I’m whipping out my lasso of truth to discuss the ridiculousness of banning super hero merchandise.
In a post that went viral, little Laura’s lunch box was banned because superheroes “solve problems using violence.” Banning Wonder Woman specifically is problematic and sends entirely the wrong message to girls, the ones we want to teach to #breathefire.
Superheroes aren’t reinventing the wheel here, after all. The military uses violence to solve problems and the world wars were likely not struck from curriculum. Unless y’all are going to rewrite textbooks, it might be time to admit depictions of violence have been in schools for a long time. We just called it “Social Studies” or “World History.”
The military isn’t alone.The police use force too (when necessary.) I get that there have been high profile cases where things went too far and horrible things happened. However if a SWAT team tries to rescue a hostage, I hope they aren’t simply going to give up because asking nicely didn’t work. I expect there would be force. While there is apparently no room in school for problem solving through violence, a school would be hard pressed to turn away a police officer on career day. After all, it would be a missed learning opportunity.
This is a missed learning opportunity too. Girls need strong role models. We want our future women to #breathefire. Instead of dismissing Wonder Woman because of violence, you could redirect to her lessons and values of peace, justice and love. Your students have more dimensions than that, and so does Wonder Woman as a character.
What’s wrong with a female character that inspires a little hope? Why are we so threatened by displaying a strong woman to admire, someone kids might even see a bit of themselves in? Super heroes are everyday people who make a difference in other people’s lives. You can make a difference in their lives just by talking about it.
Violence can be explained. Maybe it symbolizes the conflict we feel when trying to do the right thing, an exaggerated expression of inner strife. A parable is a story with a lesson. If you take the time to explain it, it can be English curriculum, instead of just a dress code infraction.
Maybe kids shouldn’t be taught to solve problems with violence, but if we want our girls to #breathefire, teaching them to take things lying down isn’t the answer either. Everyday people making a difference is what we try to encourage in our schools. Maybe a superhero’s face on a little girl’s lunch box is just what we need to remember that.