His Classmate Accused Him Of Mansplaining In Physics Class, So When She Asked For Help Before Their Next Test, He Refused
This teenage boy is 15-years-old and currently attending high school. And, in his physics class, he sits at a group table with two other students– a girl named Ellie, who is 15, and another girl named Mia, who is 16.
Now, he claims that Ellie always asks him for help while they work on practice problems following lectures.
It is kind of difficult for him to help her out, though, since Ellie does not ask very specific questions.
“Despite me prompting her to,” he added.
Instead, Ellie will reportedly just say general things such as “I don’t get it.”
So, in those moments, he usually tries to explain concepts from a more fundamental level. That way, he will end up explaining whatever part of the concept Ellie does not understand.
“It also helps me to give her a comprehensive explanation because verbalizing the material helps me solidify it in my brain, too,” he said. “So it’s a win-win.”
This week, though, he was trying to help Ellie out by explaining another problem when his other classmate, Mia, interrupted the conversation.
Then, Mia told him that he did not need to “mansplain” every single detail. She also accused him of speaking to Ellie as though she were an idiot.
goodluz – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual people
Afterward, he was completely shocked. He claimed that he never intended to be condescending toward Ellie. At the same time, Ellie never told him that he was speaking to her rudely.
So, he ended up just mumbling an “I’m sorry” to Mia because he really was not sure how to even respond. He also did not want to escalate the situation any further.
Anyway, the very next day, his physics class had to take an exam. And before the test began, his teacher allowed everyone to review their notes for about 10 minutes.
At that point, Mia actually pulled her chair beside his and acted as if nothing had happened the day before. Then, she even asked him to explain a specific concept to her.
He was even more shocked at that moment and decided to tell Mia that it would probably be best if they just asked their teacher for help.
“Because I don’t want to seem like I’m ‘mansplaining’ to you either,” he told Mia.
After he said that, Mia wound up calling him a jerk. Then, she ultimately walked over to another table group to ask for help understanding the concept. So now, ever since the test, he has been left wondering whether refusing to help his classmate after being accused of mansplaining makes him a real jerk or not.
Does it sound like he intended to be condescending? Or was he doing what Ellie asked by explaining the concept to her? Did he have a right not to help Mia the following day before their exam? If you had been in his shoes, what would you have done?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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