Welcome to the second installment of The Offensive Professor. The man is preoccupied with heterosexual relations, and uses interactions between the sexes to illustrate economic principles on a regular basis. It’s super charming.
This week he was teaching a lesson on monopolies.
“The marriage contract is a monopoly,” he explained. “It eliminates competition in the market.”
OK, fair enough.
“Don’t be surprised when your husband or wife changes after marriage; they don’t have to try as hard once they’ve established a monopoly.”
All right, that makes sense.
“When the department has parties, I tell my female students to resist that second helping of food. ‘You can eat once you get married,’ I tell them.”
:screeeeeech:
Cue boistrous laughter from almost everyone in the class. Cue groan from SarahMC. I noticed another woman, sitting two rows over, who didn’t look amused. I wonder if she’s recovering from an eating disorder. Or maybe she’s just a “humorless” harpy like I am. I wonder how many women in the class have eating disorders, or are recovering from eating disorders. Considering how prevalent poor body image and disordered eating are among college women, I found it unbelievable that my professor would make such a comment – essentially encouraging women to restrict their food intake to attract men – in front of the class. I think he specifically enjoys disparaging women when he’s in front of a captive audiene of a dozen women (and a dozen men).
I hate this man. I hope he dies.
Also, as he works for a public university, he should really STFU because they are much less likely than a private one to shelter their asshole profs if there are complaints.
Yeah, I would probably burst into tears at that point. And then he would probably mock me for being a weak female. Since I have no prospects of marriage anytime soon, I will just nibble this lettuce leaf for a while.
What BeckySharper said. It would be thrilling if somebody would document every incident and then, once their grade is in, report this motherfucker to the Dean of his college. If enough people did it, they might even be forced to abandon the usual response to harassment and sexism (pretending it doesn’t exist) and do something. Who knows.
Well I already spoke to the Ombuds(wo)man after the last incident and she said unless he’s telling the class the women will be graded more harshly than the men, or sexually harassing me specifically, it’s not an issue.
She suggested telling him personally I find his language upsetting but there’s just no way.
I believe we have some documentation right here!
Also, you should pass the link on to that other girl who didn’t laugh. She might like it in here.
SarahMC, I didn’t see your last post before I posted.
Maybe you could wait until after the class is over and then send him a letter or something so you don’t have to deal with him face to face, but at least you could *maybe* encourage him to tone it down in the future.
@SarahMC: “Hostile workplace” harassment laws applies to the classroom, too. Tell your Ombudswoman to put that in her pipe and smoke it.
I can’t believe the ombudsperson was so hostile!!! Disgusting. Maybe you can reach out to the other female student and see if she knows about anyone else who feels that way. If you can’t get a formal response from the school maybe you can create a hostile work environment for MISOGYNISTS. dickface.
even if you want to be a dick about marriage, why are you trying to act like men don’t have to watch their weight to find a willing partner? it’s just gross on SO MANY LEVELS.
WHAT.
I am trying to put myself in the mind of a person who began boisterously laughing at that comment. Did he make a hilarious face or something to go along with the horribly offensive remark? Maybe this is an example of my closemindedness but I really cannot imagine what it would be like to be in one of those 22 heads.
“You can eat once you get married.”
But not too much! Because men hate it when their wives get fat! And then you’ll get divorced and it will be All Your Fault and then if you’re a single mom, well good fucking luck.
Oh my god. I think I’m going to vom. Congratulations, Professor.
kithkin, this is the EXACT bullshit i was trying to warn you about if you go to law school. expect it regularly from profs and students alike.
I’m taking another law class and I sort of hate the professor and most of my classmates now but it PALES in comparison to this kind of thing.
Oh memories. I had a professor like this is college; he would make crass comparisons of the subject to women’s bodies and whenever a woman left to use the bathroom he would offer to accompany her.
Since the Ombudswoman was so, um, helpful (like you’re actually going to talk to the guy), how about an anonymous note? You could simply phrase it as “on behalf on several women in the class.”
unless he’s telling the class the women will be graded more harshly than the men, or sexually harassing me specifically, it’s not an issue
Bull. He’s creating a hostile environment, an environment where you feel belittled by the professor and where he encourages others to belittle you. The fact that it’s as a woman rather than as you personally should not make a difference.
That’s how organizations get around enforcing anti-discrimination laws, though. They use weaselly pseudo-logic to excuse their utter lack of action, the bastards. Telling you to go by yourself and confront this creep face to face is effectively telling you that they don’t value you, your academic career, or your personal safety. I wish I could say I was surprised that a female ombudsman would do such a thing, but I’m not. Her bread is buttered on the Patriarchy side and she knows it.
Incidentally, I’m sorry if it seemed like I was railing at you to do something when you already had. That probably seemed insensitive. Hopefully these “Offensive Professor” posts help you dissipate some of this dude’s dead-skunk misogyny.
I want to echo the support other commenters have already offered that hostile workplace laws apply here, too. You were right to speak to the ombudsperson, but her advice was unhelpful. If you have to stay in the class, it’s important that you not let yourself be sidetracked by this guy’s jerkiness. But you have every right to file complaints.
Forgive me for saying things you already know just to show my support. You are right about the situation. If you feel that a sexual discrimination complaint is too extreme, you could still put in a complaint to the department chair, the faculty congress, or the dean’s office.
Pardon me, but WHAT. THE. FUCK.
This professor should be called on his demeaning language, he should be told (privately at first) in no uncertain terms that this kind of verbiage is often what triggers women into eating disorders in the first place!
I am so sorry you’re having to put up with this.
I’m recovering from an ED-NOS, and if I had heard this bullshit when I was in college, in the throes of my disorder, I doubt I would be in recovery now.
Fuck him and his mixed metaphors, too.