Forever_Jung
Active member
- Joined
- May 23, 2009
- Messages
- 2,644
- MBTI Type
- ESFJ
Okay this may be in the wrong forum, if so, I apologize. Also, don't worry, there IS a point to all this. Well I think so at least.
I got pseudo-mugged the other day. See, I live in a rural area, and I made the mistake of wearing my laptop bag/school bag around town after coming home from the large city to which I commute. Why was this a mistake? Well, since the bag is slung across your shoulder it does vaguely resemble a purse despite its size. The fine gentleman who loiter in parking lots all day by their beaten up pick-ups to discuss cognac, Voltaire and running over small animals with ATV's noticed this resemblance. Using their nuanced knowledge of gender roles they began to recognize a problem: That is a guy, but he is wearing something that looks like a purse...how can this be?
I was then approached by several of these bulky, plaid-clad, 20-something miscreants so they could clarify this discrepancy. By which I mean I was treated to physical confrontation and a series of less than polite inquiries about the nature of my gender and/or sexual orientation. I would prefer not to reproduce these statements on this forum, however I will tell you I got a mild thrashing and my bag was a bit worse for wear. I am relatively unperturbed however, being accustomed to such incidents (I would pick on me too, were I a ruffian, what with my glasses and reputation for being a spaced-out, socially awkward person).
Now I realize it may be unfair to ask this to people who live in more "progressive" surroundings, but do you encounter a lot of macho bullshit in your life? Some of my family members have even questioned my manhood because I am attending university (I am the first member of my family to attend university, and my father has a sixth grade education), which begs the question: Why is university unacceptable for men? Also is "gay" treated like an insult where you come from? What do you think is the root of all this behaviour? Whatever other thoughts you conjure up on the matter I would be most interested in seeing them.
I got pseudo-mugged the other day. See, I live in a rural area, and I made the mistake of wearing my laptop bag/school bag around town after coming home from the large city to which I commute. Why was this a mistake? Well, since the bag is slung across your shoulder it does vaguely resemble a purse despite its size. The fine gentleman who loiter in parking lots all day by their beaten up pick-ups to discuss cognac, Voltaire and running over small animals with ATV's noticed this resemblance. Using their nuanced knowledge of gender roles they began to recognize a problem: That is a guy, but he is wearing something that looks like a purse...how can this be?
I was then approached by several of these bulky, plaid-clad, 20-something miscreants so they could clarify this discrepancy. By which I mean I was treated to physical confrontation and a series of less than polite inquiries about the nature of my gender and/or sexual orientation. I would prefer not to reproduce these statements on this forum, however I will tell you I got a mild thrashing and my bag was a bit worse for wear. I am relatively unperturbed however, being accustomed to such incidents (I would pick on me too, were I a ruffian, what with my glasses and reputation for being a spaced-out, socially awkward person).
Now I realize it may be unfair to ask this to people who live in more "progressive" surroundings, but do you encounter a lot of macho bullshit in your life? Some of my family members have even questioned my manhood because I am attending university (I am the first member of my family to attend university, and my father has a sixth grade education), which begs the question: Why is university unacceptable for men? Also is "gay" treated like an insult where you come from? What do you think is the root of all this behaviour? Whatever other thoughts you conjure up on the matter I would be most interested in seeing them.