Summary of "the Myth of Mean Girls"

Summary of “The Myth of Mean Girls”

Mike Males and Meda-Chesney Lind’s essay entitled “The Myth of Mean Girls” rails against the media’s insistence that a culture of violence is growing among young women. The authors argue that the media sensationalizes isolated violent events involving teen girls. They believe this news coverage leads to unnecessary worry among the public and a more punitive treatment of modern girls. (103-105)

According to Males and Lind, “This mythical wave of girls’ violence and meanness is, in the end, contradicted by reams of evidence” (105). They use data from the F.B.I., the National Crime Victimization Survey, public health agencies, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and police agencies to support their thesis that increasing violence among youth is a hoax. They also make it a point to address statistics showing an increase in violence among middle aged men and women with a lack of response from the media. (104-105)

The authors assert that girls are being arrested or even incarcerated for lesser offences that may have been treated informally before the media hype began. They also go on to imply that calls for stricter internet restrictions for these girls stem from this same hype. (Males and Lind 105)

In sum, Males and Lind provide the background information to be able to ask the question, “Why, in an era when slandering a group of people based on the misdeeds of a few has rightly become taboo, does it remain acceptable to use isolated incidents to berate modern teenagers” (105). (243 words)

Works Cited

Males, Mike and Meda-Chesney Lind. "The Myth of Mean Girls." Ackley, Katherine Anne. Perspectives on Contemporary Issues: Reading Across the Disciplines. Stamford: Cengage