The Saga of Totally Insensitive Girl

[Woodenvelt]

Last night I embarked on the grand adventure known as college. This is not my first brush with the epic quest for higher education, but it has been a while since I traveled this particular road. I attended for a while several years ago when I was still uncertain of what my ultimate goal for education would be. Since then I have traveled a fair bit, expanded my family, and matured in general.

Because I am a seasoned traveler, I expected to come across a few pimple faced youths who would astound me with their naivete. Even braced as I was, however, I was not fully prepared for the brash ignorance of Totally Insensitive Girl, or TIG as I affectionately dubbed her.

My first class of the semester was a motor development class mostly filled with Education majors (like myself) and a few people pursuing careers in sports medicine. Our teacher was Indian, which really would not have matter were it not for TIG's antics. 

Our professor entered the room and greeted the students. He told us his name, gave a few introductory words, passed out the syllabus, and asked if we had any questions. TIG got things off to a fabulous start by asking the professor, "Shouldn't you be in the Engineering or Science Department?" The loud clank everyone heard was my jaw hitting the floor. Did Totally Insensitive Girl really have the big brass nutties to tell her teacher, within 5 minutes of class starting, that since he is Indian, he can't possibly teach anything but engineering or science? I stared with rapt fascination. What would her next move be? Would she ask the African Americans in the room where she could find the best fried chicken in town?

Either the professor mistook her bald faced stereo type for genuine confusion, since Motor Development is a science class, or he didn't want to make a big deal of it. He simply shrugged it off and said that he belonged in the health building.

The teacher went on to cover a range of topics about development and to emphasize the point that what you're exposed to in life helps determine the course of your development. To use an example from his own life, he discussed the dexterity that developed in his hands from scooping food with bread rather than using utensils like we do in the states. He said that it would be difficult for us to learn to eat the way he does just like it was really difficult for him to use a knife and fork to cut up his meat the first time he had steak in America. (Remember this, it will be important later)

Since this class is only once a week, it lasts for three hours. The professor gave us a break halfway through to use the restroom and get a drink. As he was waiting for the stragglers to make it back to the room, he was casually conversing with us. He made small talk by asking where we were from and what we were majoring in. TIG decided to take this opportunity to strike again.

"Since you're from India, are you Hindu?" she asked. The teacher responded affirmatively and TIG went in for the kill, "The reason I ask is just that it seems odd that you would be eating steak if you're Hindu." And just to let us know that she really knew what she was talking about, she had to add, "I have a friend that's Hindu."

This led to a twenty minute long off topic discussion of religion that I really hoped would quell things so we could get on with the class. Alas, little TIGgy wasn't going to stop beating that horse until she was convinced  it was good and dead. The subject of language came up. The professor was talking about how your muscle development in your mouth can make it easier or more difficult to learn certain languages depending on what you are exposed to. He talked about how European countries have citizens who know several different languages, simply because of what they are exposed to. He also commented that he knew four languages.

TIG raised her hand and asked, "Could you say something in your language? Maybe recite a poem or something?" There was a resounding thud as my head hit the desk. I was convinced that she was going to ask him to don a sari and play a sitar next.

I will say that Totally Insensitive Girl did display some small measure of awareness. When the teacher asked the rather strait forward question of which ethnic group statistically made up the largest portion of the prison population, TIG made a valiant attempt to answer without offending anyone. Sort of.

She led with, "Well... you know, statistically, in Urban areas, I guess it would be Blacks but you know, that's just because of what they've been exposed to and all... cause, you know, of their circumstances and it's mostly a socio-economic thing..." I couldn't hear the rest of what she said over the sound of her sweating nervously and staring at the black students in the room. 

If nothing else, my evening with TIG was an interesting one. I also have to give little TIGgy credit for being willing to speak up and attempt to answer questions when most of the other people in the room sat silent and unresponsive. TIG and I carried most of the class discussion that evening, but TIG carried it in a direction I had not anticipated.

[sapient]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 12:42 PM

Maybe you should have called her Totally Oblivious Girl. Wow.

I really hope she's not trying to be a teacher. Cuz that's scary.

[briarraindancer]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 12:46 PM

Hey, if this is a weekly class, should I then expect weekly installments of the antics of Tiggy the moronical rock star?

Because that would totally rock the sitar, baby.

[callmeann]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 12:58 PM

She's not just insensitive, she's actively antagonistic.  For her to ask him if he shoudn't be in the science or engineering departments, is to ignore that the class IS in the science department.  The only reason to do that would be to comment on the guy's nationality.

It also sounds like she wanted to stall the lecture.  Ass.

[ErikaRobin]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 1:04 PM

Recite a poem?!   I'd be more interested in hearing him say "Shut your piehole, Little Girl."  Too bad you can't fail a person for being a tool. 

I agree with Briar's comment.  I want regular installments of this TIG person.   

 

[emubren]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 2:14 PM

Gosh, and now she's expanded her experiences to social contact with a whopping two Hindus.  If she asks him about gas stations next week, you have my permission to stab her with a desk, Sam.

[Nehalennia]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 2:26 PM

I'm surprised she didn't ask him how many 7-11s he owned. I mean if she was going to go completely stereotypical on him...why not go for the whole salami!

[evwsquared]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 7:44 PM

I can't wait for the next installment!

[Fistandantalus]

Aug. 28, 2009 at 6:59 AM

Whole lot of flowers up in TIG's attic there.

[alex]

Aug. 28, 2009 at 8:55 AM

Wow, just wow.

I will be looking forward to the next installment also.

Much Love

Alex

[Laura2U]

Aug. 28, 2009 at 9:40 AM

She sounds like a naive little girl who didn't have a mother that would tell her to please shut her mouth and stop being rude!