The Reviled One

People in my class hate me.
Why?
Because I've ruined the story of Peter Pan for them.
Oh come on, it really is a very highly sexualized, misogynistic story!
I'm sorry if I've ruined your childhood delusions about the beauty and innocence of the relationship between Peter and Wendy.
And to me the Wendy house really is reminiscent of a menstrual hut (the Professor mentioned The Red Tent, Kat and I thought of you).
Man, you should have heard some of the comments.
Of course I didn't bring the subject up, another grad student did (he's a 9th grade teacher), but you know I chimed in.
Of course.
"Look at me! I've got an opinion!!"
Yes that's how I roll.
And then at break this other grad student (who's an 8th grade teacher) came up to me and said, "Don't worry, I'm going to talk about how Peter Pan is always portrayed by a woman even though he's a boy."
Why the sudden empathy?
They were talking about me in the back of the room.
And then when I commented on something else the girl sitting next to me said, "You!...Geez."
Yes, just like that.
What can you do, eh?
The professor made me look at Where the Wild Things Are in a different light when she discussed looking at it from the viewpoint of Max being the white imperialist colonizing Africa (explains the white wolf suit, right?) and you don't hear me crying about that do you?
This is what "close reading" is all about.
No hard feelings, but even so I felt I needed an escort when I left the classroom.