– It was particularly shocking that something more should come out of this, even though it certainly aroused attitudes I have. It must be allowed to think that there is a difference between men and women, she says.
Synnøve Melhus (23) failed the course “Sexuality and sexual health” at the University of Oslo because she used the words he and she.
Melhus from Skudeneshavn on the island of Karmøy has just completed the first six months of her master’s programme in psychology in the field of health, development and society at the University of Oslo (UiO).
Her exam in the subject “Sexuality and sexual health” did not go so well. The examiner thought that her use of the words “male and female” was problematic, and that it expressed a “biologically deterministic” understanding of gender that was not compatible with the course’s learning objectives, writes Nettavisen.
On the Danish website for Samfundsfag på tværs you can read:
Historically, the dominant view of gender has been that it was biologically determined at birth. This view is also known as biological determinism, in which a person’s behaviour and characteristics are widely perceived as the result of their biology.
In today’s hysterical LGBTQ religious world, where no one can define what a woman really is, it is obviously not acceptable to use so-called gendered terms such as he and she.
Melhus responds:
– I was a bit shocked when I read it, and it wasn’t something I could have foreseen getting feedback on when I wrote it. It’s not necessarily incompatible with the learning objectives, and the use of biological language is very common in academic texts.
Academia is not what it once was, and this is a frightening example of that. Rarely has the need for a paradigm shift been greater.
– I don’t understand why the social aspect should trump the biological, says Melhus.
Melhus has clearly not been paying attention. A young girl tries to complete an education, but then she hits the wall. You have to empathise with the young girl, who admits that her exam had some other weaknesses too. But it seems that it was the use of the words he and she that tipped her over the line.
Instead of confronting the tyranny, Melhus wants to adapt to the new rules.
– In your answer, you don’t specify what you mean by “male and female”. Is that something you think you should have done, in hindsight?
– Actually, it wasn’t something I thought I should have done. I just used words that you use to group genders. It doesn’t have to reflect an ideological stance, but it’s a practical and traditional way of describing groups, replies Melhus.
– If I had known that I was going to get such a strong reaction to writing about male and female gender, I might not have written about it. I don’t know if it’s worth it.
This is how we submit to the tyrants, quietly and calmly. I certainly don’t blame Melhus, she is a young woman and surely stands alone in today’s student environment. It’s my generation that must bear the responsibility for the situation our children now find themselves in.
Melhus emphasises that her use of the words he and she was not driven by ideology.
You can only wish Melhus the best of luck in her future endeavours, even though it will probably be a long and difficult journey. But the young woman should know that there are many who support her.
