“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
For most of us, the preceding quote has been indelibly committed to memory, much like the jingle to that one annoying commercial, or the drive home that we often wonder how we made safely. Its simplistic phraseology
gives us no reason to question its veracity, because it is, after all, common sense.
However, given our current societal norms, we have been forced to question the term, “common sense.” When I ran around with outstretched arms and an old bath towel around my neck, my mom did not allow me to jump off the roof. Apparently, she knew I wasn’t actually Superman. It was just make-believe. When we played ‘Cowboys n’ Indians’, our plastic guns had no bullets, and the tomahawks were rubber- again, because parents knew it was only pretend.
Over time however, the common has lost its, “sense,” and America has become participators in a world-wide ‘Simon says’ game, with little regard to who Simon is. Despite the current rhetoric and narrative, EVERYONE knows the difference between men and women; to pretend or to support the insanity is literally not worth the argument.
Regardless of how we personally feel concerning U.S. Secretary of Health, Rachel Levine, activist/politician
Caitlyn Jenner, or Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Leyna Bloom, in the words of movie icon Austin Powers, “That’s a man, man!” Even in instances of such obvious “common sense,” the bar has been raised (or lowered)
from where it has always traditionally sat.
Winds of Change
Unbeknownst to most, there has been a trend for years going virtually unnoticed at more than two dozen all-
girl-schools; changing its basis of operation from purposeful to pandering. “There has been no change to Harpeth Hall’s admission application process which is open to any female student. Harpeth Hall affirms its
history, mission, and presence as a school that teaches girls and young women to think critically, lead confidently, and live honorably.”
Those words are an excerpt from a recent letter written to the alumni of the legendary Harpeth Hall, a college preparatory school in Nashville, Tennessee. The 70+ year-old exclusively all-female institution has been famous for years, partly due to successful past alumna that included names such as Amy Grant and Reese Witherspoon.
However, recent decisions have made it infamous in another capacity: admission of males that merely identify as females. While holding its ground for many decades, this school, like many others, finally succumbed to what has become increasingly known as “Wokeness,” a recent ideological movement bending organizations, platforms, and policies all over American society to the will of an intimidating, radical few.
Change of Plans
Though the school has recently come under attack for considering such a radical change, we must wonder why such institutions, after so many years, change their time-honored traditions and standards.
Of course, the latest willing victim of this growing trend, Harpeth, is certainly not the first. Its decision has been preceded by more than 20 historically women’s colleges, including 2 HBFCU’s (Historically Black Female
Colleges and Universities)- Greensboro, North Carolina’s Bennett College and Spellman College of Atlanta, Georgia. And one can bet there are 20 more about to make the same mistakes.
What happened?
How have so many abandoned that which allowed the opportunity for generations of women to honestly challenge, achieve and compete?
In her recent book aptly named, “The Abolition Of Sex,” confirmed Leftist and liberal author Kara Dansky addressed the trans-movement from a 30,000 foot perspective. During an interview concerning her book, Dansky
shares her ‘awakening’ moment with conservative political commentator and author Tucker Carlson: “towards the end of 2014, I was sitting in my apartment with a friend, and we were talking politics, and I mentioned something about Trans-rights’, and my friend stopped me, and she said, “all of Transgender is anti-woman, it is antifeminist, it is complete misogyny.”
These words resonated with Dansky, forever changing her views on the subject. In addition, her book adds the following often-missed crucial point: “The so-called “transgender” agenda is a misogynistic assault on the rights, privacy, and safety of women and girls- and is being fueled by a massive, vicious, and well-funded industry.”
Now, to the credit of Declaration authors Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and others, the term, “all men are created equal” was either a wise move or a stroke of genius. To be clear, equal does not equate to ‘same’- nor was it meant to be. This refers to a distribution of fairness, meaning rights, opportunities and treatment is ‘fairly and evenly applied.’
Why is this important?
Without clear understanding, it could be (and has been) reflective of negligible differences. In other words, sex
and/or gender are not mountains of saliency, but merely distinctions without a measurable difference.
The bottom line is that changing the playing field does not level it. In fact, it adds obstacles for those simply needing no more than an opportunity. These new ‘standards’ do nothing to challenge individuals seeking to
achieve. Instead, it gives those looking to succeed in each field less to shoot for.
Those of us that made it to the top of our class, the best in our chosen sport, or secured that coveted promotion at work face the real letdown. Because we discover nothing but abject dissatisfaction upon learning that just anyone can get what we fought so hard to attain. For these and many other reasons, society should leave the field alone. In any given area there must be such a thing as a runner up, a second, third and fourth place, otherwise you simply promote the components that caused your ‘win’ to elude you.
Men and women are not the same!
This is pivotal. Not only are there cultural and societal implications, but other dangers inherent in treating them as such. Meritocracy is the backbone of success and achievement. Without it, no one strives for ‘the best’, let alone their, ‘personal best.’ When we move the goalpost or,” bend the rules” simply to ‘prop open” the door, you automatically close that same door on those simply awaiting their turn. Not just for today, but for the sake of tomorrow, we must let girls be girls, and boys be boys.
What’s the solution?
At Seekingeducationalexcellence.org, we strive to encourage and teach all youth to not only do their best, but to be their best. For this to occur, we must apply those standards that allow all children to reach their greatest potential. Remember, when our kids win, we all win. That’s why we created Seeking Educational Excellence. Inspiration, not indoctrination.
