Men, Males and feMALES

It has been said that there are plenty of males today, but few men.  Iowa high school wrestler, Joel Northrup, proved himself as belonging to the latter group in his recent disply of chivalry.  Northrup chose to lay aside his bid for the Iowa championship rather than wrestle Cassy Herkelman, a girl.

What is interesting in this event are the worldviews that come to the fore.  Christian Northrup recognizes the divinely ordained place of feminity.  A woman is to be treated with respect and not man-handled on a mat with close physical contact.  We may see his Biblical sense in the statement he released regarding his decision to forfeit,

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cassy and Megan (Black, the tournament’s other female entrant) and their accomplishments. However, wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times. As a matter of conscience and my faith, I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most of the high school sports in Iowa.

Humanistic Herkelman displays her belief that femininity is a bygone concept.  She can be just as much "one of the boys", and doesn't mind being groped by her male opponents so long as she can have mastery over them.  [You'll note too that the article cited above displays its worldview, slightly siding with Humanistic Herkelman.  She is depicted as one who was "deprived" of showing her skill in the match].

The various media reporting this event have also picked up on the different worldviews in play here.  They are quick to note that Northrup's virtues were shaped through his home education, while Herkelman is a
product of the public education system.