microaggressions

[metaphortunate]

On the bus home after work tonight: me. A little boy sitting next to me. His brother sitting next to him. His sister, a little chubby with glasses, third on the bus, too late to get a seat, standing in front of them, swinging a little on the pole she was holding on to. Sister maybe 7 or 8, one brother older, one younger. Kids talking

Comments

[rubrick]

Well done, I say.

[metaphortunate]

Thanks!

[lcohen]

i would say you used realism. and might have helped both of them in the long run. go you!

[metaphortunate]

I hope so! Thanks.

[metaphortunate]

I fought the "boys let girls win" trope by reinforcing the "it's embarrassing for a boy to get beaten by a girl" trope. Which I feel ambivalent about.

[pantryslut]

No you didn't. "Boys are embarrassed by being beaten by a girl" is a neutral statement of fact. (fact: the world is sexist.) "Boys should be embarrassed by being beaten by a girl" is reinforcing said sexism.

[harimad]

My thought as well. It's important to distinguish statements of existing conditions from statements of ideal conditions.

Had you wanted to be excruciatingly clear (probably not appropriate to that audience and venue) you could have said "You know how you know your brother is lying? Whether that's the way it should be or not, the fact is ... boys hate to be beaten by girls."

There's a line in Angelina Ballerina that I loathe. Before starting ballet classes, Angelina's frustrated ambition played out in several different types of poor behavior. After she started classes she behaved very well. All well and good, and the books are very strong on the point of working for what you want.

But one of the examples of Angelina acting up was twirling so fast around the playground that the boys were annoyed they couldn't catch her, and one of the examples of Angelina behaving well was letting the boys catch her on the playground.

[mistersmearcase]

I don't think it matters much what you said. It was nice to pull both of them, by contradicting older brother, out of the mean little vacuum he had put their argument in. She probably felt someone was on her side and he probably felt like an ass, which won't hurt him and might stick with him next time he's being one.

[hitchhiker]

*good* for you!!