines take on insects?

Key_Lime · 2011-02-02T18:21:11+00:00

So what happens if there is a discrepancy in the census database that shows that there is not a 50% - 50% population of males and females. Are they going to "balance" the sheets on that too?

Hristix · 2011-02-02T14:42:58+00:00

Not a men's rights issue. The issue is crazy people thinking that everyone is equal in everything, therefore any discrepancy means that there is intentional discrimination going on.

If a person wants to win a spelling bee, they'll study for it and have a better chance. It's just that guys tend to be more competitive in academics.

Theres_A_FAP_4_That · 2011-02-02T20:37:39+00:00

Maybe American men should pull an 'Atlas Shrugged' and move somewhere (we can bring fleshlights, porn and blow-up dolls) and see how they do without us for a few years.

Rows and rows of unopened pickle jars.....

swizzcheez · 2011-02-02T20:58:12+00:00

Does Eric Clausen's theory have a leg to stand on? Not from what's in the article.

Should having a rather foolish view of the world cost him his job? Not from what's in the article.

This is not the rallying cry you are looking for. Move along.

(Edit: typo)

vainamo- · 2011-02-02T22:54:15+00:00

Ridiculous.

aslkljkf · 2011-02-03T00:18:54+00:00

we must all be made equal under law

DiscoRage · 2011-02-03T03:17:29+00:00

Philosopher Walter Sobchak said it best.

2011-02-03T05:05:37+00:00

There can't be bias in a contest that's unarbitrarily decided (which I'm assuming a Geography Bee, being based on answering questions factually, is). Instead of looking to even the contest out, people should be studying the statistics for information on how girls think. Perhaps girls don't process the kind of information used as well as boys?

riverendsfine · 2011-02-03T06:12:14+00:00

can you feel that 'progress'? yeah!

SarahC · 2011-02-03T06:22:05+00:00

Only two national winners in the 19-year history of the bee have been boys.

Hmm?

SenselessNoise · 2011-02-03T06:53:10+00:00

I don't understand. Boys are better at a spelling bee because they know more about geography? And this, somehow, makes it unfair?

What's the solution? Girls get easier words? How does that make it fair?

2011-02-03T09:39:04+00:00

I read that article having no idea what a bee competition was. Now I know, this is crap. I'm a woman. I'm a feminist. This is patronising to women. "women arn't winning, lets lower the bar (because they're stupid)." It's the reverse of equality. I usually find women are smarter than men academically (or maybe more hard working, more mature? I'm talking from a post highschool perspective only). This professor is a man, he has no idea what he's on about in regard to what's equal for a woman - he's not one!

dlbear · 2011-02-03T13:18:30+00:00

Then there's my great-niece who's a county champion and came in 2nd in the District competition.

Mavlis · 2011-02-04T14:55:16+00:00

This article leaves out a lot of information that is very important:

What is the ratio, in total, of males to female entries at the very base end of the pool in terms of gender? I have nothing to base this on other than knowledge that, typically speaking, males tend to be attracted to and flourish more in competitive conditions - that there is a significant gender gap in terms of number of entrants into the entire competition by males.

When I was in high school I attended speech and debate tournaments, I've also been in competitive gaming, co-ed sports, competitive card-games, etc. and the ratio of males to females is always drastically skewed for males. This does not mean there is a failing on the side of women, nor that it is a failing of us to properly teach women - it is documented fact that males tend to be attracted to and perform better in general than females. It's also documented fact that females tend to perform better in cooperative environments. This is not sexist.

Sexist is not allowing females to enter the competition. It is not sexist, shocking or even eyebrow raising that males, on average, are doing better at a competitive event than females. Equality is about equal opportunity and is not about uniform equality in all aspects.

mean0dean0 · 2011-02-02T20:34:34+00:00

The solution to this pressing problem--give girls the answers beforehand. That way they'll succeed just as women have done throughout history--without doing any of the work themselves. /rant

nanomagnetic · 2011-02-02T16:38:14+00:00

good god that is a fucking stupid headline OP.

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