Friday, April 27, 2007

la femme et le micro

When a man pictures a woman holding something long and hard in her hands, it's generally a pleasant thought. But the thought isn't quite so pleasant if the imagined object is, say, a hammer, and the woman in our mind's eye is charging us with a crazed look.

Another unpleasant object, I've discovered, is a microphone, and here's why.

On the third floor of the building where I teach, it's the women who tend to use microphones. They walk into a classroom, lean into the mike, and start talking. Innocent enough, you say. But what boggles my mind is that the classroom is invariably too small to justify the use of a mike. I've also seen female lecturers who use the mike to lecture to a large classroom with only one student in attendance.

I shit you not-- this happened in Room 308, right across the hall from my office in 302. It's happened more than once, in fact, and I'm beginning to wonder whether that particular woman is a bit nuts. Hmmm.


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perhaps they have latent penis envy, and hence the use of something so obviously phallic so close to their mouth? I mean, after that "penis power" video you posted a link to, anything's possible. Perhaps they derive some sense of power or control with their technological phallus.

Either that or they erroneously believe they are "close talkers" or "low talkers."

gordsellar said...

I dunno, but I've noticed similar stuff on campuses too. Small rooms where a mic is really not needed, and lecturers using mics. I have begun to think that in some cases, the microphone is just a prop of professordom, like the fancy clothing and the briefcase and so on. I've noticed male profs using them to.

(And while some female professors might have voices that don't carry, something I've learned is that if one tries to project one's voice, or bothers to learn, a regular-sized classroom -- seating, say, up to 70 or so -- is not beyond anyone's abilities.)

What's really annoying is the noise the sound systems invariably make. Set up by people who aren't audio technicians, there's always a high-pitched whine, and the sound systems are most often left on.