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[cubanb]

if i saw him playing with dolls, id replace them with some Gi joes.

 

[belgurdo]

if i saw him playing with dolls, id replace them with some Gi joes.

So you'd replace his dolls with dolls?

 

[MrPing1000]

yes because i fear playing with action men will result in them trying to cut their penises off.



yeah u hadn't thought of that HAD YOU!

 

[Sledn]

sorry, already been said...

 

[norinrad21]

my little bro has a handbag,

carrys his cars in it! so amusing.

hahahahaha

 

[Loki]

Feminist propaganda. Prove it.

Gotta agree with Cyan on this one; there is a substantial body of literature showing that the tendency to play with certain types of toys, or to engage in certain types of play, is pretty much innate. The studies were done with families who didn't object to allowing their children to play with anything they wanted to, action figure or doll, or in any way they wanted to, cooperatively or as a competition, aggressively or passively; they found that, even in the absence of the socializing forces that are usually believed to nudge a child towards this-or-that behavior, young boys were more likely to play with traditionally "male" toys, and vice-versa for females. This also extended to the type of play they engaged in with their peers, both its nature (cooperative/competitive) and level of "rowdiness". The results were statistically significant, and several such studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals. So to say that those seeming predispositions are all attributable to patterns of socialization and acculturation is a bit wrong. Certainly, in the typical development of a child, socialization plays a huge role-- but apparently there's something biological/innate about certain aspects of male/female recreation and socializing, be it genetic or hormonal or what have you.

 

[Azala]

Gotta agree with Cyan on this one; there is a substantial body of literature showing that the tendency to play with certain types of toys, or to engage in certain types of play, is pretty much innate. The studies were done with families who didn't object to allowing their children to play with anything they wanted to, action figure or doll, or in any way they wanted to, cooperatively or as a competition, aggressively or passively; they found that, even in the absence of the socializing forces that are usually believed to nudge a child towards this-or-that behavior, young boys were more likely to play with traditionally "male" toys, and vice-versa for females. This also extended to the type of play they engaged in with their peers, both its nature (cooperative/competitive) and level of "rowdiness". The results were statistically significant, and several such studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals. So to say that those seeming predispositions are all attributable to patterns of socialization and acculturation is a bit wrong. Certainly, in the typical development of a child, socialization plays a huge role-- but apparently there's something biological/innate about certain aspects of male/female recreation and socializing, be it genetic or hormonal or what have you.

Which brings it down to, would refusing those with a preference one way or another make a difference in outcome? No, but it could internalize some shame, embarassment and instill other issues.

 

[TheQueen'sOwn]

I used to make my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures have sex with my sisters Barbie dolls :S lol. Shredder would always come in and enslave the Barbie dolls. Then the TMNTs would save the Barbies and later have hot teenage mutant ninja turtle sex.

 

[Cimarron]

power puff girls dolls are acceptable. Hell I would let him play with barbie dolls... if he had a sister. And it also depends on what he is doing with the dolls. If duke is dry ramming barbie it is permissable. Also if skipper and and snake eyes are knife fighting it is A-OK with me. How ever if destro is going over to barbies house for tea and crumpets.... its time for a slap on the back of the head.

 

[Suerte]

How ever if destro is going over to barbies house for tea and crumpets.... its time for a slap on the back of the head.

...

 

[Mejilan]

My brother and I had Voltron and Legos, my sister and Barbie and Legos.

Since my sister and I were close in age, we'd swap toys all the time, as well as play together. Hence, I grew up realizing that there wasn't much a different between "dolls" and "action figures." A realization that continues to this day, even though I haven't touched either in over half my life.

 

[Mumbles]

So, would you let your kid play with dolls and "girly" things if they wanted? I know no parent wants their kid to have gender confusion but where does letting kid develop naturally end and a parent trying to shape who their kid is?

Eh, whatever. People can blabber about "action figures" all they want, but they're just dolls for boys. And besides, I'm a bit confused by the idea that playing with Barbie is considered gay, but the panty-wearing S&M freak He-man (and his friend "Ram-man") aren't.

 

[Dragmire]

Gotta agree with Cyan on this one; there is a substantial body of literature showing that the tendency to play with certain types of toys, or to engage in certain types of play, is pretty much innate. The studies were done with families who didn't object to allowing their children to play with anything they wanted to, action figure or doll, or in any way they wanted to, cooperatively or as a competition, aggressively or passively; they found that, even in the absence of the socializing forces that are usually believed to nudge a child towards this-or-that behavior, young boys were more likely to play with traditionally "male" toys, and vice-versa for females. This also extended to the type of play they engaged in with their peers, both its nature (cooperative/competitive) and level of "rowdiness". The results were statistically significant, and several such studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals. So to say that those seeming predispositions are all attributable to patterns of socialization and acculturation is a bit wrong. Certainly, in the typical development of a child, socialization plays a huge role-- but apparently there's something biological/innate about certain aspects of male/female recreation and socializing, be it genetic or hormonal or what have you.

More interesting stuff...

I hadn't heard about any such studies, but I'm not surprised by the results. I have no idea how much stock one could put in any such studies, but I'm sure there are, perhaps strong, tendancies in each gender to pick certain toys. That said, I was looking at myself, what I was taught, and what it would be like without all that cultural influence in my life. In such a situation, I know that my choices of toys would have been much more open. That, I can tell you, is an absolute. I wanted to play with almost any toy I came across, as I'm really creative. I would have included almost everything in some way.

Also, I never believed that males or females lacked any inclination to pick certain toys, but that there should be no rules like that enforced in culture. Where I was wrong was in the correlation between gender and toy choice. However, the exceptions are large enough, and as an adult I feel like I now know enough, to cast away such cultural rules. Even the biological side to gender issues carries with it many exceptions. Considering that sometimes I feel like an exception to every rule, I'm all about ditching the system.

And besides, I'm a bit confused by the idea that playing with Barbie is considered gay, but the panty-wearing S&M freak He-man (and his friend "Ram-man") aren't

*shakes head in disgust* It was all for naught!

 

[Drozmight]

I played with barbies when I was kid, but mainly because I have a sister that's one year younger. I would always take their clothes off and pop their heads off... now that I think back on it, that seems pretty screwed up.

Edit - My mom never let me have GI Joes... I had toys such as legos and erector set where you built things. I remember a gumby doll that I had taped to the front of an RC car and kept running into things.

 

[demon]

The innate differences between males and females:

http://www.theabsolute.net/misogyny/brainsx.html

It even talks about toys in there.

 

[SaitoH]

oops

 

[Zaptruder]

http://www.theabsolute.net/misogyny/brainsx.html

Yes men and women are different.

But they're much more similar then they are dissimilar.

More to the point, alot of the social roles that we traditionally define as masculine or feminine are culturally rather than genetically ingrained.

 

[Jill Sandwich]

I'd let my son play with dolls AND wear princess outfits from the Disney store

 

[Escape Goat]

I'd let my son play with dolls AND wear princess outfits from the Disney store

:lol

This thread just wont die. :lol