On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, Tampa Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston went to Melrose Elementary School in St. Petersburg to spend time and talk to the students that attend the school. The first thought that goes to your head when you hear that is, “Aw, a professional football player using his free time to motivate the young children of this world! How sweet!” Well, not so much.
But before we dive into his “pep talk,” here is a little background on the Bucs quarterback:
In his undergrad at Florida State University, he was accused of sexual assault. However, because of his imminent rise to stardom due to his upcoming football career, Florida State University used their reputation as a huge football school and their financial means to cover up the allegations. As stated in an article by the NY Times, “In a community whose self-image and economic well-being are so tightly bound to the fortunes of the nation’s top-ranked college football team, law enforcement officers are finely attuned to a suspect’s football connections.” For more information about the case, watch the documentary “The Hunting Ground” to learn more about how university institutions cover up sexual assault cases for their own personal gain.
So, Mr. Winston gets off scot-free and goes to get drafted into the NFL and play for the Buccaneers.
Which leads us to what he said to a classroom full of young children on Wednesday afternoon: that “men (are) supposed to be strong” but “the ladies, they're supposed to be silent, polite, gentle.” Uh, what?
This rhetoric perpetuates a sexist culture. One that we have worked too damn hard to keep getting dragged back into. With what progress we have made, there is still much more to be done and this does not help the situation. Whatever you think of the Jameis Winston case, this type of language toward young women (and young men) is extremely problematic.
Here’s why:
Because women are taught already that at a young age they are valued less than a man. That women are fragile and dainty while men are tough and strong. That young girls have to act a certain way to be taken seriously while men never have to give that a second thought. These differences add up. And when they add up, the end result is that girls are meant to be the weaker and more dependent one.
Not only does it help perpetuate a docile stereotype for women, it also maintains the concept of toxic masculinity: the way society makes the masculine gender role as unemotional and strong, to a point where it is damaging to men. Teaching men from a young age that they are more dominant than women only keeps this stereotype alive. This was not just harmful for young girls, but for the young boys as well.
Instead of telling children how they are meant to be, why don’t we just let children be who they are? Instilling these stereotypes in them at such a young age can only damage them in the long run. As a public figure, especially with his background, Jameis Winston needs to think before he speaks, especially when the young minds of children are the audience.
