People.

[mothwing]

People.

I know that you're all super busy with all your lesson plans and stuff, and I know that most of you sit through their didactics seminars pretty much on autopilot, but I'd like to point out something.

"The boys should focus on Romeo and the girls on Juliet, because all girls can identify with lusting after the forbidden guy."

Think about this for more than five seconds and you'll see that this is a dumb task with a dumber explanation for its existence. It's factually wrong. This is not PC-ness gone wild, this is a factual error that you're making. I think we all agree about the fact that you shouldn't teach kids wrong things. So get a clue, teacher. Especially given the fact that you feel comfortable saying this to me shows such incredible levels of idiocy I don't even know where to start.

I know that you'll say that you can't pay attention to these things all of the time, because the vast majority of people are straight and ID as either of the two, but seriously, do you also not pay attention to misspelt words if students only get one letter wrong because the vast majority of letters in the word are fine?

I know that there is a reason why I'm made so damn uncomfortable by the fact that everybody loves Romeo and Juliet and other straight institutions so damn much, but really, people, there's a fucking limit. 

Comments

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Even if I were straight I wouldn't lust after Romeo. That boy is just not mature enough to be in any relationship at all. Yuck. But yes, I definitely hear you on the broader point there.

[crocky-wock.livejournal.com]

What the heck? Who said that? You are damn right this isn't just about PC. It so happens that my sociology examiner told me this very morning that the theory of gender-congruent identification is anything but proven and heavily contested. So even discounting the question of sexual orientation, it is very unlikely that all the girls will automatically identify with Juliet and all the boys with Romeo.

*hugs*

[lordhellebore]

Yeah, when I was that age, I was lusting after my best FEMALE friend.

This is heteronormativity to an extent that is just too stupid.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

True, true. Also, it's not as though that was the only valid reason for reading that play.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

I'd like to read more on that, because that sounds potentially damaging to everybody's pet argument that says that we need more female characters so that girls can identify with them - I never did, but I wouldn't like some idiot to misread, not think and declare that this does away with the need for the need of more books with female characters in schools because everybody's just fine identifying with the characters which fit the privileged paradigm, so no need to include the icky ones which don't.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. -_- I wish I didn't have to remind them every other week. Makes me realise the need for rainbow paraphernalia - if you put them up everywhere to declare yourself it might save on soapboxy PSAs.

[cranky--crocus.livejournal.com]

*Is vexed.* That's so wrong I can't even comprehend it. Because even if I do the 'logical' thing for my sexuality and swap it around, pretend that I would go for Juliet the [insert whatever description would be used for her here--forbidden girl, whatever], it would still be wrong.

I know plenty of heterosexual and even heteronormative girls who wouldn't say they 'can identify with lusting after the forbidden guy.' That's one whole load of assumptive dragon-dung that is so wrong I don't even want to think about it.

You know what? I think I would want to focus on the Nurse, because I can identify with a perverse old biddy. Lusting after the forbidden guy my man-damned ass.

You, my dear, have just discovered why I have the screen-name cranky__crocus, even if many times it's rather subdued. (;

*Head desk.*

[cranky--crocus.livejournal.com]

You are welcome to take some of mine any time. (: I always have rainbow paraphernalia in over-abundance (or so others would say; I always think I have the perfect extensive quantity). (:

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

Heh, thanks. I may well need your advice on what to buy. :D

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

The biggest problem is that these people were actually serious about that, you know? Which means that even if we didn't pursue that right then they'll still be doing that kind of shite in their lessons.

(I'm more of a Lady Capulet/Nurse person myself).

[sashajwolf.livejournal.com]

Ack. My local friends group is currently going through a bout of mass intersectionality fail on B vs T issues, so I sympathise even more than I normally would ;-(

Also, on the Tube this morning I saw a poster for a new animated/CGI film called Gnomeo and Juliet, which sounds like it has the potential for all sorts of fail. I don't know what it is with that story either. It's never been one of my favourites, though I do agree, I like the Nurse best. She has the same sort of bawdy humour as some of the working-class East End women I know today.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

My local friends group is currently going through a bout of mass intersectionality fail on B vs T issues, so I sympathise even more than I normally would ;-(
Ouch, not good. Hope they get over that, soon! People here are incredibly confused about even gayness vs. straightness, whenever I call them out on fails regarding other fails they just stare blankly, it's frightening.

I saw a poster for a new animated/CGI film called Gnomeo and Juliet
D= Do I even want to know...?

[sashajwolf.livejournal.com]

Hope they get over that, soon!

Some of the more sensible ones seem to be getting involved now, so we can but hope.

Do I even want to know...?

Here's the IMDB page (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377981/). It's Disney, which probably tells us all we need to know.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

It's bad for my friends, because at this point I've grown very impatient with adults from my generation who fail, myself included. It's SO easy to get informed, seriously, there's just no excuse any more. :[

Oh god, that movie. Also, good to see that you're still doing the naming thing there, Disney, what with the male character being named after the species in an everymannish way and the female character getting her own name.