Help!
This week in my class I asked students to view old school films...including Boys Beware! Now all the students who wrote about BB in their Moodle posts were shocked and pissed off at the way homosexuals were portrayed in the film. But then I hit this post:
In my response I copy the quote above & respond with: "So you think I'm mentally ill?"
What would you say/have you said? HELP!
ICK!!!!!!!!!!!!
- "This is just my opinion, but what happened to the idea of homosexuality. It goes from saying in these films that these people are "sick" and "mentally ill" which is what I believe, but now, it has gotten to the point where you can't turn on the t.v. without something reflecting homosexuality and defending it. If only there were a way to express the beliefs in these films to present day people without stirring up so much tension... If only..."
In my response I copy the quote above & respond with: "So you think I'm mentally ill?"
What would you say/have you said? HELP!
ICK!!!!!!!!!!!!
posted by Lori O @ 6:35 PM
3 Comments:
At 2:48 PM,
Brad Smith said…
Wow. I can't say I envy your task, Lori. This reminds me of my rabidly Catholic brother and sister-in-law, whose words on homosexuality have the power to make me blindingly angry, especially when they are talking around their sons and daughter.
Clearly this student wants life to be a lot simpler than it is. He/she wants people to come in easily understandable packages, and he/she wants to be able to express his/her worldview without it being challenged.
But there is hope in this post, I think, and that's where I would begin any response. When it says that the student wants to say what he/she believes without creating a tense situation, I read that as a wish and the willingness to rhetorically engage others on this subject.
There's hope there, I think, because where there's rhetoric, there's dialogue. Where there's dialogue, there is the potential for change, even though the student is most likely unwilling to change. But you never know... I am encouraged because the student didn't say, "This is what I believe, and I don't care what anyone thinks."
I may be reading a little too much into the situation, but hey, being cynical about people's willingness to change their habits of mind doesn't seem to fit with our profession of teaching.
So here's my response, I guess:
Dear student,
Thanks for your post and for your honesty. I'm glad to hear that you want to talk more about this subject and are interested in learning to express your beliefs in a way that will not result in tension.
As you can see from the other posts in this class, most of your classmates are put off by the film's depiction of homosexuality, as am I. And I think you're right to anticipate that stating these views openly will lead to tense conversations, because many people in contemporary America disagree with those views.
You'll also find, if you read more on this subject, that all credible contemporary psychologists agree homosexuality is not an "illness," nor is it a "mental disease." The argument of this film is based in fear, which can be a powerful motivating force. I would encourage you to think and read more about this subject. Knowing more about it will allow you to speak with others in ways that will be less tense. Here are some good books, articles, etc. [Insert good books, articles, etc. here... : )] that will help you think and speak about this topic.
Brad
The whole point of offering texts to read is not give the student weapons to defend homophobia. Instead, it's meant to submerse the student in language where homophobia is an indefensible idea. All in all, it's a long shot, but it's worth a try all the same.
I'm interested to hear what other strategies people have.
Best,
Brad
At 5:37 PM,
Lori O said…
Thanks Brad...I'm in the middle of a second response to him...my first must've taken him unaware, but he's responded in defense of his initial post & one of his classmates wrote in to ask "do you really believe that?"
I also think part of my mission...the first part, I think...is to stand up for any homosexual students in the class & for the heterosexual students who were also hurt by his remarks.
I'm stealing your last two paragraphs...
Thanks to Rach & Nikki who also gave me some amazing advice that I'm putting into practice tomorrow.
Keep it coming though! I'm learning.
At 6:12 PM,
William said…
I never have an intelligent response for this, though I tend to adopt Catherine Ross-Stroud's tactic: "Really, tell me more ... I'm curious about this line of argument." That tends to let the student hang himself or talk himself out of what seems more offensive or prejudiced than it is/may be.
I think of that student in my Queer Rhetorics class ... it was in having him write more about his really homophobic comments that he found the place of his pain/anger, and he worked through some of it ...
Or, you can say, "Fuck you, asshole! Why don't I start treating you like you'd treat the queers ... you fuckin' sickos!"
So many options ... :-)
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