Physics Professor Delo Mook spoke last night about his experience as a sexist in a speech titled "Hi. I'm Delo Mook, and I'm a sexist."
Mook explained why he considered himself a sexist to a group of about 25 students in Sanborn's Wren Room
"I am still groping with the question of how we can balance lust and sexuality along with mutual respect" Mook said. He added that it is wrong that anyone should be "limited because of their gender or because of the values of society.'"
Mook said when he started working with women colleagues and began reading women's history and feminist literature he was "thrown into a turmoil" which he has yet to recover from.
His new-found interest in gender studies "changed, perplexed, and disturbed me and caused me to look at myself with a different pair of eyes," Mook said.
Mook spoke about the objectification of women and his own participation in doing this.
He gave the example of how he was in a hospital and as soon as the woman physician came in, he "immediately began undressing her with his eyes" and saw her as a body first and a physician second.
Mook said he then knew "there was no question that I had the disease of sexism."
The first step he took to cure himself of sexism, Mook said, was to admit he was sexist and said people "can do something about it and can pick and choose what they are willing to do."
He said he had heard that "women that are interested in engineering and physical sciences are twice as likely to drop these science majors than males."
Mook said he was disturbed that he was part of the process that was urging women out and said he is still wrestling with the problem of sexism in all aspects of his life.
In the discussion following the speech, Mook was asked a variety of different questions involving his views on the Greek system, rape, his teaching methods, the fairness of the grading system, gender equity, the effects of pregnancy on a woman's career, and the way Dartmouth has changed after becoming coed.
Morning Washburn '98 said she found the speech to be interesting.
"I thought it was very interesting. I thought a lot of the student reactions were poor and they took it as a fight when it wasn't," Washburn said. "It was one person's opinion but I think it's wonderful to have a person like this on campus."
The speech was organized by "Voices."