I’ve learned to face the facts – we live in a male-dominated society. However, women have been making their mark in the history books.
Our nation’s next vice president could possibly be a female. On a more local note, Bradley’s founder, president and student body president are all female as well. But we can’t leave it up to them to show others what women can do.
This is why I find it so frustrating when girls take for granted the progress women have made so far. It’s like we’re taking two steps forward and one step back.
I live in a house full of girls, and I can tell you right now it gets exasperating when the main topic of discussion is always boys. I find there are more important things to worry about, like classes, projects or world issues. But to many girls out there, boyfriend issues outweigh world issues.
Not to mention the standards of dating have been lowered drastically. Some girls are so fed up with being single they are ready to date just about anybody. I’ve seen girls get excited over ridiculous things such as when a guy makes her a drink at a party or buys her a cup at a kegger.
Really ladies? Is that what constitutes as a gentleman these days? What happened to those guys that would open doors and buy flowers for girls? The saddest part is when I was writing this column, nobody on staff could even think of chivalrous things guys could do – we had to Google them. If the standards are this low, and it keeps diminishing, then what will relationships be like in 10 years?
Maybe that’s the reason guys haven’t been making an effort – girls have been making things too easy for them. Why should they make an effort to date someone when girls are satisfied with any old thing thrown their way?
When I went back home for summer break the first thing friends and family members asked me was, “Do you have a boyfriend?” I hate to break it to you, but that’s not what I came to Bradley for. I was looking for an education, not a husband.
But can that turn out to be a bad thing? I tend to get a lot of shocked reactions from people when I tell them that I have no intention of getting married in the future. I might be breaking societal norms by doing so, but I really think it’s my decision to make.
But it made me wonder why it’s everyone’s goal in life to get married. People think if a man is unmarried he’s an untamable bachelor. But if a woman is unmarried, she must be a lonely, old cat lady. Maybe people are very career oriented and have other goals to fulfill, or maybe they just don’t like the institution of marriage.
And while people don’t expect girls to marry young anymore, they still expect them to get married eventually. While this doesn’t mean women have to drop everything to become homemakers, there are still certain expectations people think should be upheld. If men can hold off on marriage to develop their careers, women should be able to have the same opportunity and not be looked down upon.
I’m not a big fan of Gov. Sarah Palin, but I have to comment on the ridiculous amount of derogatory marks made against her.
Everyone says this is the most controversial election in history and the comments against Palin have been nonstop. I can’t tell you how many VPILF references I’ve heard. There are plenty of other reasons to put Palin down than the fact that she’s a woman, believe me.
The moral of the story is that guys need to go back to the period in time when they had to use manners and charm to date girls and to treat them with respect. As for girls, you need to act in a way that shows you need respect and nothing less, because now it’s our turn to rule the world.
Annabelle Vang is a sophomore journalism major from Pekin. She is a Scout copy editor.
Direct questions, comments and other responses to avang@bradley.edu.
