It’s generally a good idea, when a news bit elicits either a “hoo-rah” moment of empowered concurrence, to take a breath and ponder the why and wherefore of that hoo-rah. So it should with the story of the Fearless Girl statue recently placed in front of the iconic Charging Bull Wall Street sculpture. It was meant as a symbolic message for International Women’s Day, purportedly to advocate for greater gender diversity in the financial industry i.e. girl power. Indeed, a plaque at the base reads, “Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference.”

Its placement went viral, and prompted all sorts of positive adulation.

The Bull’s sculptor, Arturo Di Modica, was not pleased. He noted that the Fearless Girl “fundamentally corrupted” the message of his art.

Di Modica is correct.

What is the message of the charging bull? Determination, success, prosperity. What happens to that message when you put a petite girl in front of it? Now, it’s a clash of genders, an assertion that the powerless can stand up against the powerful. It’s a child in peril, but unafraid to confront the peril. It’s a divisive assertion of zero-sum outcomes, as if the bull’s strength and attitude is inherently harmful to all but the bull. In short, it’s a declaration that Wall Street, and by extension the financial capital system that powers the nation’s economy, is a Bad Thing.

It’s a hatred of success.

Is there still discrimination and misogyny in the BSD marble halls of Wall Street? Certainly. Are there assholes and jackasses in that world? Obviously. Does the existence of such invalidate the premise that success is a Good Thing? Not in the slightest. A Good Thing may be imperfect, and may have flaws, but it nevertheless remains a Good Thing, and determination, success, and prosperity are Good Things.

Is the message of the Bull exploitive or misogynistic? Only if you choose to read it that way. And, if you do, you demonstrate certain “filters” in your perception of the world. Those that think that the Fearless Girl’s staring down the Charging Bull is a positive message tell the rest of us that power and success is only to be found by denying it to others. That power and success are zero-sum, that one cannot improve one’s lot in life without harming that of another, that the very core of capitalism, i.e. people freely interacting with each other for mutual win-win benefit, is false or wrong.

It’s a load of hateful nonsense, and it’s the very worst sort of message to be sending to the young and impressionable.

Determination is the stuff of success. Those of middling talent with strong drive and determination will, a great majority of the time, outperform the talented but lazy. Determination is the foundation of success.

Economic success and prosperity make us all better off. They make our lives easier, longer, healthier. They raise our living standards, and improve our ability to pursue our happinesses.

Hating success is how people lay off blame for their own lack of it (or, for the self-loathing, a means to ritualistically self-flagellate). Hating success destroys it, because knocking down the successful does nothing to elevate anyone else. Hating success mirrors the “sinful” attitudes (e.g. greed and envy) that are presumed to drive the successful. It’s destructive and it’s wrong.

The intended message of Fearless Girl has some positives. If it can serve as a role model or inspiration for women to strive and achieve, good. But, if it corrupts or diminishes the powerful, positive message of the Charging Bull, it does us all a terrible disservice.

• About the Author

About Peter Venetoklis

I am twice-retired, a former rocket engineer and a former small business owner. At the very least, it makes for interesting party conversation. I'm also a life-long libertarian, I engage in an expanse of entertainments, and I squabble for sport.

Nowadays, I spend a good bit of my time arguing politics and editing this website.

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