When I signed up to take an economics class with a professor who occassionally guest hosts on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show and thinks gender bias and pay disparity are myths (not to mention global warming), I knew I’d eventually hear some theories with which I disagree. I did not expect I’d be besieged with casual sexism cloaked as “humor.”
The man, in his 70’s, makes economics easy to understand. But he seems to be preoccupied with male/female relations and uses interactions between the sexes in almost every real-world example he gives us. I am still thinking about something he brought up yesterday.
While teaching about price elasticity (the measure of change in the quantity demanded for a good as a result of a change in price of that good), he drew a graph on the board that said “lashes” on the Y axis and “wife’s behavior” on the X axis. He used domestic violence to illustrate price elasticity of demand. He smugly explained that, if a man (of course) wanted to change his “disobedient” wife’s behavior, he’d administer a certain number of lashes. He drew a curve representing the magnitute of the change in behavior in relation to the quantity of lashes delivered.
As he developed his little story, clearly pleased with himself, I looked around the classroom hoping to meet the eyes of other disapproving students. Some of the other women must be as disgusted as I. But everyone laughed. He laughed. Then he moved on to the next topic. What is going on here!? I thought. Who does this jerk think he is?! But the laughter of his students, at least 50 percent of them women, gave him approval and permission. My silence gave him permission. I’m sure some now consider him a hero for being so “politically incorrect.”
At least one, if not more, people in that classroom must have grown up in a house plagued by domestic violence. At least one, if not more, had experienced intimate partner violence themselves. But even if nobody in the class had first-hand experience with it, the professor was wrong to make light of a serious (and often deadly) issue that primarily affects women and girls. Intimate partner violence is happening now; it is not a relic of the past (and it wouldn’t be OK in that case, either). I am disturbed by the reactions from my fellow students. Domestic violence is a joke; a hilarious scenario used to demonstrate economic concepts.
What a fucking twat. Even Harvey Mansfield never sunk that low.
I empathise *hard* with your silence, and your response that you can’t know what you’ll do til it happens to you. I am haunted by an undergrad history class in which a professor asked for a show of hands as to who’s a feminist. *crickets in the classroom*. After a pause, and an aborted attempt to ask “what do you mean?” before trailing off, I then raised my hand. And then one other guy did. And then nothing. That was ten years ago and it kills me even now. Why did I not shoot my hand in the air? Why was I embarrassed to be alone? Why did I want that shameful f-word quantified?
Gah. I hate still this man.
But why does it have to be The Washington Post? Why not the Washington City Paper? I’m sure it’s well-read by the younger D.C. crowd — or for that matter, what about asking Jezebel or Feministing, or if we want to be more discreet, having someone from there send it to Spencer Ackerman or Pandagon or Feministe?
It sucks that you’re not on quarters, though. If you were, then you could just wait until winter quarter grades were in (March) and go public.
@Blondegrlz: Hmm. That is a good point, you’re right in that newspapers don’t usually post articles or even letters to the Editor without knowing a name and even address.
Something to consider for Sarah though: Even the fact of recording this prof, meeting with the ombudswoman (I would have arranged a meeting with the president of the university as well) and presenting your “evidence” with the threat to go public is a step.
Another round a bout way to “leak” the info- is to present the recordings to your local women’s shelter and see if they want to go public with it- not you.
You can always go over the head of academics and take it straight to Human Resources. At my school, anything brought to Human Resources is taken seriously. Those people don’t play around with discriminatory issues.
[...] to the second installment of The Offensive Professor. The man is preoccupied with heterosexual relations, and uses interactions between the sexes to [...]
Oh my god JD I want to buy you a drink. That teacher evaluation form is brilliant. BELIEVES LAW IS NEUTRAL HAHAHAHAHA. Oh dear lord. I’ve talked to you about this a little bit before, but um you’re right, not every law class is like the glorious one I took. I should have listened better.
Sarah, this guy is disgusting. So vile. How much longer is this class? Not more than a month, right?