I see a five year old girl who is going to be dead in three seconds because she is standing in front of a raging bull. If this was a real girl, and a real bull, we would be running out there to grab her and get her to safety. We might even put ourselves between her and the bull.
The market is a dangerous place. We don't encourage anyone to jump in, without training and experience. If they do, they'll be seriously hurt, and possibly even killed.
I read this same sentiment in the various NYT articles commenting on the sculpture. I don't find it any less ridiculous here. It's
symbolism. The bull represents the market, or the economy, not a real bull. The defiant girl represents women, or if you like, young women, standing up to the economy and poised to take it by the tail.
As a father of one girl with another girl on the way, I like this for two reasons:
1. it shows a confident girl ready to go out and kick some ass
2. it shows the girl as defiant, stubborn, and confident, not as a victim. I teach my daughter she can do anything a man can do because she's strong and capable and smart. I don't teach her to expect handouts or to demand things because of her gender or that she should feel slighted or oppressed. This statue doesn't say "I'm going to make society a better place for women", it says "I'm a capable woman and I'm going to kick society's ass to get what I want, because I can." I like it so much for this reason. I don't want my daughter growing up grasping to victimhood, I want her kicking ass because she's a strong capable confident girl.
