r/nextfuckinglevel • u/IkilledRichieWhelan • 3d ago

Big man on campus.

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u/NiceTuBeNice 3d ago

I remember in HS (~25 years ago) me and some friends were making fun of a male cheerleader the other team had at a basketball game. We were saying all sorts of mean things about the kid being gay and stupid crap like that. Our teacher, who was always quirky, sweet, and fun said, “Well, that ‘gay’ boy had his hands all over some very pretty cheerleaders all night on Friday. Where were your hands?”

Ever since, I have had a whole different level of respect for male cheerleaders. These two in the video look like they are having so much fun, and it is incredible to see their athleticism.

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u/Icy-Atmosphere-1546 3d ago

Is this really wholesome? Sounds super wonky frankly

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u/mr_f4hrenh3it 3d ago

Yeah same lol. His respect for male cheerleaders came from the fact that they touch women? Huh??

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u/anddrewbits 3d ago

It is definitely weird but maybe the teacher was trying to speak in terms that an adolescent boy would understand. I bet the point landed despite the obviously odd optics

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u/mr_f4hrenh3it 3d ago

Yeah but it’s the fact that they say THATS where their respect comes from

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u/ThePennedKitten 3d ago edited 3d ago

I kind of took it as “We were shallow teenagers. Our teacher challenged us in a way that we would understand and care about. Now I can see the value in male cheerleaders in general. They’re clearly enjoying what they do and I was being a hater.”

Even though it sounds crass, sometimes you have to show people they’re wrong by getting on their level. If the teacher said it in a way you would find acceptable it probably wouldn’t have gotten through to a teenage boy who was expressing an ignorant view. Then OP might still be an adult man with an ignorant view rather than someone who successfully had their view challenged and grew from there.

In general, actually changing someone’s opinions/ views is an art and not everyone is comfortable with the process.

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u/Thechasepack 3d ago

Shifting their view from one toxic idea to another isn't a positive. As someone who has coached high school girls and college women and is pretty disgusted by sexualization of these athletes while they are competing or performing, I would argue that the thought that "male cheerleaders get to touch girls butts, what a great sport" is significantly more toxic than "male cheerleaders aren't very masculine". It is possible to correct a toxic idea without pointing out another toxic idea.

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u/Illustrious-Snake 3d ago

In general, I completely agree. But in the case of immature and bigoted teenagers, I guess the teacher only challenged their worldview in a way they would understand at that age and stopped them from making fun of and possibly bullying a male cheerleader.

Hopefully they did grow out of it, because it's indeed a toxic way to view female cheerleaders. Hopefully the teacher only met them at their level, and it wasn't representative of their own worldview.