perplexed

Today during astronomy lecture, a social work classmate who's also taking the module asked me a question. The answer required some degree of 3D visualisation and manipulation, so it was a little difficult to explain, even with excessive gesticulation. In the end she still looked puzzled so I said something along the lines of, "guys are generally better at these spatial thingies".

And she went, (almost triumphantly) "Stereotype!"

I was stunned into momentary silence, something that seems to be happening quite often nowadays. First I didn't know if it was meant to be a joke. Maybe she didn't register that I was similarly female, and almost equally confused by the lecture (and the various applets that show the sun going around and around in some pseudo-hypnotic motion). If I were a male, and said something like that, then maybe she would have more reason to feel indignant.

My next thought was, "She's probably taking the gender module too, hence the fervour in maximising the use of her newfound knowledge." But then if I recall, guys having better spatial skills is a rather well established gender-based difference. And difference is just difference, without the imposition of value judgments.

With all these things running through my mind, 2 seconds wasn't enough time to articulate a response, so I just smiled.