"Even when presented with direct evidence, so many people can't see it! They keep seeing what they've been taught to believe."
Shannon Hale just keeps hitting 'em out of the park:
So why does it matter? Why do kids need to see/hear/read women being funny? And hear adults acknowledging that they are funny? Because stereotypes shut down possibilities. The "class clown" is a boy. The actually truly funny girls in class are just "obnoxious" or "attention-seekers." Boys who are funny are encouraged, laughed, cheered. Girls who are funny are told to behave, shush, sit down.