Saturday, November 7, 2009

Sexism: Male Malingering in a Predominantly Female Institution

I will let the readers decide for themselves, based on the situation described below if SHE is out of line or justified in her feelings of helplessness and frustration in regards to what she feels is an attempt at male malingering in a predominantly female institution, due to a certain perception that being one of a minority of males in such an atmosphere, "he" can engage with and discard women at any rate and in any way he sees fit since he has many "options" and does not need to consider the overtly sexist nature of his actions.

Here are the facts:
"HE" and "SHE" (which I make no qualms about admitting to being "I") are in small MFA workshop class together at Mills College. They hang out together outside of school with other peers. They then hang out together, just the two of them. HE kisses HER. They hang out again. HE asks if he may kiss HER again. He does. A female friend of his comes to visit the school and stays with him. He brings her to class. He rushes out of the classroom without introducing the female friend to HER. When SHE asks if he was in a hurry, he replies yes. A week later, they hang out again and this time HE says that he cannot be more than friends with her because his ex is still on his mind. HE tells HER that he has feelings for her and he cannot deal with them right now with the ex still on his radar.

However, SHE realizes certain inconsistencies. Though HE claims to RESPECT HER, the first night he kissed her, he said "We either need to go upstairs or I need to go home." With a churning gut, she looked at the series of events. It seemed pretty clear that this statement was a SEXUAL ULTIMATUM designed to get him laid.

When SHE brought this up, HE ignored the accusation.

When pursued to be honest about his intentions, HE did not want to engage in a conversation.

SHE took this as not only an insult to her as an individual, to what he perceived to be her lack of intelligence, as well as his lack of respect for women and for the feelings he has evoked by his actions BUT also a blatant disregard to the request for a conversation explaining his intentions. Now if a person is not willing to disclose his intentions when someone who HE claimed to RESPECT as well as have DEEPENING FEELINGS FOR asks that he explain because SHE is hurt and confused, what is SHE to conclude other than a lack of TRUTH, RESPECT and a passive claim of the INEQUALITY of females since the effects an individual has on them are not worthy of addressing in a human manner?

My Response would be something like the following:

I am not about to be at a school where I should be being empowered by the social justice aims of the institution and am instead being treated like a "girl" by a "man" who thinks he's going to work the system to his advantage. By your refusal to treat me as an equal and respect my mind and body as well as my educational pursuits, you have made this political.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, it's Jon Cherlin. Just read this. This is great! Really comes together at the end. I was reading it, and thought to myself, "This sounds like an opening statement at a trial," and then you spring at the end that it was intentional. Brilliant, as always my friend. :)

Lily Bean said...

I was still so angsty. Now I am SO GROWN. :)