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When
You Say Something, Please Be Careful
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Photo:
S. Peters
After my presentation, I had made 46
enemies, including the professor. All of
this, I'd done in just five minutes.
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Won Sup
Shim from Korea
It
is very difficult to speak in front of an enemy.
When I was a junior student in the university, I
had this experience. I had to take a class in
feminism. I had no choice; "Feminism Class" was a
required subject for students whose major is
sociology.
On
the first day of the class, I was surprised and
embarrassed because there were only five male
students, including me, from among 50 students.
What was worse, the professor was the most famous
person as a feminist in my country. I realized my
mistake at once, but I couldn't get out of that
class because my major was sociology, and I had to
take it.
On
the first day, the professor gave us several topics
and said to us. In this class, we will deal with
sexual inequality. Also, I want you to know through
this class how women have been suppressed by men."
In that class, man was an enemy and he was the
target.
The
war began from the first day. The professor asked
us to talk about experiences of sexual inequality
one by one. Most of the students told about their
experiences easily because they were all women, so
they all had this sort of experience.
Finally
my turn came. I began to talk about my military
service. I was thinking that military service is a
kind of sexual inequality. In my country, men have
to do military service, but women don't. After my
presentation, I had made 46 enemies, including the
professor. All of this, I'd done in just five
minutes.
I
had to listen to their reproaches for two hours.
The students, of course, because they were female,
told me several hundred experiences; and the
professor began to teach about the history of
sexual inequality from prehistoric society to
modern society, just for me. I realized that I had
made the most serious mistake in my life. I
regretted it and decided never again to talk about
this kind of issue.
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©1997-2008 - Sandy
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