{"items": [{"author": "Yaron", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/614073429802?comment_id=614073654352", "anchor": "fb-614073654352", "service": "fb", "text": "...and cap it with the wisecrack, \"because the lady is always right.\"", "timestamp": "1369551736"}, {"author": "Kiran", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/614073429802?comment_id=614075934782", "anchor": "fb-614075934782", "service": "fb", "text": "The wisecrack, and the use of a single description, help cement the idea in the heads of dancers. Of course Jeff could test my claim by mixing it up and studying video recordings to see the results.", "timestamp": "1369557411"}, {"author": "Andrew", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/614073429802?comment_id=614085790032", "anchor": "fb-614085790032", "service": "fb", "text": "Kiran, I agree that the single familiar description cements the idea in the dancers' heads.  Your suggestion to experiment by \"mixing it up\" is a tricky one, because you are comparing a clear simple familiar message with a \"mixed up\" set of messages that mean the same thing, which would serve to confuse - the familiar message has the advantage of the incumbent.", "timestamp": "1369573978"}, {"author": "Andrew", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/118130675198312397125", "anchor": "gp-1369585576345", "service": "gp", "text": "As a ballroom instructor, I don't think the lead follow relationship is itself some horrible bastion of sexism; I routinely tell my leads how to move their follow, because that's the dynamic that makes it all work. However, assuming the typical gender roles where a man leads a woman can cause heartburn.", "timestamp": 1369585576}, {"author": "David&nbsp;Chudzicki", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/614073429802?comment_id=614103654232", "anchor": "fb-614103654232", "service": "fb", "text": "Maybe we should still call to the leads, but not make assumptions about gender. E.g. \"put him/her/them on the right\".", "timestamp": "1369588482"}, {"author": "Daniel", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/614073429802?comment_id=614105191152", "anchor": "fb-614105191152", "service": "fb", "text": "I agree with Kiran and Andrew.  While there is some value in mixing up the direction for equality reasons, people remember it better if you stick to one.  Perhaps this could be dealt with by mixing it up in the sense of one call always addressing the men and another call always addressing the women, for loosely gender-neutral calls that still somehow require addressing a role.  I'm having trouble coming up with a comparable fixture sort of call to balance that one, though.", "timestamp": "1369589156"}, {"author": "Cecile", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/614073429802?comment_id=614105625282", "anchor": "fb-614105625282", "service": "fb", "text": "I feel like there isn't much of a lead/follow dynamic in ending the swing, unless you add a flourish. If I'm dancing with an inexperienced dancer I'll lead ending the swing no matter which role I'm dancing because I'm the one who knows where to go, and it's not a hard thing to lead from the lady's role. If both partners are experienced, they go to the right place by mutual consent as far as I can tell, and either one is just as likely to indicate that they want to end the swing earlier, or swing faster and longer.", "timestamp": "1369589458"}, {"author": "Paul", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/614073429802?comment_id=614107765992", "anchor": "fb-614107765992", "service": "fb", "text": "I agree that there is value in using one consistent call, but I don't like the word \"put\" in \"put the woman on the right.\" It implies that it is the man's responsibility to put the woman where she needs to be, rather than a joint responsibility to finish the swing where you both need to be. A better call might be \"finish with the woman on the right.\"", "timestamp": "1369591271"}, {"author": "Liz", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/614073429802?comment_id=614108499522", "anchor": "fb-614108499522", "service": "fb", "text": "in our gender-role free community, we use \"arm-band\" [trad. male role] and \"bare-arm\" [trad. female role]. We would typically say \"swing your partner, ending with the bare-arm on the right\". That way, you're not \"putting\" anyone anywhere and even if you switch roles each time through, you're talking about the roles not the identity. HTH.", "timestamp": "1369591946"}, {"author": "Christopher", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/614073429802?comment_id=614111109292", "anchor": "fb-614111109292", "service": "fb", "text": "A description that has never failed me: \"pointy hands in\".", "timestamp": "1369593791"}, {"author": "Susan", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/614073429802?comment_id=614134048322", "anchor": "fb-614134048322", "service": "fb", "text": "I like the caller who tells the followers to make sure their leader is on their left.", "timestamp": "1369609743"}, {"author": "Chad", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/614073429802?comment_id=614151727892", "anchor": "fb-614151727892", "service": "fb", "text": "Easy. \"Bare arms on the right\"  \"Ladies on the right,\" if you must. Being 6'3\" of man I don't identify with being called a \"lady,\" but I can handle it. However, I definitely object to being PUT anywhere.", "timestamp": "1369621113"}, {"author": "Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1369635107173", "service": "gp", "text": "@Andrew\n\u00a0contra is pretty different from ballroom. \u00a0Much of the dance (in some styles, all) isn't lead-follow.", "timestamp": 1369635107}, {"author": "Andrew", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/118130675198312397125", "anchor": "gp-1369636105912", "service": "gp", "text": "My point was that in partner dancing, the sexism isn't generally in who gets each instruction so much as in who's assumed to be in which roles.", "timestamp": 1369636105}, {"author": "Katherine", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/111274538329832838041", "anchor": "gp-1369785222153", "service": "gp", "text": "I don't think I've ever heard someone say \"end the swing with the gent on the left\" \u00a0without also saying \"and the lady on the right.\" But people tend to be pretty consistent about how they introduce a figure. Are there\u00a0figures that are generally taught from the ladies' perspective? Ladies' chain? California twirl / box the gnat? I want more data on which figures get primarily called to which roles.\u00a0", "timestamp": 1369785222}, {"author": "CrowdPublish", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/105323969922273607696", "anchor": "gp-1370222095455", "service": "gp", "text": "And since you're calling out the sexism, do you see the sexism here:\u00a0\nhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/31/join-wall-street-save-the-world/", "timestamp": 1370222095}, {"author": "Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1370223813291", "service": "gp", "text": "@Lisa\n\u00a0do you mean the \"Jeff&nbsp;Kaufman and his wife, Julia Wise\" or something else?\n<br>\n<br>\n(That bothered me some when I read it. \u00a0Other pieces have focused on Julia, however, and referred to me as her husband, so as long as this doesn't become a pattern I think it's probably fine.)", "timestamp": 1370223813}, {"author": "CrowdPublish", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/105323969922273607696", "anchor": "gp-1370227762238", "service": "gp", "text": "Glad you knew exactly what I was talking about. I'm not sure how old the washpost author is, but that's the mindset my agegroup and older accept as the norm, so in most writings/society, that is the pattern. I'm sure most people didn't even blink when they read it. Perhaps the Post assumes it's writing for the 40+ crowd.", "timestamp": 1370227762}, {"author": "CrowdPublish", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/105323969922273607696", "anchor": "gp-1370229952888", "service": "gp", "text": "Glad you knew exactly what I was talking about. I'm not sure how old the washpost author is, but that's the mindset my agegroup and older accept as the norm, so in most writings/society, that is the pattern. I'm sure most people didn't even blink when they read it. Perhaps the Post assumes it's writing for the 40+ crowd.", "timestamp": 1370229952}]}