Re: [Callers] When Did Gender Role Terms Become a "Problem"

I think you are probably right about this being a minority numbers thing.  My observation has been that we as callers and administrators tent to make a bigger deal out of things than the general dance community. Case in point.. We recently had a very capable caller who just had a really bad night.  Other callers were puzzled and it became a topic among local callers including the one involved.  Everyone wondered how this could happen.  It even got to the point the caller sent an email to the community apologizing for the problems. The reaction from the community?  They had no idea what he was talking about.  They had a great time and don't remember any of the problems. I try to look at these issues from the point of view of the new/first time dancer.  I doubt any of them are confused or offended by the use of 'ladies' or 'gents'.  However, they are confused by couples dancing reversed roles and aggressive dancers trying to force them into flourishes they don't understand. If this discussion were only for dance weekend type environments - it would have a lot more validity.  For weekly dances series events - let's keep it simple, have a great time, enjoy the music and other dancers and, above all make it a positive experience for all levels of dancers.  Most of them would be surprised we were even having this discussion. Mac McKeever  ________________________________ From: Maia McCormick <maia.mcc(a)gmail.com> To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> Sent: Friday, January 4, 2013 4:47 PM Subject: Re: [Callers] When Did Gender Role Terms Become a "Problem" Perhaps this very discussion/movement is a sign that there is a need for change. While I respect the value of the traditional terms, and how much easier they make things for everyone, I certainly understand how they can be constraining and frustrating for those of us who like a) switching roles and/or b) switching gender/gender presentation. Perhaps this is a minority forcing their views on others. But I see it as small potatoes compared to said majority constantly forcing their views on us. Sometimes it's a pain to be gender- or role-noncomformist in this society. The feeling of being a young woman at a dance, following the lead of a man who dances far too close for comfort, or being a man who dances follow and is constantly told that he's in the wrong place, or partnering with your same sex friend only to be told "there are two men dancing together over there, why don't you just split up and dance with each other!" as if no one would want a same-sex dance couple if there were any other option available, or being a transperson who is intrusively asked their sex when they ask someone to dance. And yes, I've made this point hyperbolically, but my point is: if a minority seems to be "forcing" its views on a majority, it is often just push-back for 99x that forcing-of-views from the past, that doesn't seem like view-forcing precisely *because* it comes from a majority. But in a certain sense, the use of gendered contra terms is just that, we've just ceased to notice it as such. A last thought: everything is social engineering, because social forces are at work in everything. On Thu, Jan 3, 2013 at 11:29 AM, <JohnFreem(a)aol.com> wrote: _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers