Today I was asked in speech class to talk about "If I were God, what would I change?" and "What do you like or dislike about the opposite gender?"
Two very biased questions from the beginning, right? Well, I expected a little bit more from a world traveler that is my teacher.
The first question, which someone even said they didn't believe in God so they wouldn't answer it, I answered that I wouldn't change anything. We live in a world that isn't blissful for a reason--it insteads allows us to realize compassion, tolerance, understanding, and right from wrong.
Without a yen there is no yang. But I would have an average person be eliminated of ignorance about the realities of the world to perhaps inspire or urge them to change what they feel is wrong. We are the ones to change this world, not God. We have to accept and try to change our actions.
The second answer was a doozy.
There was already sexist remarks about "Well I don't think girls are funny" and bull. So I knew this wouldn't be understood by this crowd -- the word misogyny. I said I would change misogyny, insecurities, and ignorance of the other gender.
The teacher (who makes u watch a playback in another room on the tv) asked "Is misogyny the marriage of two races?"
Wow. Yah, I was sort of shocked by this woman's question, especially since she said "I'm married to a misogynist Republican but he's a good guy" when introducing herself.
I also think I said something about how I am sick of objectification of woman for the sake of selling a product, how every other commerical is some naked woman.
And I heard a girl say 'SO TRUE'
Since most of the students talked about non serious issues like "I'd make people FLY if I was God" or other kinda stupid answers, they probably weren't ready for my serious answer.
Anyways, I felt from the beginning this was set up for the fight of the genders. I also noticed how most of the woman said 'I like guys who..." more often then guys who said "I hate women who" or just plain using stereotypes like using the bathroom too long or complaining or that guys always forget to put the toliet seat down.
Most of the girls had really silly values when it came to guys "he should dress nice" more often then "treat me with respect" or that "I totally hate it when guys start a fight for no reason to look tough" I quickily asked "What kind of guys are YOU hanging out with?" *I also added later how Rihanna's abuse was tolerated and even used for victim blaming and that really scares me.
I felt I answered properly, but was waiting for the sexism too. To my suprise, there were a few girls next to me who had an understanding of what I was talking about.
I think what bothered me the most was my teacher's comment on misogyny, and that it wasn't addressed more often by the girls when the guys had no problem pointing out things. I felt maybe they wanted to fit in or really had nothing in their heads but air.
what do you guys think of the speech class?
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: My teacher asks "What dont or do like about the opposite gender?".
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.feministing.com/cgi-bin/movabletype/mt-tb.fcgi/16735
The very fact that this teacher was using loaded, highly biased questions to begin with negates anything anyone's else said.
Oh, good grief. It's absurdly easy to rephrase the first question so that no religious belief is assumed on the part of the answerer. "If you had godlike powers, what would you change?" (I think this phrasing might also be more acceptable to certain theists who would consider the idea of considering themselves God to be horribly arrogant.)
Teachers have no business asking students to speak on "what do you like/dislike about the opposite gender" unless they intend to use it as a launching point for serious discussions of gender and stereotype in our society. Letting students parrot those stereotypes without engagement is frankly irresponsible.
"Teachers have no business asking students to speak on "what do you like/dislike about the opposite gender" unless they intend to use it as a launching point for serious discussions of gender and stereotype in our society."
Exactly. No teacher would ever get away with asking "what do you like/dislike about people of other races?" It's completely out of line for a teacher to prod students into voicing stereotypes and prejudices.
Oh God, do I hear you on this. I'm taking a sociology class right now (about stratification) and every time I bring up stuff like misogyny, heteronormativity, victim-blaming, etc. I feel like the man-hating-Bikini-Kill-listening-vegan-feminist-freak stock character you see in teen movies (which wouldn't bother me so much if it didn't mean that I wasn't being taken seriously). I can feel the dudebros, especially, collectively rolling their eyes.
I'm beyond caring what dudebros think, but what gets me is everyone else, especially the girls, not really saying anything. It gets tiring being the only one who seems to (openly) give a fuck. And I know what you mean about misogynistic comments going unchallenged. WTF?
Wow, really? Is this a college class? I remember all of my sociology classes being very open and talking about all sorts of issues, sexism included. Everyone got in on those conversations and the professors were always respectful about correcting people and educating us about the issues. Of course, I also went to an extremely liberal school, but I think anyone in any kind of sociology class should be able to recognize sexism and misogyny. I mean, seriously, that is not a hard concept to teach especially in sociology. I'm honestly shocked that your professor isn't bringing up misogyny, heteronormativity, etc. hirself and talking to the class about it. You definitely should not be the one trying to teach the class about those kind of important issues. If I had taken a sociology class that wasn't fairly feminist oriented I never would have broken out of the conservative mind frame that I had acquired from home. It saddens me that other people in your class may never be able to break that mind frame either because no one is teaching them. *sigh*
Yep, it is a college class.
The teacher actually does bring up sexism, homophobia, racism, etc., so it would be dishonest of me to say that she just glossed over those issues like they didn't matter. The problems begin when she asks open-ended questions about why this is that way and so on.
I would think open-ended questions would be helpful in discussing these issues. I enjoyed my discussion based classes in college? Talking was more fun than being a passive participant in my education. But I guess it depends on the class on how well those discussions go. Seems a shame that your classes turn out the way they do because I think talking is often times more conducive when it comes to learning than reading a textbook and listening to lectures.
This kinda makes me sad because I know, especially in high school, I used to be one of those people. Not necessarily about gender (I was a huge tom boy so I hated every gender stereotype since I was a kid and would never say them of my own volition) but about other things like homosexuality and such. I remember one especially horrible discussion in a class where a teacher wanted to discuss same sex marriage. I made an ass of myself pretty much parroting everything I heard at home. Gay marriage would promote bestiality and pedophilia, can't they be happy with civil unions, every stupid conservative talking point in the book. Not because this is what I really believed, per say. It is what I believed because that was all I had heard. It wasn't until I got away from home and went to college that I realized there was a different way to look at it. Only through learning new world views was I able to form my own opinion.
I guess my point is in this situation I kind of put more blame on the teacher who asked the question, let the stereotypes be spoken and then NOT have a discussion about those stereotypes afterward. As bad as some of those answers were, the students are living in a world that does not encourage deep thinking about anything, really. I feel it is a teachers job to encourage critical thinking and not necessarily make the students believe how they believe but give them the knowledge to make their own opinions. You can do something by bringing the important topics forward, but the teacher holds the power in the class. Horrible as it is, people who are stuck in their stereotypes are more likely to listen to the teacher than to you. So yeah, kind of a bad move on the teachers part in my opinion.