Women's Studies: The Heavy Bootprint.

[JayB]

I take issue with the dating advice column printed in last Friday's edition of The New Hampshire. This article, published by "Dr. Durham," offers readers "15 ways to get yourself noticed by the opposite sex." The column's title, "Dear Dr. Durham," suggests some sort of professional, medical opinion relegating the singular and implicitly "normative" sexual preference of our student body. The article's presentation, one column for "girls" and one for "guys," separated by a vertical black line, reflects the social myth that there are only two gender categories and, subsequently, only two rigid forms of gender expression. Readers need only to turn to the Arts Section in last Friday's paper to be reminded of the fallacy of the "girl/guy" binary: a thoughtful, well-written review of Duncan Tucker's new film "TransAmerica" highlights the social exclusion that results from reliance on the extreme gender stereotypes referenced in "Dr. Durham's" advice column.

 

"Dr. Durham's" article not only erroneously assumes a link between anatomical sex, gender expression and sexuality, but it also prescribes a specific brand of heterosexuality that diminishes individual identities with sweeping generalizations. Claims such as "every girl will notice" or "a guy likes it when you call him cute" serve as a means of totalizing and ultimately homogenizing gendered experiences. Instead of being represented as the diverse student body we are, a group made up of exciting variations in histories, sexualities, gender expressions, nationalities and ethnicities, we are lumped together as one mass of sameness that pathetically posits physical appearance at the forefront of human interaction. "Dr. Durham's" concluding suggestion, that girls should simply "be [themselves]," hardly seems possible given the limited options of "acceptable" behavior presented.

 

While I understand this article was likely meant as a novelty, I only ask that, in the future, the editors of TNH take into consideration the wide spectrum of diversity that comprises our community before offering us any more advice.

 

 

Meghann McCluskey

Senior"

 

Maybe she's just looking for a date?

[foraker]

Maybe she's just looking for a date?

 

And will be for a long time to come....

[JayB]

Maybe, maybe not. I can almost guarantee there's at least one guy on the UNH campus who was desperate enough to adopt the Sensitive Guy personae in an effort to pick-up women, who is by extension desperate enough to abase himself still further and alternately endure the inevitable blizzard of bizzare post-modern gender-ranting, and hold her hand while she weeps into her pillow while contemplating The Patriarchy and all it has wrought - in and effort to get himself a bit of angst-laden action.

[tomtom]

[underworld]

but i wonder what she thinks about the ref's at the super bowl??

[JayB]

It's also worth noting that she was involved in Kerry's Campaign in NH in some fashion or another. I imagine the gender-blender issue was right at the top of the agenda for the average flannel-clad denizen of NH.

[JayB]

but i wonder what she thinks about the ref's at the super bowl??

[Dechristo]

Perhaps a transexual should write the "Dr. Durham" column being able to give three points of view personally.

[foraker]

Maybe, maybe not. I can almost guarantee there's at least one guy on the UNH campus who was desperate enough to adopt the Sensitive Guy personae in an effort to pick-up women, who is by extension desperate enough to abase himself still further and alternately endure the inevitable blizzard of bizzare post-modern gender-ranting, and hold her hand while she weeps into her pillow while contemplating The Patriarchy and all it has wrought - in and effort to get himself a bit of angst-laden action.

 

Translation: doormat

 

Just reading all of this gives me bad LSD flashbacks to Boston and Cambridge.

[knelson]

Kinda reminds me of when I was at the UW taking an Econ class that was being taught right next door to a Women's Studies class. Leaving class one morning, after a rather boisterous chanting session that we could here through the walls (you'd think it was a ROTC class if you'd heard it), I had the unfortunate pleasure of making eye contact with one of the gals leaving the other class. Eye contact - nothing else - was enough for her to hawk one up and blow it my way. I wanted to say "you spit like a girl", but alas... she did not - she could spit with the best of 'em. As I came to a stop, looking down at the luggie (sp?) smack dab in the middle of my chest, all I could manage to say was "Nice. Thank you." and wandered off.

 

I got over it. I'm sure she did too... whatever it was.

 

Dang...

 

... she got around that day she wore that outfit.

[foraker]

The only answer to that would have been: "So I guess a blow job is out of the question then?"

[ZimZam]

She gots a mighty purdy mouth, Pa'.

[chucK]

If she would have assented, you'd have to be one brave MoFo to follow through!

[Dechristo]

or, "that class leaves a bad taste in my mouth, too."

[foraker]

Not to worry, I've been to the Timothy Treadwell School of Grizzly Pacification.

[ZimZam]

suck out her eyes and skull f... 'er. Taint nuttin like a lil' brain matter ta make evrithin allwhite.

[JayB]

Kinda reminds me of when I was at the UW taking an Econ class that was being taught right next door to a Women's Studies class. Leaving class one morning, after a rather boisterous chanting session that we could here through the walls (you'd think it was a ROTC class if you'd heard it), I had the unfortunate pleasure of making eye contact with one of the gals leaving the other class. Eye contact - nothing else - was enough for her to hawk one up and blow it my way. I wanted to say "you spit like a girl", but alas... she did not - she could spit with the best of 'em. As I came to a stop, looking down at the luggie (sp?) smack dab in the middle of my chest, all I could manage to say was "Nice. Thank you." and wandered off.

 

I got over it. I'm sure she did too... whatever it was.

 

Dang...

 

... she got around that day she wore that outfit.

 

I recall meeting this woman who had been writing a flurry columns in seething Gender-Speak in the UW daily. They're all kind of a blur but I think one of them was entitled "Mary Should Have Had an Abortion" or some other such bit of calculated vitriol, and I developed this image in my mind that was something roughly akin to semi-pro women's hockey-goalie/women's softball catcher physique/personae.

 

It was a tremendous let-down when I actually ran into the genuine article, who happened to be a waitress at that little italian restaurant-bistro thingy by the movie theater on 45th. Smallish, petite, spoke in a whisper, and seemed to look at her shoes the entire time while taking orders. I felt like I'd just seen the Wizard behind the curtains. Definite bummer - but no loogey(sp?) unless it was served to me in my food.

[underworld]

...and she was doing as women should - serving you food and looking down and/or away. wooopish!!

[underworld]

which reminds me of a joke:

what do you say to a woman with two black eyes?

 

nothing, she obviously doesn't listen

[Off_White]

that wasn't funny.

[JayB]

Be careful, man. Those Goalies and Catchers are real, and I'd hate to be on the wrong side of their anger. All the blind-fury of Medea in a 110 kilo frame....

[fenderfour]

Sounds like another one of those kids that haven't experienced real life yet. Maybe she and Gary should hook up.

[jmace]

Sensitive guy personae... I have never and young guys take heed, never seen this work, the only thing its good for is for your buddy to do it so you can be a jerk and take her off his baby hands. gauranteed the next words out of her mouth will be " your friend is so nice..."

[catbirdseat]

If she had spit on me I would have given her just what she wanted- equality with men- and a punch in the nose. Can't have it both ways.

[tomtom]

No.