"The women of Bikini Kill let guitarist Billy Karren be in their feminist punk band, but only if he's willing to just "do some shit." Being a feminist dude is like that. We may ask you to "do some shit" for the band, but you don't get to be Kathleen Hannah."--@heatherurehere


Saturday, March 10, 2007

Maleness - One Side

In one of my spin cycling classes I had at first liked the teacher, a 51 year old, somewhat brash man. His words at first seemed challenging and interesting and his style was at first appealingly different from the 20 something year old female teachers who are polite and young in various ways.

Gradually I've felt like I've seen this man's dark sides - in small bites - that feels a little less comfortable. Feeling a competition and a need from this man to have him be visibly - "in control" - e.g. - that the class members are - in a sense beneath him - under his thumb, doesn't feel so benign or comfortable. While I don't like "smiley face" pleasantness, direct putdowns and similar aren't helpful either.

Thursday I began talking with the woman next to me, who was back, after some months of not cycling. She told me that she'd been through a depression and gotten divorced. I was trying to be encouraging to her.

Then our teacher intervened and made a Very direct statement asking if we would both quiet down and insinuated that we couldn't talk and work hard in the class. I responded that I would be quiet and got a further snide response from him (which is par for him in any case).

It was obvious to me that the teacher's words had shaken my neighbor. After class she talked with him and then I talked with her briefly. She was upset and angry and quite clear that she wouldn't let his actions get in her way of her mission to continue cycling. She told me that she had told him that he could have said what he did in a different manner that was less offensive. She said that he acknowledged this, but said that it wouldn't have been himself, if he hadn't reacted as he did. I apologized for my part in the matter, since I had known him from prior classes and she hadn't.

This experience brings up a part of maleness that bothers me. I also recognize that I can do similar things at times in my own way.

Part of maleness can be a justification for being direct and blunt and not acknowledging the feelings of others. We aren't concerned about the relationship - that is created and may exist from the perspective of the other person. We are "right" and that's all that matters (in our minds).

This is wrong! I acknowledge my part in this in my past and hope to do less of this in the future with others around me.

Thanks!

2 comments:

Jeff Pollet said...

"Part of maleness can be a justification for being direct and blunt and not acknowledging the feelings of others. We aren't concerned about the relationship - that is created and may exist from the perspective of the other person."

I'd want to point out that part of traditional notions of masculinity contribute to the sort of justification you're talking about--not any sort of inherent quality (just to be clear).

Think your point about not taking into account the relationship is a very good one, Geo. There are limits to what one can do regarding affecting what other people take to be one's meaning, but it's always a good idea to give a good faith effort to get one's point across in a way that isn't bullying, I think. Most of the time, at least.

I wonder--how might you approach this instructor? I had a great professor once who had a really bad habit of not calling on women in the class when they raised their hands. I pointed it out to him, finally, after several people had complained to me about it (they knew I often went to his office hours and such). I often regret that it took others' comments to me to get me to do this, and since then I've been able to recognize it more readily in other situations. Still, I don't regret talking to him about it, because he was apparently completely unaware he was doing it. He felt shitty about it, but I'm fairly certain he was sincere in his ignorance about his habit, because from then on it wasn't a problem at all, and everybody recognized it. So, it's at least possible that this guy doesn't understand that his 'gruffness' is at time inappropriate.

geo said...

Jeff - You make some very good points. In considering how I react to men, such as my instructor, I think both of how I would want to be dealt with if I was the "bad guy" as well as what effect, if any, I see Trying to say my piece will have.

In this case I feel it best to pull back and recognize that I've obviously pushed the instructor in some ways, and he's consistently told me - "I know what's best for me and don't push me".

While I would like to try to "do good", for me this necessitates trying to ensure that I'm not making a bad situation worse. I wish this man would be open to discussion, but now with me at least I think he won't listen.

Thanks again!