I will always remember reading Sexing the Body in public...

I am sure some of you can relate to me in regards to the weird stares that were given in my direction when I whipped out my copy of Sexing the Body in public. Trying to catch up on the reading for the upcoming day, I would open my book before Chemistry or while on the campus connector to read for a few minutes when I had the time. Apparently, the rest of the University was unaware there there are indeed six genders, or possibly even a continuum of mixed genders. The private body on the front of the book, coupled with the interesting title sure did not invite people to sit in the open seat next to me on the campus connector... the funny thing is, is that this class has taught me why.

After completing this class, I feel that I have a deeper understanding of not understanding, if that makes any sense. Like Ben said in class on Thursday, "we have been taught to unthink that is ordinary, different, and not like the norm/accepted." The public's view of sex and gender is private, concrete, and two dimensional. It is considered taboo by the public mob to question, or even consider, the possibility of multiple sexes. For this reason, I received stares in public while reading Sexing the Body.

I will admit that I even felt embarrassed to read this book in public at times. Embarrassed from simply reading a book! This emotion connects to the deep roots of public opinion and what is deemed right in our own minds. In the concrete world, men have penises, women have vaginae, and people read about topics that matter, such as global warming (thanks Crichton).

I guess what I am trying to say is that this class has given me a new perspective on looking and evaluating issues in science and beyond. I am a pretty black and white thinker when it comes to academic related issues. I seek concrete and distinctive answers. I love math and chemistry because you can always put that (Cartesian) box around your answer to draw borders to separate it from the outside world: it is the one true answer. This class has taught me that there really is not such thing as a "true" answer. I have been "untaught" to think in a non concrete way. This is intriguing because, like Robin said in class, "We have to learn how to think like an idiot so that we can learn 'how they hell they could believe this bullshit?'" This thought erases the pretty boundaries that surround my nice, perfect answer.

Applying this to sexing the body and gender, we are left with uncertainty. The gender/sex line is a little unclear Uncertainty is a scary thought, so we live in a world where facts and solid evidence is a necessity. Yet, this class has taught me that there is always another seeing device possible in order to skew the "facts" a different direction. It is by this logic that I can conclude that there quite possibly are no facts (in society). Who knows what that babies sex is/was/is going to be? The facts sometimes get lost in the ideology.

This class has taught me an entirely new way to look at issues. I am more open to see diverse viewpoints from different perspectives. Thanks Robin and Ben for an interesting and intriguing class!