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When You Say Something, Please Be Careful

 Won Sup Shim
Photo: S. Peters
After my presentation, I had made 46 enemies, including the professor. All of this, I'd done in just five minutes.

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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