Boys Will be Boys
Of course, today, the “wildness” of boyhood is considered toxic masculinity. In his book, Gibson wrote, “When he starts out to be a boy, he is more a little beast.” He went on to explain, “He is, though, a man in the making.” Soon after, immense efforts to develop and protect the organic nature of boyhood began.
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“Boys will be boys” was a pretty big priority at the time. This is obviously completely different than society’s outlook on the subject today. In 1908, Robert Baden-Powell wrote “Scouting for Boys,” which helped spark The Boy Scout Movement. Furthermore, in 1917, Father O’Flanagan established the orphanage Boys Town in Nebraska. Oh, how things have changed.