even though my high school was known for being progressive and by most accounts one of the most respectful and accepting schools in the country, i still met several students who could not comprehend basic principles, such as “how to treat your classmates as human beings”. in one particular latin class, a young man (let’s call him fred) needed half an hour of multiple students’ and eventually the teacher’s explanation as to why a male-only military draft was sexist. later that year, fred tried to defend his belief that women could not possibly be able to be as fit and healthy as himself in his peak training. i was a passionate student athlete and he challenged me, to attempt to prove his point, to a push-up contest. i beat him by thirty-eight push-ups.
after that, i never heard him call women “weak” again. i hope that i helped fred learn a bit more about respect that day and i hope that he has remembered it as his life has continued. also, a thank you to the english teacher who let two students hold a push-up contest instead of taking symbolism notes.
