[Tsuwabuki]

Originally Posted by MissMisa

Well I just suppose our perception of these things are totally different, and that's that. If they didn't want to be humiliated, they shouldn't have a) been late, and b) made up excuses about being late. Our definition of excuses and shifting blame are different, and that's just how it is.

I actually think we do agree. At least on the words themselves. What I think we disagree on is connotation of phrases. It's a difference of intent vs perception. You're not a mind reader, so if I gave you that apology, you would go to your connotation and accuse of me of shifting blame. My intent would be quite the opposite, to sincerely apologise, offer an account of my behavior, and display commitment to preventing it.

If you said exactly what I said, it would be because you were shifting blame. However, you cannot apply your connotation to me saying it. This is indeed cultural. However the "excuses" would not be "made up." In a sincere apology, the process described would be truthful.

That being said, there is NEVER a reason to reprimand in public. Praise in public, reprimand in private. Public humiliation is unacceptable. Think about how you would like it, if you were late, despite your best efforts, you were asked to apologise, and you did in a way you believe to be sincere and respectfully, and then you are publicly humiliated. I bet that wouldn't go over very well. Especially if you're paying the professor's salary.

Meh, I'll be honest, I really couldn't care less if a guy wore a skirt or not. I've never encountered a guy that wanted to wear a skirt, so frankly I haven't thought about it.

It isn't about whether any guy would. It's about whether or not the option exists. If the option doesn't, it's sexist. Plain and simple.

If you are on about transgendered people who consider themselves female, well, they are female in my eyes and are more than welcome to wear a skirt. And to be honest, if a male wore a skirt in the school I was at (I'm at University now, there is no uniform) just because 'he wanted to,' nobody would care, because the rules on stuff like that are lax anyway.

If I had meant MtFs, I would have said so. I'm not necessarily only talking about transgendered individuals. That still places people into neat little boxes that create artificial barriers.

I was more talking about public primary or public secondary. Probably mostly comprehensive schools, in your parlance. I would think most selective institutions would be private, but I'm not really as familiar with the 11-17 UK education as I'd like to be, so I don't really know.

Completely untrue. These stem from personal issues I don't want to discuss on this forum. I wasn't 'uncomfortable around males,' as mentioned, all my of my closest friends were/are males.

My fault. I should have been clearer. I didn't mean you specifically, I meant you proverbially. I don't know your specific circumstances. I won't push.

I will say I am quite incapable of viewing "boys" as a group or "girls" as a group. It denies too much individuality to be useful.

As for school, we were put boy/girl at the start of the year if the teacher didn't know us. If they knew groups that chatted anyway, they'd break us up regardless of gender. But like I said, I thought the whole thing was pretty stupid. Another thing they did, without really saying so, was put high achievers next to ones who struggled. I sat next to some people who struggled and was able to help them out, but other times I was sat next to some really lazy people who COULD NOT be arsed and it was just dragging me down. SO ANNOYING.

We didn't have assigned seating. Something I am ever the more grateful for considering your horror stories above.

Personally, I think the big deal with equality is things like the pay gap between women and men in England. I don't really think seperating people in PE because everyone is developing and hormonal is that big a deal. To be honest, I'd already gone through all of that WAY before high school.

They are exactly the same to me. We will never solve the pay gap as long as people believe that sex represents an inherent difference.

Furthermore, since you brought up the alphabet soup earlier (LGBT), how do you think THEY feel during adolescence? Being crammed into a group solely because of a sex/gender/sexuality they do not identify with? And what of those that just don't identify AT ALL?

We make it a big deal. We shouldn't. It's not. To quote the bard, it's sound and fury signifying nothing.

I'm a big feminist, but we have to accept and embrace that the sexes are different, and each have positive things about them. Of course, in many many aspects, we are all the same. I don't see anything wrong in being different, as long as we aren't forced to make life decisions based solely on it.

I'm an ardent feminist, and not all feminists with XX chromosomes agree with you. I certainly do not. I do not accept that mere biological differences are differences that matter. And I am certainly not about to embrace an idea that I am vehemently against. The differences that matter, that define us, are internal. Our beliefs, our thought processes, our personalities, our preferences... Those things are who we are when we say "I am." The body? So much window dressing.