“I’m not trying to be sexist but guys can go whenever they want while girls gotta finish up early.”

This was the conversation I picked up today between two guys outside of City College. Interpret it however you like but what they were talking about starting college late. There were numerous other contradictions spoken (ie. “Yeah, no more partying for me; I’ve been taking school seriously. I’ll talk to you later though, I’m already late for class.”) but this is the one that caught my attention because it has the potential to do the most damage.

When people start sentences off with this type of disclaimer, it almost always seems like a self-fulfilling prophecy. This guy may have thought that he pre-emptively cleared himself of accusations of sexism but he still said something sexist. It makes me wonder how often this is used by people who are too naive to realize what they’re saying and how often it’s used to preface something that can honestly be taken multiple ways without context. I guess I’ll find out.