The title says it all. I was posterized. This was a landslide of a sparring match to say the least, and I admit I got beat up. But hey, some guys pay good money for that, and I got it for free.
I’d like to explore this beat down story as an opportunity to explore the discrepancies in gender diversity for both boxing and software engineering. Approximately 70% of the boxing community is male, and even worse, approximately 80% of computer science majors are male. Why this is the case sincerely upsets me.
Nonetheless, would my frail male ego take a major blow from losing to a female? Past me said absolutely freaking not. I was cocky in my assessment. I remember feeling confident. I remember feeling assured. Even though I was smaller in size, I remember thinking, “I better take it easy on her.”
I remember a lot, but without a shred of doubt, the most vivid thing I remember was seeing beautiful cosmic stars after a clean, calculated cross to my chin, sending me out into Earth’s orbit.
This experience was a blessing though. It was enough to knock some sense into me. Instead of being purely humiliated, I was humbled. I was forced to learn how to look past stigma, and after all, the purpose of sparring is to facilitate learning. And as a side bonus, I learned to always keep my freakin' hands up.
My ignorant way of thought was unacceptable–it was almost like a sexist shark swimming under the surface. However, in hindsight, I believe I was warped by stigma. The stigma of looking weak if I lost, but, god forbid, especially to a female. In my defense, this female who, unbeknownst to me, was quite literally an ex professional fighter. I prophesied victory, but like an idiot, failed to recognize I had absolutely no chance. My fate was sealed at the ding of the bell.
While I have changed the way I think, the repercussions of stigma are still rampant in modern society. Believe it or not, even in the year of 2024, these repercussions are still especially prevalent. From my extensive research on reddit, it appears that most scholarly journals attribute deterrents from female participation as societal stereotypes and expectation in both realms. Oddly enough, most of the brightest and most talented programmers I have ever met through Oregon State University identify as females. Most of the most dedicated fighters at my boxing gym are also female.
Yet here we are. To me, this discrepancy is a tragedy. I genuinely wish people of all genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds could enjoy participating in boxing or see the satisfaction of programming like the way I do.
To summarize: Both sciences are inherently beautiful. Hopefully this article about my experiences with stigma provides some insight, maybe a sharp exhalation out of the nose, and hopefully helps pave way for a more open minded, unbiased, and equally treating world.