Letter to the editor
Student responds to poll question with sexist answers
November 7, 2013
It seems to me that we have to have the talk. Yes, the talk about sexism. I am referring of course to the responses given by our fellow students in the Student Voices last week asking, “What annoys you the most about the opposite sex?”
I could of course go on a rant in reference to the question itself, but I will try to restrain myself. Let us begin then by addressing the men’s responses.
First, in regards to women not being lady-like anymore. This statement as far as I can tell refers to either two situations. The first situation being that women are not sitting in Italian restaurants and eating spaghetti noodles with young men until they eat the same noodle, pull together and kiss.
The other being that women are not spending hours putting on makeup, trimming, styling their hair, painting their nails, choosing painfully tight dresses and high heels to match (which hurt like a beast). Either way, women should be able to choose their own path whether they want to eat spaghetti or dress up, they should be free to choose. It is of course the American way.
Now it is time to talk to the women. Let us begin with “Guys fart too much.” I am sorry that the sad fact is everyone farts. Shocker, I know. I am sorry you were not educated on this fact but it is the truth. In fact, farting has much to do with diet and exercise. Eating only hamburgers and washing them down with a big gulp of Mountain Dew does not play well with your digestion. Add on top of that a sedentary lifestyle of playing “Halo” and you have a recipe for farts. If you eat crap and sit around all day, you will fart.
Though there were more responses that were just as sexist, I do not have the time or space to deal with them. In general, you should take away that people are individuals and should be treated as such. You would never explicitly say stereotypical things about African Americans or judge them by their external appearance. Then why is it okay to stereotype gender and judge people by their external gender expression? If you want to learn more about sexism, there are feminists on campus everywhere. Just be prepared to hand over a bra to burn.
Sean Eberle
Student, UW-River Falls
Comments
A. W. on 16 Nov 2013: "If you want to learn more about sexism, there are feminists on campus everywhere. Just be prepared to hand over a bra to burn." Please tell me you were making a terrible sarcastic joke. If not, I would like to point out that one doesn't have to just find a feminist. Google is good for EVERYTHING. Second, bra-burning was a media-driven myth. Third, the implication that every feminist is a radical feminist is a terrible stereotype as well. Everyone, men and women, should be feminists when it comes to the core beliefs of this concept: feminism is simply "the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men". Until your last two sentences, I agreed with everything you said.
Maea on 12 Nov 2013: "Add on top of that a sedentary lifestyle of playing “Halo” and you have a recipe for farts. If you eat crap and sit around all day, you will fart." I laughed at your ridiculous hypocritical statement, quoted above, mostly because the irony that your article is bashing stereotyping. GG.