by Nellie Curtiss …
Believe it! Americans watch television overpopulated with generalizations. Old movies and many current movies still make motion pictures aimed at male audiences where the male saves the day. Consider the Maltese Falcon, Independence Day, Jurassic Park franchise, War movies like 30 Seconds over Tokyo, Private Ryan or Pearl Harbor and then there is most Marvel movies.
We already know from countless statistics that white men have a head start in science and western culture awareness; but it is the girls and the children of color who need the encouragement to pursue Science-Technology-Engineering-Math (STEM). Girls lose, rather “give up” their mathematical savvy somewhere around fifth grade and for sure by middle school and junior high. Researchers document this change in many girls’ thinking.
Like Dove and Verizon commercials play out, parents often say something like, “That’s too complicated; let your brother do it,” to their daughters. It’s important that we encourage women: think of Marie Curie (discovered radium), Patricia Bath (Laserphaco Probe) Alice H. Parker (invented a heating furnace), and Hedy LaMarr (co-invented secret communications—without which NSA would have no drama). Brains matter: and they matter no matter the gender, economics, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or country of origin.
On standardized tests, poorer students do not perform as well as students from richer families. Research shows that students from wealthier families are exposed to more reading, cultural knowledge and diverse subjects; but those living in poverty with single mothers are generally not exposed as much to reading, western civilization history or diverse thinking. So, students of color are at a disadvantage; girls are at a societal disadvantage when they are discouraged from math and the sciences.
Consider a movie that follows a boy as he transitions into manhood and becomes a doctor who then helps a little girl see. This scenario replicates the age-old movie and book dramas where the man, the white man, is the hero or saves the day. John Wayne’s films are known for this scenario; he is the one who rescues all the settlers. In True Grit, Katherine Hepburn wields a fiery character; but Wayne is the hero. Or, remember the Perils of Pauline, or the famous Dudley DoRight starring Brendan Fraser? The hero, the character that saved the day, was a white man.
Thankfully, we do have new series on streaming services that seek to equalize these perceptions. For instance, A League of Their Own on Prime Video. Outlander, a series out of Netflix, has Claire a nurse in the 20th Century during a world war who time travels to 1746 British Isles. Despite being surrounded by superstition and a time without antibiotics, Claire makes her name as a healer bringing science in via nursing skills and herbal concoctions, and teaching about cleanliness.
In everyday life like holding a family together, women have been the glue; and women can be the heroes like the former Representative Barbara Jordan from Texas; men like former President Barack Obama can make a difference in the world; men like Cesar Chavez have also moved social injustice out of the way. Diversity in brain matter thrives despite our being closed minded about growing our brains.
It’s true that we have male doctors who do save lives and eyesight; but by golly, we have women too; we have people of color. Commercials and public service announcements hold the world for the 60 or 30 second duration –or at least the attention of the public. And because moving pictures have long been a representative of the collective unconscious, it behooves big voices as those in movies and television series that these messages, science searches, and samplings of life ought to reflect a more diverse population.
Bottom line: S-T-E-M is for girls and their brain matter, too!
Nelda Curtiss is a retired college educator and long-time local columnist. Reach her at http://www.columnsbynellie.com or email her at columnsbynellie@gmail.com
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