Subject/Object

The term?

Insulting.

“Guybrarian” has been mulled around recently, as a term for the minority male librarians out there, Inspired by a few comics and the NY Times article.

Jessamyn West, surprisingly enough, sees it as a “sideways swipe at the femaleness of the profession,” although one commentator rightly points out that it doesn’t put the male librarian in a position of superiority, but singles him out as “different” or “The Other.”

Librarian Idol rightly questions what is particularly female about the profession, and with a decent salary without having to sell your soul, what male wouldn’t want such a great job.

Of course, tounge-in-cheek or not, Megan of Expatriot Act says that, like all other “oppressed groups” we should come up with our own term for ourselves. I assume we actually must re-appropriate some term of derision and make it empowering.

However, I find it odd that, if the roles were reversed, every woman librarian and feminist would call this subtle discrimination, and not find it funny at all but oppressive. And rightly so, in such a case I would wholly agree.

Or, if I noticed a trend of woman becoming mechanics and I called them “femcanics” or something (sorry, not so creative right now). Or we called female CEOs “Chief Executive Chicks” or something. In such cases women would rightly be up in arms, decrying such degrading terms.

And I am about “guybrarian.” It implies that A. librarianship requires some feminine qualities or skills and B. As a librarian with a penis I cannot have them. C. I am not a man, but a “guy”: approachable, friendly, totally non-threatening as I can fit in with all those women.

But men are not supposed to get upset are they? Do you think the NY Times would ever publish the word “femcanic.” No editor would touch that in a million years. But “guybrarian” is just fine.

It is insulting. It implies that both that I am a second class citizen in the library world, and somehow a failure from the competition driven world of “male” occupations, and doesn’t acknowledge that I chose this life by choice.