What would Jesus do if he had to wrestle a girl? Put that on a wristband
February 13th, 2007, 2:21 pm · Post a Comment · posted by jotto001
Yesterday an article ran in the Albany Times-Union, a paper I admittedly only read because I have family in that area, and I happened, by chance, across a story about eighth-grader Brian Walsh who is readying himself to forfeit his chance at a state title because he may have to wrestle a girl.
He won’t wrestle a girl for a number of reasons.
1) The school he attends, Loudonville Christian, passsed, at the behest of his parents, a policy banning boys from wrestling girls.
2) He think it’s disrespectful to women. (I mean who wants to be treated as equals anyway, right?)
3)It’s described by his father as a “no-win” situation. His father claims that if he wins, he’s just beating up on a girl but if he loses then he lost to a girl.
4) HE’S AFRAID OF GETTING BEAT BY A GIRL!
I think what’s most disgraceful here is the extent to which this kid has been brainwashed to think that what he’s doing is morally just. And he and his parents are wrong.
If Walsh (and his parents) want to make this choice for their son, then that’s fine. But what message does this send this kid? By wanting to maintain a “respect for women,” Walsh’s parents are instilling in him a belief that men are superior to women. Walsh’s parents aren’t allowing him to explore the possibility that women are just as capable of doing anything that men can do. Wouldn’t he be better served by the opportunity to learn, at a young age, that women are his equals?
The most telling quote of the entire piece was when Walsh said “It’s tough, you know,” Walsh said earlier this week, “making it to the finals and then walking away. I’ve kind of struggled with it. But whatever happens, happens. I support the decision.”
“I support the decision.” Should he be supporting his own decision? No, he should be making it. Does this sound like a kid who really wants to do this? Don’t you think, if really given the choice, he wouldn’t prefer to compete? Of course he would, that’s why people play sports at any level. You play to compete.
And what about the girl? Do you think her feelings are going to be hurt if she loses? I highly doubt it. When I think about some of the finer female athletes that I’ve known in my life, if she’s anything like them, her victory would feel much less hollow if she won the state title because no one wanted to wrestle her because she was a girl.
The sad thing is that at the end of the day, both of these kids are being denied the chance to compete and participate in a sport because the adults around them are behaving poorly.
In this day and age, it’s absolutely nuts that people choose to bring their religious beliefs into arguments that otherwise have nothing to do with religion.
“It’s just not what we feel honors the lord Jesus Christ,” Camilleri, the school’s AD, said Monday. “This is the correct position, the godly position for us at Loudonville Christian to take. … We’re here to please the Lord, not to please man.”
Godly position? This is 8th grade wrestling!
Here’s the link to the article in the Albany Times-Union. There’s an accompanying column by Brian Ettkin.
