What would you say to this guy?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Sonsofthepharaohs

Still writing the ancient Egyptian tetralogy
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
5,260
Reaction score
2,673
Location
UK
I'd say: 'How would you like your testicles, roasted or fried?'
 

aimeestates

MADNESS
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 18, 2013
Messages
315
Reaction score
29
Location
NC
Website
yarghing.com
If his taste in reading is his fallback reason, then I suppose I don't have much of an opinion. There are probably plenty of women out there who don't like the male writers he listed and, if it could be gotten away with, would hesitate to battle through teaching them as well. What I WILL say is, I think it's a fail on the part of the college to not find a teacher with broader tastes.
 

GingerGunlock

paralibrarian
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 21, 2012
Messages
1,233
Reaction score
114
Location
Central New York
Website
authorizedmusings.blogspot.com
He only teaches "serious, heterosexual guys". He's allowed. If he's not interested, he's not interested. It's hard to get behind something you don't care about, and it's best he covers material he loves in the classes he teaches; that's his prerogative, certainly, so long as he's clear in his class descriptions that this is the opinion and angle he's representing.

However, I do feel it's an incredibly narrow view on things. Plus, what if he finds out one of his "guy guys" is actually a closeted homosexual? People don't need to make those things public, y'know. And some historical writers, well, it's a little iffy as to what their preferences were. There are rumors. Does he leave them out? Does he only people that he can swear on a Bible he knows were heterosexual? And male, for that matter?

(My knee jerk reaction is that he can suck it. Mature, I know.)
 

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,881
Reaction score
7,167
Location
Virginia

Kylabelle

unaccounted for
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 3, 2013
Messages
26,200
Reaction score
4,015
OH good grief. Sure, he's got a right to be stupid. Judging writing based on the gender of the writer is simple stupidity and nothing more. I would say nothing to him; he is not worth my time.

I would if pressed say a lot about him, however. This sort of idea does not deserve to be taken seriously and it needs to be shown for what it is, which is a fundamental insecurity about worth masquerading as critical intelligence.

Faw.

Ptooey.
 

jjdebenedictis

is watching you via her avatar
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Messages
7,063
Reaction score
1,642
Plus, what if he finds out one of his "guy guys" is actually a closeted homosexual? People don't need to make those things public, y'know. And some historical writers, well, it's a little iffy as to what their preferences were. There are rumors. Does he leave them out? Does he only people that he can swear on a Bible he knows were heterosexual? And male, for that matter?

(My knee jerk reaction is that he can suck it. Mature, I know.)
For that matter, some apparently-male historical writers were female.

And +1 on the "he can suck it" reaction.
 

Charging Boar

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 31, 2013
Messages
471
Reaction score
25
I wouldn't say anything because people have their own world views and if I promote the idea of forming your own view rather then taking everything for granted, I can't be angry at him. If this was the view of the University of Toronto as a whole, I'd be pretty damn outraged, but as one man, it's his view, not mine.
 

CrastersBabies

Burninator!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 24, 2011
Messages
5,641
Reaction score
666
Location
USA
Sure, he can teach what he wants . . .

He's still a d-bag, though. I think that's evident regardless of his anti-woman/Canadian/Chinese comments.
 

virtue_summer

Always learning
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
Messages
1,325
Reaction score
184
Age
40
Location
California
I think he's full of BS.
Usually at the beginning of the semester a hand shoots up and someone asks why there aren’t any women writers in the course.
Would that be likely if the class was "Straight Male Writers I Personally Love"?

Amazing the things you can find on Google. I think this is his page at Rate My Professors and we get this from a student:
Painfully obvious that he favours the guys in the class. When asked why there were no female authors on the syllabus said "I don't believe in 'good for you' literature"
And I think this is a syllabus for that course. Note that the name is "Cultural Forms and their Meanings: Cinema, Literature & the Modern Mind." Nothing about that would alert me to the fact that the course is all about men.

But I wouldn't take his classes anyway if I'd read the article in the OP since he also says:
I know how to talk to a camera, therefore I know how to talk to a room of students. It’s the same thing.
And I have less than complimentary opinions on someone who can't tell the difference between inanimate objects and people.
 
Last edited:

Kayley

Someday.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 9, 2009
Messages
1,188
Reaction score
254
Location
Los Angeles, CA
I'm fine with him having his personal preferences, but it would really bother me if the success of students in his class hinged on them sharing those preferences. As a professor, I think he has some responsibility to not allow his personal prejudices to affect the way he teaches his course.
 

L.C. Blackwell

Keeper of Fort Blanket
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 12, 2008
Messages
2,373
Reaction score
521
Location
The Coffee Shop
Well... The article presents D.G. as an eccentric, to put it mildly. I don't have a problem with that, but if, as the remark on Rate My Professor suggests, he should happen to be favoring male students over female, that can and should be addressed by the university.

(Note: I've seen similar eccentricity/self-centricity in more than one academic situation--it's not uncommon in the field. Regrettably.)
 

buz

edits all posts at least four times
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 11, 2011
Messages
5,147
Reaction score
2,040
Well, obviously, women can't write good because of all the menstruation clogging up their brain-meat. That's why I mainly focus on the art of juggling TV shows on the DVR. Record both programs at once or cancel recording??? It's so hard to decide! If only my brain weren't filled with menstruation! *swoons*

ETA: Apparently it was just a mistake caused by him not being able to respeak his words after he said them.

"I’m absolutely surprised, but I’m also extremely sorry to hear that there are people who are really offended by it," he told the Post. "I’ve been getting some letters this morning from people who are deeply, racially, ethnically, and intellectually offended by this."

Gilmour said his talk with Keeler wasn't a formal sit-down interview, more of a chat with "tossed-off remarks." Comments about women, Chinese and other writers were meant as jokes. He said he's emailed his critics and apologized.

"I'm not a politician, I'm a writer," he said. "We throw out tens of thousands of words every day. We usually rewrite them. In this particular chance, I didn’t get a chance to re-speak the sentence before it was printed.

"And so I’ve apologized. I said I’m sorry for hurting your sensibilities, but there isn’t a racist or a sexist bone in my body, and everyone who knows me knows it."
 
Last edited:

Kevin Nelson

Aspiring to authorship since 1975
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 18, 2012
Messages
464
Reaction score
48
Location
Austin, TX

That excuse would make more sense if he hadn't boasted about what a good speaker he is. If you're purely a writer, you might easily misspeak in an interview; but if public speaking is part of your job, you should be able to avoid that.

By the way, does the picture on that page look a little unsettling to anyone else? It sort of looks to me like he's crowding into Michaelle Jean's personal space, and she's less than thrilled about it.
 

Ramshackle

*scribbles*
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 31, 2013
Messages
680
Reaction score
148
Website
www.badmenagerie.com
If I'm honest, I'd let him off.

His direct quotes in the article sound like he's (rather sloppily) trying to describe a style of writing rather than saying "women can't write."

He also makes it clear it's a personal preference regarding what he's passionate about.

If I'm honest, my bookcase is heavily dominated by male writers (or at least male pseudonyms - good point). I don't think they are any better than female writers, it's just the case that I've read a book and it speaks to me - and the writer happens to be male rather than female. It's all about the individual style.

It's a stupid quote and the interviewer has capitalised on the mistake (as is his job I guess), but we've all said (or written) things that haven't come out quite right.
 

lolchemist

Shooting stars.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 14, 2012
Messages
1,334
Reaction score
183
Location
California
I mean...... Like if I met him on the subway or something and he dropped this on me as a means of conversation I think my initial response would just be 'Oh!' and I would wonder if he was teaching a special course called "Men's Literature Studies" or something because I did think that literature classes were supposed to be more survey-ish where you get a variety of writers unless the class is gender or era or region specific. And even 'Men's Literature' isn't a good way to describe this because he excludes Chinese and gay men too.

I guess I would ask him what he hoped his students would gain from attending his classes.

Oh actually I also want to know what's the worst book written by a female that he's ever read and why. And same for male authors.
 

T Robinson

Born long ago, in a different era
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 22, 2013
Messages
1,282
Reaction score
212
Location
Southern USA
I would be compelled to say, "Now I understand why higher education is so self-limiting and insular. People like you who are sheltered from the real world by academia.Thank you for that clarification." <sarcasm intended>
 

bearilou

DenturePunk writer
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 5, 2009
Messages
6,004
Reaction score
1,233
Location
yawping barbarically over the roofs of the world
Well, obviously, women can't write good because of all the menstruation clogging up their brain-meat. That's why I mainly focus on the art of juggling TV shows on the DVR. Record both programs at once or cancel recording??? It's so hard to decide! If only my brain weren't filled with menstruation! *swoons*

:ROFL: Now I know what my problem is.

I said I’m sorry for hurting your sensibilities, but there isn’t a racist or a sexist bone in my body, and everyone who knows me knows it.

"I'm not racist or sexist but I'm sorry if you're offended."

...uh huh.
 

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
29,138
Reaction score
8,563
Location
Toronto
Website
ktcraig.com
ACK! I just came on to post about this issue. David Gilmour is one of my favourite authors.

I've been contemplating his words since first hearing them. I'm well and truly in a quandary. How can I continue to read him?! BUT...if we analyzed all our favourite writers, wouldn't the ugliness pop up among most??

Here is an open letter to David Gilmour...I actually feel it deserves a thread of its own, but I will post it here:

The link is to Anne Thériault's blog. It's a great letter and it really does scrape at the underbelly of literati and suggest that David is a great example of what a lot of academics are thinking, but afraid to say out loud.

http://bellejarblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/25/an-open-letter-to-david-gilmour/

I'm so pissed to know this ugly side of Gilmour. I should not, however, feel as though I've been duped. I've always known him to be a specimen to not get too close to. Kind of need to wear gloves and a face mask to go near this man...he is a rogue of rogues.
 

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
29,138
Reaction score
8,563
Location
Toronto
Website
ktcraig.com
Ack. Just. How. Why. I really don't understand humanity. There is more in this world than cis-gendered white males. We really do need to don all skins and genders to understand the human condition. I don't get why some are afraid to do that???
 

NeuroFizz

The grad students did it
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
9,493
Reaction score
4,283
Location
Coastal North Carolina
The hallmark of a university education is the open discourse of varying views and dissenting opinions. Also, a comparative approach is typically a more effective way to get across even the most strict academic bias. But I'm most turned off by his justification that being comfortable in front of a camera makes him a good teacher. Teleprompter reads and spouted sound bites will not challenge the bright minds of those who are paying significant tuition money to have those minds intellectually challenged by a sound curriculum. And if his comments and responses to criticism are any indication of this teaching potential, I would hope he ends up with but one or two misogynistic "dudes" bobbing their heads to his self-puffed views in an otherwise empty lecture hall.

Academic freedom allows instructors to design their own courses, but it does not fly without feedback from students, from peers, and from other sources that may come back to the department Chair to speak to the quality and coverage of an instructor's teaching. Any university instructor who does not allow her/himself to be challenged by what she/he teaches is going to have a hard time satisfying the curiosity of many of our bright students, except of course, for the head bobbers. To me, he seems to be less teacher and more preacher in search of a choir.

What would I say to him? I would let the dust clouds of my retreating feet speak my opinion.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.