I Wanna Hold Your Hand
While researching for my thesis at my former primary school this morning, I was struck by the sight of lower primary boys lined up in twos, walking to their classrooms hand in hand.
It's not an uncommon practice--teachers make classes do this to ensure they move around in an orderly manner. What got to me, however, was how normal and acceptable this practice must appear to the teachers and students, and how disturbingly sexual it appears to me.
I too was made to hold hands with a fixed "partner" in my day, making my present discomfort all the more perplexing. Off the bat, I'd blame my society's general aversion to homosexuality as a key factor in conditioning my gut reaction to what I saw.
I think it's really sad how often people turn to gay jokes because it's one of the few domains of humour their feeble minds can appreciate. I've lost track of the number of social groups and situations I've been in where individuals were arbitrarily singled out for running jokes on their sexuality. Because these scapegoats were in fact straight (or so I think), they were able to shrug it off or play along with it.
I'm straight myself, yet I don't find such things funny. Gay-bashing smacks of moral weakness and a lack of intellectual sophistication. It's at times like this that I feel particularly grateful for the precious few friends I have who are above such immaturity.
It's not an uncommon practice--teachers make classes do this to ensure they move around in an orderly manner. What got to me, however, was how normal and acceptable this practice must appear to the teachers and students, and how disturbingly sexual it appears to me.
I too was made to hold hands with a fixed "partner" in my day, making my present discomfort all the more perplexing. Off the bat, I'd blame my society's general aversion to homosexuality as a key factor in conditioning my gut reaction to what I saw.
I think it's really sad how often people turn to gay jokes because it's one of the few domains of humour their feeble minds can appreciate. I've lost track of the number of social groups and situations I've been in where individuals were arbitrarily singled out for running jokes on their sexuality. Because these scapegoats were in fact straight (or so I think), they were able to shrug it off or play along with it.
I'm straight myself, yet I don't find such things funny. Gay-bashing smacks of moral weakness and a lack of intellectual sophistication. It's at times like this that I feel particularly grateful for the precious few friends I have who are above such immaturity.
posted by The Empty Signifier @ 1/06/2005 06:20:00 am
3 comments
3 Comments:
In some places in Africa it is not only acceptable for two men to hold hands, but it is almost required among good friends.
Hello! Am so glad you've started a blog, and hope you keep it up! Can I link back to you? Or would you like more time to get a good, er, rhythm going?
Michelle
It would be interesting to note to what level the boys may or may not understand the potential subversive nature of their homosocial touching. I certainly remember reticence for such teacher sanctioned handholding, the only thing that made it permissable was that it was indeed teacher sanctioned.
When I was travelling in Africa, I noted, like the other commenter, that men would hold my had during our entire conversation. While I hold that I did not experience any sort of homosexual panic, it was unnerving to undermine a more which has been so engrained.
What is your thesis on? I did a graduate degree in Education as well.
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