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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Is this acceptable in a school?

288 replies

noblegiraffe · 27/06/2010 14:48

A friend of mine is a teacher in an all boys school. He was showing a group of pupils some of the football and was fast-forwarding to get to the action. The camera lingered on some pretty girls in the crowd (you know the ones they normally pick!) and the pupils demanded that he go back so they could get a proper look. He obliged, but commented that if there had been a single girl in the classroom, he wouldn't have.

Obviously this was a pretty minor incident, but do you think it was fine (and if so, would it have also been fine if there had been girls present?), or is it encouraging the sexual objectification of women? Or anything else?

What are your thoughts?

OP posts:
Imperator · 27/06/2010 17:43

What is wrong with looking, and appreciating, attractive women?

BoneyBackJefferson · 27/06/2010 17:40

why was the teacher showing them football?

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 27/06/2010 17:28

Sorry, he said to me that he wouldn't have done it if there were girls present, not the boys. I should have made that more clear.

OP posts:
blackcurrants · 27/06/2010 17:15

Oddly, I'm more irritated by him saying to them that he wouldn't have done it if there had been girls in the room, than if he'd just been some obnoxious, sexist old dinosaur. As it is, his behaviour is encouraging a particularly toxic kind of male camaraderie, IMO. The idea that it's ok to be sexist when women aren't there to police male behaviour is why so many men end up viewing women as motherwives who will do everything for them - including keeping their sexism in check!

Urgh.

(also seconding "we're not here for that" comments - damn right!)

Blackduck · 27/06/2010 16:55

No he hasn't learnt from it - all he siad was if their had been girls present he wouldn't have done it. That is a shite argument, and whilst this is no 'biggie' it is thin end of the wedge stuff and tells boys that ogling women is acceptable

LynetteScavo · 27/06/2010 16:53

If I were the teacher I wouldn't have done it, any more than I would if it had been girls wanting to see some fit blokes.

Not a feminist issue, just an "oh please, we're not here for that" issue.

spudmasher · 27/06/2010 16:51

Not acceptable but also not to made a huge fuss of. He has obviously considered his actions, knows they are wrong and has more than likely learned from that and will probably never do it again.Job done. Life is about learning from our mistakes.

hocuspontas · 27/06/2010 16:48

Just a bit of male camaraderie. No biggie IMO

Blackduck · 27/06/2010 16:43

Not acceptable, and he shouldn't have gone back and shown it again...it's this kind of behave that re-enforces all the rubbish stereotypes.

sethstarkaddersmum · 27/06/2010 15:06

unacceptable IMO.
though I wonder how different the response would be if you posted this somewhere other than the feminism topic.

frikonastick · 27/06/2010 15:01

moany

frikonastick · 27/06/2010 15:00

um, i would have hoped the teacher would have said no.

its inappropriate to be oggling girls (in whatever format) in the classroom.

and saying if there were girls there he wouldnt have, well isnt taht just reinforcing the 'all guys together' thing. and only moan girls would stop them having their fun.

minor incident or not, all round yuck.

DinahRod · 27/06/2010 14:53

I have more of an issue of the camera lingering on some pretty girls in the crowd since the objectification is reaching millions.