THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 4, 1996 TAG: 9602040036
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ELIZABETH SIMPSON
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Even Lassie turned out to be a boy.
And that's no small wonder when you consider that all the TV heroes were guys when I was a kid.
From The Lone Ranger to Superman to Marshal Dillon, male heroes punched and shot and pummeled and generally made sure all was right with the world, at least on the black-and-white TV screen I watched.
If a woman was to be found among this fist-swinging crowd, she was usually tied to a chair, cringing in the tower or waiting for Batman and Robin to come bursting through the doors.
Even Lassie, who I always thought was a girl, turned out to be a boy collie! Eight of them, to be exact, at least in real life. Thank goodness I didn't find that out until I had graduated to ``My Three Sons.''
But TV-land has changed since the days when Sheriff Andy Taylor made sure women and children were safe in Mayberry.
Girl superheroes pop up on TV all the time now. Even though I've never seen a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers show all the way through, I know about the two female stars.
They may wear the wimpy colors - pink and yellow - but they still karate-chop their way to justice on a regular basis, just like the guys.
Bully for them. Sort of.
Children's TV shows have become an equal-opportunity employer. But as good as that sounds, it's not all wonderful.
On the plus side, these female heroes embody characteristics that were missing when I was a kid. On-screen girls of my generation were docile. If they were good, they were saved by the handsome hero. If they were bad, they fell off cliffs, never to be seen again.
Today's action-figure gals have qualities that better serve young girls: They stand up for themselves. Take charge. Seize the day.
But watch a show all the way through and you'll find this equality comes with a price tag: violence.
The hidden message in many of these action shows is: Why sit down and work out a problem if a karate kick here and there will bring the show to a satisfying conclusion?
That's a troubling theme, especially in light of a study released last week. The study, conducted by a University of Michigan psychologist, suggests that the more girls watch female heroes slugging it out, the more likely they consider aggression a good way to solve problems, the more violent they become in real life.
I guess we shouldn't be surprised that girls are wired the same as boys.
Thin lines separate being assertive from being aggressive, and being aggressive from being violent. It doesn't take Lorena Bobbitt to tell us that.
But unloading the victim status shouldn't mean taking on the role of assailant. Replacing Barbie with Thelma and Louise is not the answer here.
The qualities we want in girls - leadership, independence and self-confidence - should not come at the expense of qualities that women have traditionally embodied. Diplomacy. Solving problems peaceably. Shunning violence.
Granted, those kinds of qualities don't make for the exciting, action-packed television that keeps the attention of today's thrill-sated youth.
But there's one solution to violence on TV that works just as well for girls as for boys: the off button. by CNB