The Language of Ladies, a College-approved mini-course taught by Daniel Abramson '12 on dating "women of different national backgrounds," has unknowingly created an opportunity for educating students about colonial history and issues of race and gender.
There is no doubt that the first class had problematic points, but we are here at Vassar not to silence and eject offenders but to receive and give an education. I see what went on at the first Language of Ladies class as a teaching moment, for Vassar and its students to achieve basic educational aims rather than simply attack and punish a peer.
When I spoke to the instructor of the class, he said "The central intentions [of the class] were to give guys a greater sense of confidence when talking to women and not to produce discriminations in their viewpoint but to give them a more worldly sense of traditions and cultures."
Given that our College can feel like a hyper-feminist campus, I can see the need for a space where straight males can have a forum. An insightful class on talking to women is something basic that we could all use. This may sound problematic. There is a part of me that clamors, "But the world is their forum," but the fact remains that they are a minority on this campus. It is better to have a class where we as peers can make sure the discussion is insightful and does not objectify women or races. I also acknowledge that the focus of this article does not break down the gender and sexual binary that this class reinforces; however, I am questioning the class on its own basis.
The fact remains that we all need awareness about the socio-political space that we are participating in; that's why we're at Vassar: to get an education and become thoughtful citizens of a globalizing world. Occasionally this means that we have to set aside our subscription to The Life and Times of the PC Police. More importantly, we must understand and educate those who commit an unknowing offense. We must also be willing to admit wrongs and accept guidance.
The first class of The Language of Ladies was entitled "Orienting Yourself for Women of the Orient." This sparked some discussion of the word "Orient" and its degrading connotations. What it points to is an entire colonialist narrative that has made "Asian" women objects of lust and feminized "Asian" men. I say "Asian" because Orientalism applies not just to East Asians but to Indians, Iranians and South East Asians—any country that was colonized by another country has been subject to Orientalism.
That said, "Orient" is just a word and the instructor recognized and apologized for his ignorance of the word's connotations during the class, because the issue was brought up to him. And as many people have acknowledged, there were some culturally illuminating points to the instructor's presentation, and the problematic aspects were the stereotypes that were put forth by the instructor and by the guest lecturer.
Audience member Reese Wong '10 said, "Some points Dan made about body language, politeness, common greeting customs, and the manner in which phone numbers are exchanged in Japan were valuable tips for people traveling to Japan, but I took offense to many of the stereotypical ways that Japanese women were described." In the guest lecturer's presentation, Japanese women were characterized as shy and giving, among other essentializing descriptions. The instructor admits that he did not collaborate with the guest lecturer and read over the presentation; therefore, he takes full responsibility for allowing those stereotypes to be reinforced.
Reducing a nation of diverse people to essential components has historically been used to justify oppression and colonization; that is why stereotypes cannot be perpetuated in a setting where someone is claiming authority on a people group. Racial stereotypes exist consciously and unconsciously, but reinforcing them instead of working against them makes us complicit in their disgusting history. However, if we only punish and silence those who accidentally use politically incorrect words instead of educating them, we are not addressing the underlying attitudes that feed racial and gender stereotypes.
The instructor seems to have taken his lesson to heart and has promised changes in future lectures: "Female ‘guest lecturers' speaking from their lifelong experience in the country would create a better discussion because an individual coming from the culturally unique place would better represent its unique culture rather than present stereotypes."
This creates an important opportunity for all members of this College to participate in creating a constructive dialogue that doesn't just chastise, but changes and reforms the way we all talk about race and gender. While ideally Vassar should ensure that mini-courses, even if perceived as jokes, are aware of the political and social space they tread on, I hope that mistakes in the future can be seen as teaching moments.
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