There is so much stupidity floating around that people have to waste time proving the obvious:
Our research shows that boys’ underperformance in school has more to do with society’s norms about masculinity than with anatomy, hormones or brain structure.
Gender expectations put both men and woman at a disadvantage at certain times. Right now, I’m observing how an activity where female students flourish proves more difficult for male students and not because of any intellectual limitations but simply due to the weight of gender roles.
In my literature seminar, each student gets to play the role of the professor once in the semester. They have to analyze the text assigned for that day and prepare a series of interactive activities aimed at involving everybody in the discussion. Most of the students have already had a chance to present, and I have noticed that, irrespective of the level of language competence and the understanding of the texts, male students consistently do significantly worse than female students.
In order to engage successfully with a group in these kinds of interactive exercises, you need to be able to play the role of a clown. It is crucial to have the capacity to leave aside any pretense at gravitas and become playful. Male students, however, seem terrified of playfulness. It is very sad to see the castrating “all work and no play all the time” philosophy of life set in so early in these adolescent males.
This is the reason why male students do significantly worse in language courses than female students Idiots explain this issue referencing some completely imaginary brain differences but the reality is much simpler. Language courses are all based on group activities, games, role playing, etc. Men find these activities very wounding to the stereotyped image of a male they adopt early in life. According to my observations, gay men – who have a lot less interest in patriarchal gender roles – do extremely well in language courses even though their brains, bodies, and everything else is just as male as those of straight men.
A student came to my office yesterday to discuss his ideas for the final essay.
“This character can’t understand the damage caused by traditional gender roles because he is male,” he said. “He has no experience of this. Not like women do.”
If you are surprised by his statement, note that the current post was not written by a male blogger either.
Clarissa's Blog 
“This character can’t understand the damage caused by traditional gender roles because he is male,” he said. “He has no experience of this. Not like women do.””
This is not very accurate, but women have a different understanding of these damages though, because damages are different and higher for women.
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“This is not very accurate, but women have a different understanding of these damages though, because damages are different and higher for women.”
– Different yes, but higher? I can only repeat that the highest argument there is is life. And who consistently lives significantly shorter lives in all developed countries without exception?
Women, at least, have already realized that they have historically been oppressed. Even the most brain-dead, hopelessly patriarchal women are aware of this.
However, even the most educated, enlightened, intelligent men still feel shocked when one tries to tell them that this damages them, too.
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“And who consistently lives significantly shorter lives in all developed countries without exception? ”
Men. But I talk about damages during lives, not about life duration.
“However, even the most educated, enlightened, intelligent men still feel shocked when one tries to tell them that this damages them, too.”
I agree, men don’t realize that as well as women because they’re less affected during their lives.
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“Men. But I talk about damages during lives, not about life duration.”
– This is a logical contradiction. Death is the consequence of life. Earlier death is evidence of a worse life. Nobody dies earlier because their life is better.
“I agree, men don’t realize that as well as women because they’re less affected during their lives.”
– No. Simply because the phrase “I’m a victim” is incompatible with the traditional male gander role. It is, however, compatible with the female traditional gender role.
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“It is very sad to see the castrating “all work and no play all the time” philosophy of life set in so early in these adolescent males.”
Of course, this is a damage for men created by the patriarchy.
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Wow, Clarissa, I found it in the Canada LIBERTARIAN Party Facebook page:
“Homosexuality is found in over 450 species. Homophobia is found in only one. Which on seems unnatural now?”
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Which onE
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Ha!!!! This is the best. I really like it.
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This reminds me of an argument I got into once with a virulent anti-feminist man. He was a university dropout, and he was complaining bitterly to me that the only reason I was still in university while he had dropped out because universities are “structurally set up” to discriminate against men, because at university, “you are expected to sit down, listen, and absorb material” from the professors. According to him, men are not capable of doing this, because men are “hands-on” learners who need to move and interact with their environments to absorb material.
I feel like I should have asked him if he could use his hands to pick up some personal responsibilities for his own failures, since he was awfully busy pushing them off onto women and this fantasy conspiracy.
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““This character can’t understand the damage caused by traditional gender roles because he is male,” he said. “He has no experience of this. Not like women do.””
A male can’t know anything because he is an ape.
Good luck to those who wish to go through life galumphing and calumphing without any experience of anything in particular.
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After the horrible day I had today, I’m suspecting almost everybody is an ape.
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How do you know which of your male students are gay? Is it that obvious, or do you have some “gay radar,” if you will? I would agree, to some extent, that gay males might fare better in language courses (and maybe even overall academically?), but my qualm with your observation is that you seem to classify all gay men who take language courses into one bunch. This is completely untrue. As a gay male myself who takes language courses, I still find such “games” awkward and somewhat demeaning to a stereotype that I slightly agree with (I’m by no means saying that the will and desires of a man supersede that of a woman – or of another man). However, in my own life, I do find some value in representing myself as that “typical male” because that is a part of me and how I want others to recognize me as. Perhaps I’m an outlier. Or, maybe I read too much into your observation. Regardless, I think that the main determinant in one’s success (or lack thereof) in a language course is his or her underlying passion to know and utilize the language in a sophisticated and everyday manner. Those students (predominantly “straight” males) who fail to denote the necessity of studying hours on end and practicing vocabulary/grammar (or making light of the situation in class) are the individuals who will slide through the system. Accordingly, the main problem, from my perspective, is that such students just see a language class as a grade, not as a means by which to immerse themselves in different cultures. Demeaning stereotypes in language classes might be a contributing factor to the overall poor performance of your male students, but I believe that the overarching determinant of poor performance is the recognition by (some) students that they can “slide by” in a rather academically challenging course, I’m sure, in order to say to employers: “Yes, I can read/write in Spanish just fine.” In actuality, they have learned very little, because they failed to put-forth sufficient effort due to their deficiency in caring for their own future. Not for the fact that they might feel de-masculinized, to some extent.
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“How do you know which of your male students are gay? Is it that obvious, or do you have some “gay radar,” if you will? I”
– It’s funny that the most obvious response doesn’t even occur to you. They say they are gay, that’s how I know. In language courses the subject of boyfriends / husbands, girlfriends / wives comes up a lot.
“Regardless, I think that the main determinant in one’s success (or lack thereof) in a language course is his or her underlying passion to know and utilize the language in a sophisticated and everyday manner.”
– It never ceases to amaze me that people who have zero experience teaching languages will try to educate me, with 22 years of experience. No, you are wrong. Wanting it a lot does not help to learn. Language learning functions on a completely different level.
” Accordingly, the main problem, from my perspective, is that such students just see a language class as a grade, not as a means by which to immerse themselves in different cultures.”
– I think it is abundantly clear from my post that the course I’m discussing is only taken by people who are majoring in Spanish. The course cannot possibly be “just a grade for them.”
“I believe that the overarching determinant of poor performance is the recognition by (some) students that they can “slide by” in a rather academically challenging course, I’m sure, in order to say to employers: “Yes, I can read/write in Spanish just fine.””
– You are fantasizing without even trying to read the post. Every single thing you said here is called projection.
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This “all work and no play” attitude must be a Midwestern thing. When I was in school, we had plenty of class clown male students, who were obviously not stupid, but who didn’t always do well, probably because the American take on men, masculinity, and learning is that “scholarly” learning (under which foreign languages fall here) is for women and undersexed men/gays, while for Real Men™ anything that doesn’t either lead to a practical trade or lots of money is emasculating. (They would totally argue against your idea that the way they live is the actual emasculating one. Of course you’re right and they’re wrong, but understanding that would take insight, which is also for women and undersexed men/gays.)
Then again, the “class clown” isn’t really the sort of “performer” -type role you’re talking about, it’s really another way of putting up a front of this sort of masculinity — one that shows nothing is worth taking seriously, because taking things seriously is for girls. (See the “women can’t be funny” meme that was all over the internets some years back and still won’t go away.)
It’s all part of the frontier mentality that still has a hold on the American psyche. A Real Man™ is unemotional, active, “shoots first and asks questions later” (that is, acts without letting all that Hamlet-y “thinking” stuff get in his way), and never lets anyone see him sweat (that is, never shows self-doubt or hesitation). This is fine if all you want to be is a fence post that shoots Indians, but is lousy for being a teacher or anyone else that has to connect with another person.
Also your male students who are having trouble might be operating under the misconception that if they can’t do it perfectly, it’s better not to do anything at all. I hear this a lot from young 20-something guys: they won’t try, for example, to do anything “creative” because they’re intimidated by the idea of fumbling inexpertly as they learn, and thus revealing some sort of “weakness.” Some of them do grow out of it though.
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I do have a class clown in this course and his presentation was a disaster. He was extremely uncomfortable, sweating, shaking, and almost losing his voice. Class clown is a role that people with low self-esteem take on, so this is understandable.
“It’s all part of the frontier mentality that still has a hold on the American psyche. A Real Man™ is unemotional, active, “shoots first and asks questions later” (that is, acts without letting all that Hamlet-y “thinking” stuff get in his way), and never lets anyone see him sweat (that is, never shows self-doubt or hesitation). This is fine if all you want to be is a fence post that shoots Indians, but is lousy for being a teacher or anyone else that has to connect with another person.”
– Exactly. This is an extremely undermining persona.
“Also your male students who are having trouble might be operating under the misconception that if they can’t do it perfectly, it’s better not to do anything at all. I hear this a lot from young 20-something guys: they won’t try, for example, to do anything “creative” because they’re intimidated by the idea of fumbling inexpertly as they learn, and thus revealing some sort of “weakness.” Some of them do grow out of it though.”
– What you describe is becoming extremely wide-spread among all students. I keep seeing people go into pieces when they realize they are not perfect. Yesterday, a student sent me a 500-word email where the words ‘I feel’ were used multiple times and where she described in detail how painful it is for her to see my corrections of her language mistakes. I find this extremely bizarre.
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“Yesterday, a student sent me a 500-word email where the words ‘I feel’ were used multiple times and where she described in detail how painful it is for her to see my corrections of her language mistakes. I find this extremely bizarre.”
It’s part of the metaphysical perspective, that mistakes don’t indicate a normal kind of imperfection, but are signs of actual moral failings. That’s why they hurt the self esteem of someone who thinks it a sign of good morality to know everything there is to know and to perform perfectly at all times. You may be surprised how many people adopt this perspective, at least partially.
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“It’s part of the metaphysical perspective, that mistakes don’t indicate a normal kind of imperfection, but are signs of actual moral failings.”
– Yes, definitely, it’s something like that. The student said I insulted her by pointing out all these mistakes. And then she repeated the word “insult.’
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It’s quite unpleasant to feel that one has to perform perfectly or fail in one’s moral duties. It’s a level of deception or self-deception that leads to unnecessary pain. This pain is metaphysical (i.e. foundationless; as good as non-existent).
In other news I am bothered, rather deeply, by an image that stays in my head from a documentary I watched last night, of the Japanese tsunami. These guys are parked at a crossroads near to the coast, and then the water turns a corner and arrives beneath their cars. One guy keeps filming as people around him start to panic. But it’s a panic on Valium. One guy gingerly steps out of his car and walks a couple of steps in the developing flood. Then he looks back at his car, which is untidy for the door is open. He jogs back quickly and shuts the door.
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“One guy gingerly steps out of his car and walks a couple of steps in the developing flood. Then he looks back at his car, which is untidy for the door is open. He jogs back quickly and shuts the door.”
– This is very powerful, indeed. He wants to impose order onto the disorderly universe.
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Or he wants not to offend those around him. He can’t believe things have become out of control.
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In the US it’s very important to be the one who’s In The Know, who is “savvy,” who knows “everything,” who is Super Extra Special Smart not in the “useless egghead way” (like scholars) but in the clever, can-see-through-bullshit way. That’s because another aspect of American life is everyone acts like, in this huge land, we all live in a tiny bucket and have to fight each other all the time for everything, so we’re always trying to put something over on each other. It’s a very stupid and limiting and tiring way of seeing life and I’m trying to opt out after a lifetime of being the clever snarky one who Sees Through It All.
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“It is very sad to see the castrating “all work and no play all the time” philosophy of life set in so early in these adolescent males.”
There’s a paradox, as dudes study less than women.
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