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'Boys will be boys': Pyjama top pulled after parent complaint

Amory

Member
Businesses need to grow some balls (or a tough vagina or whatever you're supposed to say now) and make distinctions between legitimate complaints and BS like this.

But they won't because there's no real incentive to. Probably weren't making much money on those tops anyway, easier to just pull it.
 

Papa

Banned
The reason some people would find this offensive is because there's an oft repeated bit of feminist rhetoric claiming that "boys will be boys" is an excused offered in the face of terrible behavior, especially against women, like assault, rape, sexism, etc. In reality "boys will be boys" is a phrase tossed around for stuff like childhood rough housing and mischievousness. It's a simple acknowledgement that males, especially younger males, can be a bit more rambunctious. Maybe they'll break something or take a play fight too far or run around too much and knock into someone. These are the kinds of situations where you'll hear someone say "boys will be boys." Not after a rape.

In reality the far reaching and pervasive cultural messaging for boys is to be especially careful in their dealings with girls. "Never hit a girl" "Watch what you say around your sister" "Not in front of a lady" etc. Yeah, obviously, like anything else in a free society there's a multitude of contradictory messaging. "Bitches ain't shit" & "Bros before hoes" are messages floating around in the mix as well. But the overwhelming message given to boys and men is to treat women better than you would treat a man.

Exactly this. Rough-and-tumble play is an important part of male social development but feminists don’t understand it and want to pathologize it.
 

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
Man, a lot of people clearly need some context.. The issue being addressed is that we have been too lenient with men getting away with doing terrible shit to women, ie harassement, rape, etc and just brushing it off with a boys will be boys mentality. Making shirts like this perpetuate ideas like this. Just like selling little girls vacuums or toy cleaning products. Let's stop doing this. I don't even know what this girl power analogy even means or how it is in any way relevant.
What? I have heard this phrase being used after some kids (or even grown up dudes) do some stupid shit like pulling down each others pants but in the context of some guy (or even kid) treating a women badly? Whhhhhaaaaaaatttt?

This is getting craaaaaazy.
 

ilfait

Member
Its a stupid phrase. Y’all should be glad it’s going away. You guys like that phrase? You say it all of the time or something?
They were my lovely grandfather's dying words, so it's a very important phrase to me.

In the hospital room where my grandpapa lay, my horndog uncle grabbed hold of a young nurse as she was emptying a bedpan and passionately tongue kissed her. She started making a fuss and was threatening to call police when my wise old granddad gently informed her that boys will be boys. He then closed his eyes and drifted away forever.

Please don't take this sacred phrase away from the pyjamas, Australian SJW mother.
 

Spheyr

Banned
They were my lovely grandfather's dying words, so it's a very important phrase to me.

In the hospital room where my grandpapa lay, my horndog uncle grabbed hold of a young nurse as she was emptying a bedpan and passionately tongue kissed her. She started making a fuss and was threatening to call police when my wise old granddad gently informed her that boys will be boys. He then closed his eyes and drifted away forever.

Please don't take this sacred phrase away from the pyjamas, Australian SJW mother.
You seem to have hit the wrong bookmark today, you want the other forum
 

nkarafo

Member
Men have had an advantage and Girls are stepping up. Who has an issue with it? And why?
There's a difference between stepping up and getting revenge.

Like, it's not enough for feminists that girls are stepping up. They have to do it by dragging boys down as well. I always get that feeling of punishment and revenge when it comes to modern feminism.
 
Boys will be boys is a bad phrase, but people do overcharacterize it.

No it's not used to be lenient on rape and crime. I wouldn't be caught dead saying it or wearing some shitty sweater.
 
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Ka-Kui

Member
Man, a lot of people clearly need some context.. The issue being addressed is that we have been too lenient with men getting away with doing terrible shit to women, ie harassement, rape, etc and just brushing it off with a boys will be boys mentality.
I think most here understood the context being applied, the issue is that the wrong context was being applied inappropriately.

How does a fun and cheeky text written on clothing for little boys equate to a serious issue about rape?

It's almost like turning the phrase "it's raining cats and dogs" into a phrase that justifies animal abuse because of the fear of normalising the idea that cats and dogs can fall from insane heights.

That's just paranoia.
Making shirts like this perpetuate ideas like this. Just like selling little girls vacuums or toy cleaning products. Let's stop doing this. I don't even know what this girl power analogy even means or how it is in any way relevant.
See I'm one of those people who believe in sexual dimorphism so I don't understand why it's wrong to market certain products to girls and certain products to boys.

The point is if you can stretch the phrase "boys will be boys" to perpetuating rape culture then phrases like "girls just want to have fun"/"girl power" can be equated to a culture of false rape allegations and female sense of entitlement.

Anything can be made to sound extreme. However this only happens if you're actively paranoid about something and therefore are actively looking for something.

Unfortunately a lot of feminist influenced individuals, such as this complaining parent, are actively in the mindset that men are so inherently vile that we need to go above and beyond in our attempts to "correct" and "fix" them. So whenever they look at a little boy the first thing they think about is a potential rapist.
 
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Z3K

Member
Well I'm glad that the retailer has pulled this top from its stores, I'm afraid that women are just too mentally delicate to handle all of this.
 

Papa

Banned
What's that got to do with the hypocrisy of not liking generalisation of one group and then going right ahead and generalising another group?

Because they’re not comparable. One is an ideology that a person chooses to follow; the other is a biological sex that the person has no control over. Putting ideology in the basket of untouchables alongside immutable characteristics like race, sex, and sexual orientation is a mistake.
 
Yeah, I don’t agree with the phrase being taken down.

I feel like if you agree with taking down this, for the sake of consistency you would also be alright with removing phrases like “daddy’s princess,” “fashionista,” or anything else that might make a generalization about a female’s interest in society. As such, in both instances, on the male and female sides there are phrases that could be considered by some to be negatively impacting socitety.

Granted, there’s the argument that “boys will be boys” specifically has been used in defense of awful things and that’s pretty fair. Nevertheless I don’t belief the use of the phrase by a group of bad people should mean the phrase altogether should be removed. I would say that multiple phrases have the potential to be used for better and for worse. The most effective method, in my opinion, would be to praise (or at least remain neutral or indifferent to, as long as you have the ability to disagree and make a different choice) the good implementation of the phrase and condem the bad implementation. I suppose the main ideological issues here are if you believe people should have the choice to speak as they would like, even if it can be negative, as well as if you believe the use of the phrase is best for the greater good or not.

I would say it should just fall on society to determine when people are using the term in good faith and when they aren’t (unless you believe it can never be used in good faith which you are perfectly entitled to believe but regardless I generally wouldn’t say I would condone infringing on the rights of others, as such if you believe that I would argue it would be best to argue your point to others and attempt to convince people instead of just removing their options outright). When people use the phrase without good faith, then of course I feel we should condemn then since people should always take responsibility for their actions when it applies. I do not believe the existence of the phrase itself, since birth/the early life of the toddler, predisposes the male individual to excuse their actions because they are male. If people aren’t being raised properly I would say it’s the fault of the individual parent.

Not to mention, at the end of the day, not everyone agrees on the neutralization of gender, and I feel that the diversity of thought and having different viewpoints is okay and healthy. As such, I feel people who want to raise their children under traditional values and gender roles should have the option to, instead of being forced to raise their children a certain way.

However, truth be told, I can empathize for those who argee with this being struck down. However, if that’s what you want, I would say I disagree with the method. Instead of achieving your goals through force as seen here, I feel the best course of action is to focus on changing the public opinion as well as the norms of society naturally (through discussion and other civil activities) so that businesses would want to cater to your views primarily and/or equally (preferably equally, so there’s options for everyone). I just feel forcing people to comply to what you believe only creates more tension and makes it highly likely to receive backlash.
 
Boys will be boys shirts are bad

Che Guevara shirts are a okay

giphy.gif
 

Christopher

Member
Social media will be the fault of this society. Companies should be like don’t buy the fucking shirt if you don’t want it?
 

diablos991

Can’t stump the diablos
Gotta hate on those males. Especially the white ones.

I truly hope these people see how crazy they are one day. This shirt is very benign.
 

Cunth

Fingerlickin' Good!
Jeez, reading the era thread... in what universe is this phrase used to excuse rape or sexual assault? Do we live in Mad Max or something?
 
Jeez, reading the era thread... in what universe is this phrase used to excuse rape or sexual assault?
Didn't the judge in the Brock Turner case basically say "boys will be boys" as he gave him a 3 month sentence for raping a passed out girl in an alley?
 

waxer

Member
Search any design and murder and read results. I just searched have a nice day and got a few. Doesn't mean we should ban emoji smiley faces etc.
The point at which it's bad would require in my mind both the context be usable in a harmful mannor ie can actually mean rape. And then also be common enough or harmful enough to a wider audience.

No matter what you say it will offend someone or usable by groups that wish to pretend it is.
 

Papa

Banned
Didn't the judge in the Brock Turner case basically say "boys will be boys" as he gave him a 3 month sentence for raping a passed out girl in an alley?

Is this another famous Robido Hot Take^TM?

There was a lot more to that case than just frat boy rapes unconscious girl in alley. His sentence was light because rape is defined in California as penetration of a person with a penis without consent. He didn't use his penis. The same law prevents women from being convicted of rape since they don't have penises, although in 2018 that's apparently up for debate.

There were also consent issues in that he claimed she was initially conscious when they started going at it and didn't notice her pass out. She claimed that she was so intoxicated that she had no memory of the events but also claimed that she did not ever consent. That's a bit inconsistent, no? Then there's the fact that he was also intoxicated.
 

The Mule

Member
Because they’re not comparable. One is an ideology that a person chooses to follow; the other is a biological sex that the person has no control over. Putting ideology in the basket of untouchables alongside immutable characteristics like race, sex, and sexual orientation is a mistake.
You just repeated the same thing with different words.

Your statement still has no relevance to the hypocrisy I was pointing out.

I suppose you're just constructing some kind of straw man...
 

Papa

Banned
You just repeated the same thing with different words.

Your statement still has no relevance to the hypocrisy I was pointing out.

I suppose you're just constructing some kind of straw man...

Because they’re not comparable. One is an ideology that a person chooses to follow; the other is a biological sex that the person has no control over. Putting ideology in the basket of untouchables alongside immutable characteristics like race, sex, and sexual orientation is a mistake.

There, I used the same words this time. Getting it yet?
 

Spheyr

Banned
I've worked as a bouncer at various bars for years, I mostly get treated like part of the scenery which leads to overhearing a lot of candid stuff. Women in groups are way worse than guys in groups by every metric.
 
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Redneckerz

Those long posts don't cover that red neck boy
Ofcourse our fellow friends have discovered this news aswell. Whilst the OP sees no harm in keeping these phrases, it is an incite for other people:
"Boys will be Boys" is a sentence used to excuse rape, theft, violence, harassment, public urination and everything shitty when it is a white male younger than 40 year old, so yeah, I am COMPLETELY ok with that
The heck? That is never how it was used in my youth. The term here is just for cheeky little kids (Usually boys, but could also be girls doing boyish things) doing naughty things, which kids are supposed to do. It falls under fun and growing up. Kids will learn then what consequences are, what punishment is, what responsibility entails.

So when i read this, it feels like that these folks have a very distinctive opposite thought at this term, but rape, theft, violence? For what essentially are kids clothes? I am not sure what that person even means by it, heck, i dont think he even realizes that these are kids clothes with a phrase usually associated with cheekyness rather than what this user thinks it is. I find it a rather strange view to have. (But really its just a disgusting opinion, and he isnt the only one with that, wtf)
Fair enough. But I guess my point is that context matters. My old ass associates the phrase with boys running around throwing mud pies and falling out of trees.

The fact that it's been co-opted to excuse adult pieces of shit is unfortunate.

I can see why it's potentially an issue, but I disagree with the mother attacking the brand as condoning that sort of shit.
Your old ass is correct. It is not on the kids (or the store) that people take that terminology and turn it into something less cheeky and more damaging, hell, its origins AFAIK aren't even like that, so getting offended over that is not much different from any male getting offended by a new beauty tutorial on YT. Live and let live, its not that difficult. The context clearly isnt on dispersing a violent message, and frankly, i am rather amazed by the mental gymnastics by these folks that do.
When I was in middle school, "boys will be boys" was used by the school administration to excuse another student stabbing me during science class while the teacher was watching.

It's a busted phrase that only exists to excuse bad behavior.
Ah, so ''personal experience'', thus the phrasing is bad.
Perhaps one still has to learn that a personal experience does not equate a global one. Its a harmless phrase, for 8-12 years , gsus man. A typical case of adults employing adult logic to what obviously are kids/childish phrases and clothes.
Uh, people are providing context for why that phrase is problematic. What you, and the OP, really want is to have context stripped away
Adult context, mind you. Your typical kid does not see the harm, perhaps its because it originally is a harmless term and people like this user right here provided context so they could complain and be offended over it. Because you only matter on a forum if you can be offended over the trivial things in life. /s
Get help.
I love how this got flagged as an insult when its simply an advice to a poster who has a really strange association with that term. On a kids shirt. It is for kids, not adults. Stop projecting your issues into things that kids dont give a shit about.

And thats just the first page. Glad that some posters realize its for kids and not adults and are essentially yikesing through the thread. Still, sad that the shirt got pulled, again a victory for organized baseless outrage made by adults. Political correctness going overboard.

Bonus:
Seems harmless at first but when you consider the fact that grown ass men get away with some heinous shit over “boys will be boys” then I get why people are upset.
So it is indeed a case of adults using that phrase and turning it into something more damaging than what it originally is (Or was). Good to know.
Its a kids shirt. Apparently boys can be anything and everything but boys. Atleast be consistent then and remove shirts with diva or girlpower or girl's night out or something as i am sure adults have abused that phrase aswell.
 

Papa

Banned
I've worked as a bouncer at various bars for years, I mostly get treated like part of the scenery which leads to overhearing a lot of candid stuff. Women in groups are way worse than guys in groups by every metric.

Mean Girls
 

Ka-Kui

Member
Ofcourse our fellow friends have discovered this news aswell. Whilst the OP sees no harm in keeping these phrases, it is an incite for other people:

The heck? That is never how it was used in my youth. The term here is just for cheeky little kids (Usually boys, but could also be girls doing boyish things) doing naughty things, which kids are supposed to do. It falls under fun and growing up. Kids will learn then what consequences are, what punishment is, what responsibility entails.

So when i read this, it feels like that these folks have a very distinctive opposite thought at this term, but rape, theft, violence? For what essentially are kids clothes? I am not sure what that person even means by it, heck, i dont think he even realizes that these are kids clothes with a phrase usually associated with cheekyness rather than what this user thinks it is. I find it a rather strange view to have. (But really its just a disgusting opinion, and he isnt the only one with that, wtf)

Your old ass is correct. It is not on the kids (or the store) that people take that terminology and turn it into something less cheeky and more damaging, hell, its origins AFAIK aren't even like that, so getting offended over that is not much different from any male getting offended by a new beauty tutorial on YT. Live and let live, its not that difficult. The context clearly isnt on dispersing a violent message, and frankly, i am rather amazed by the mental gymnastics by these folks that do.

Ah, so ''personal experience'', thus the phrasing is bad.
Perhaps one still has to learn that a personal experience does not equate a global one. Its a harmless phrase, for 8-12 years , gsus man. A typical case of adults employing adult logic to what obviously are kids/childish phrases and clothes.

Adult context, mind you. Your typical kid does not see the harm, perhaps its because it originally is a harmless term and people like this user right here provided context so they could complain and be offended over it. Because you only matter on a forum if you can be offended over the trivial things in life. /s

I love how this got flagged as an insult when its simply an advice to a poster who has a really strange association with that term. On a kids shirt. It is for kids, not adults. Stop projecting your issues into things that kids dont give a shit about.

And thats just the first page. Glad that some posters realize its for kids and not adults and are essentially yikesing through the thread. Still, sad that the shirt got pulled, again a victory for organized baseless outrage made by adults. Political correctness going overboard.

Bonus:

So it is indeed a case of adults using that phrase and turning it into something more damaging than what it originally is (Or was). Good to know.
Its a kids shirt. Apparently boys can be anything and everything but boys. Atleast be consistent then and remove shirts with diva or girlpower or girl's night out or something as i am sure adults have abused that phrase aswell.
Absolutely agree with everything you said here except I'd say it's fine even for grown men to use that provided it's not used for anything heinous.

It is pointless to worry about the 'potentially' problematic if it's not actually problematic. Even worse is to ask for censure based on the potentially problematic.

It's like how I said before, it's looking at boys and men as potential criminals first.
 
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Redneckerz

Those long posts don't cover that red neck boy
Absolutely agree with everything you said here except I'd say it's fine even for grown men to use that provided it's not used for anything heinous.

It is pointless to worry about the 'potentially' problematic if it's not actually problematic. Even worse is to ask for censure based on the potentially problematic.

It's like how I said before, it's looking at boys and men as potential criminals first.
If they do typical harmless stuff, yeah, like pulling pranks.
I am just gobbled by the fact that they see that shirt on a kids body and autodefault to ''this is not right/terrible phrasing/its an excuse for rape, theft and violence!'' - I mean, ofcourse one can disagree with it but the instant-extreme takes on it are just unhealthy.
 
Bonus:

So it is indeed a case of adults using that phrase and turning it into something more damaging than what it originally is (Or was). Good to know.
Its a kids shirt. Apparently boys can be anything and everything but boys. Atleast be consistent then and remove shirts with diva or girlpower or girl's night out or something as i am sure adults have abused that phrase aswell.

"Boys wil be boys" excuses behavior based on gender. I don't think that's a good way to look at things, ya know? It's too woke.
 
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Dunki

Member
"Boys wil be boys" excuses behavior based on gender. I don't think that's a good way to look at things, ya know? It's too woke.
These phrases often has some truth in it though. I think it is more a rarity that women acting like this. thats why boys will be boys. The phrase itself is very harmless and iven tells parents that they should not punish their boys harsh because f it. Boys in general recieve more punishment in these young years than girls. Even if they behave the same.

To make such an outrage about it is ridiculous in the end.
 

manfestival

Member
The fact that some people are taking such a silly and harmless saying as "boys will be boys" and going down a slippery slope of rape and violence is just mind blowing. Then the fact that people take these people more serious than the average joe is even more mind numbing. There is clearly a multifaceted problem within our society and this is one of those facets.
 
The difference between places is.. I don't even know how to describe the enormous gulf between..

Fuck this phrase. I'm about to have a baby boy and "boys will be boys" is basically banned in thought and word.

There is no room for discussion, no room for alternative ideas or other uses.. BANNED! It should be BANNED! And the Era's most popular phrase "Fuck _____". Kinda surprised Trump was only blamed a couple times (so far).

My opinion.. the times when it's been used to hand wave away actual crimes or seriously bad behavior, absolutely call those people out. At the same time, it should be perfectly fine to use this when discussion children. In this case it's being used on a kids shirt, it's not referencing any misuse of the term. I don't see a problem with this.

The biggest aspect I see open for discussion is the times when this phrase could be uses where said actions are on the line between "okay, normal male child behavior" and "bad behavior". Something like, pulling hair, name calling, bullying, etc. To hand wave that behavior away with a "well, boys will be boys.." is doing a disservice. What constitutes OK vs not-OK behavior? That's worth discussing.

Leave (Britany) the phrase alone(!)
 
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bitbydeath

Member
"Boys wil be boys" excuses behavior based on gender. I don't think that's a good way to look at things, ya know? It's too woke.

Isn't 'woke' about people being generally crabby and offended by everything?
Like they 'woke' up on the wrong side of the bed.
 
I wish more businesses would stop pandering to these snowflakes. I loved it when Play Asia stood up to the SJWs and embraced big titties.

I can't recall a business that pandered to these SJWs and, consequently, their revenue went up. Buzzfeed doesn't count.
 
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