Poem: "The Intrusive Thumb of Male Privilege"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem is spillover from the March 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from fuzzyred, readera, see_also_friend, and janetmiles. It also fills the "fight" square in my 3-1-25 card for the Tolkien Bingo Fest. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the college arc of the Shiv thread in the Polychrome Heroics series.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes girls being anxious about safety at college, past educational trauma, minor disrespect of a nontraditional student, sexual harassment, rude language, attempted assault, appropriate use of superpowers in a fight, minor bloodshed, ignominious retreat, plans for graffiti, talking about sexual harassment, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.


"The Intrusive Thumb of Male Privilege"

[Thursday, September 1, 2016]

Shiv and Arthur went to check
the bulletin board that held a list of
times and locations for sessions
of Nebraska en Plein Air that
students could choose to join.

Already a small crowd of
people clustered around it
to discuss the options and
compare with their schedules.

"There's one at Memorial Park
in about an hour, then another
at Elmwood Park this evening,"
Arthur said, pointing them out.

Shiv peered at those listings.
"I'd rather not stay too late."

"Same here," Nada said.
"I don't like going around
when it gets late in the day
and people turn rowdy."

"Can't say as I blame you,"
said Shiv, who worked in
a jazz joint where people
often got rowdy later on.

"Oh, can we please join you?"
said a tiny girl with dark hair
who was clutching the hand
of a taller blond friend. "It'd
be nice to walk with someone."

"There's a shuttle to the parks,"
Arthur pointed out. "The pickup
isn't too far from here, but you
can come with us if you want."

"Thanks," said the girl. "People
get weird sometimes, that's all."

"Yeah, I've seen that happen.
I'm Arthur," he said, then waved
a hand. "This is my brother Shiv."

"Nice to meet you," she said. "I'm
Roxy and this is my friend Abigail.
My major's art and my minor is
Environmental Science. Abigail's
doing Human Rights and Art."

"Literature and Art along
with a few other things
for me," said Arthur.

"Global Studies, Art,
and Writing," said Nada.

Shiv had already discovered
the "What's your major?" routine
among the college students,
and he downright hated it.

If he told the truth, then
people turned awkward.

So he told a version of it
that seemed to work better.

"I'm working on Art currently,
but I have not yet settled on
a specific program, because
I've got a lot of outside credit
to account for," Shiv explained.

"Hey, if you're just yakking, then
get out of the way," said a voice.
"Other people need the lists."

Arthur chuckled. "Come on,
everyone, let's get going."

He led the way, and
the others followed him.

"So, you haven't declared
a major yet, even a temporary?"
Abigail asked. "At my high school,
the counselors started bugging us
about college in freshman year
so that we'd have a plan for it."

Shiv was so not about to admit
how little education he really had.

"School and I don't get along,"
he said shortly. "Besides, you
don't have to declare a major
as a freshman. I checked."

"Oh come on, it can't be
that bad," Abigail said.
"Lots of kids hate school."

"Yes, actually, it is that bad,"
Arthur said. "You can help
by changing the subject."

"Abby, don't be a jerk
about it," Roxy whispered,
elbowing her friend. "We
want them to like us."

"I'm sorry," said Abigail.
"It just seems sort of weird."

"Stop it, Abby!" hissed Roxy.

Oddly enough, the mouth
with no brakes on it made
Shiv feel more at home.

"It's fine," he said. "I just
don't like to talk about it."

"So, what art media did
everyone bring today?"
Arthur said, ruthlessly
changing subject lanes.
"I brought technical pens."

Shiv stared at him. "You
hate technical pens," he said.

"I'm trying to find some I like,"
said Arthur. "My parents bought
me one each of several brands,
so I'm playtesting them. It's just
not practical to bring quills or
even metal dip pens en plein air."

"Well, you're not wrong," Shiv said.
"That's why I packed my sketch kit
with colored pencils, creme pastels,
and a few other portable things."

"What sketch kit?" said Nada.
"I brought colored pencils for
landscaping and for portraits."
She held up the two cases.

"Right here," Shiv said,
patting his pocket. When
nobody looked enlightened,
he opened up the little tin
and then put it away again.

"Daaaamn, that thing is tiny,"
said Abigail. "My case has
acrylic paint markers. I like
the versatility. They draw on
paper, wood, metal, even glass."

"Mine's in between," said Roxy.
"I like working with charcoals."

Shiv grinned. "I love charcoals,
but I think my favorite of it is
lump charcoal," he said, holding
up a fist. "I mean like this big,
that you can buy for grilling,
on a role of mural paper."

"Oh well now I'm just
jealous," said Roxy.

"If the art department
has mural paper, then
I can drag a big bag of
lump charcoal to class
someday," Shiv said.
"Good for a rainy day."

"I'll make a note of that,"
Arthur said as he took
out his smartphone so
that he could write it down.

The broad sidewalk let out
into Parking Lot M, which had
some shrubs and a waiting area.

Beside the campus bus stop
stood a row of several signs
reading Shuttle Bus Pickup
above a weatherproof frame
so the time and destination
could be changed as needed.

"Here's ours," Shiv said, pointing
to the sign for Memorial Park.

No sooner had they found it
than a big burly dude sidled up
to Roxy and said, "Hey, baby, I've
got football practice. Why don't
you come watch my moves?"

Oh, great. A football player.
Shiv hated football players, and
not without substantial reasons.

Stalwart Stan had been a pain
in his ass for years, and he had
been a high school quarterback.

Still, a lot of girls and some guys
liked it, so Shiv kept his mouth
shut about it. Not his business.

"No, I don't want to," Roxy said,
edging behind the taller Abigail.

"Come on, don't be so stuck up,"
said the guy. "All the girls love
watching us run around field."

"Not everyone," Nada muttered.
"I prefer European football."

"We call that soccer here,"
Abigail said helpfully. "I've
played in high school, it's fun.
There's a field here on campus."

"I'm not going with you, Monte,"
said Roxy. "Leave me alone,
I'm heading to an art class."

Monte just loomed over her,
slowly flexing his fingers so that
his thick rings flashed in the sun.
There was one with a football,
a class ring, and a few others
that Shiv could not recognize.

Well, now it was his business.

"The lady ain't interested,"
Shiv drawled. "Buzz off, dude."

"What is it with you artsy types?"
said Monte. "You think I'm
the bad guy or something?"

His tone made Shiv's skin
crawl. It was too familiar.

"Yes, actually, your behavior
is that bad," Shiv snapped. "I'm
a supervillain, I would know."

"Sure," said Monte. "What are
you going to do about it, pipsqueak?"

Shiv sidled between Monty and
Roxy. "My job, apparently."

"Oh, shit," Arthur muttered,
but he didn't try to intervene or
even argue. He just shouldered up
beside Shiv to help make the wall.

Monte unwisely threw a punch.

Shiv grabbed the heavy rings
with his superpower and shoved
Monte's hand aside, then ducked
his shoulder to ram it forcefully
into the bigger man's belly.

Monte went down flailing,
but Shiv pushed him face-down
and then landed on top of him,
making sure to plant both knees
square on Monte's kidneys.

"Let me go, you little pervert!"
Monte roared, still struggling.

Fuckwit didn't even know
when he was good and beat.

Shiv grabbed the rings again,
then wrapped his hand around
the wrist and wrenched it up
toward Monte's shoulderblades.

After that, it was just a matter
of waiting for the twitches to stop.

"Are you done now?" Shiv said.

"Yeah," Monte muttered. "Let
me up, I gotta get to practice."

"Here's what is going to happen,"
Shiv said evenly. "I'm going to let go.
You're going to get up and walk away
without a word. I don't care where
your ride is, you ain't staying here.
Don't bug Roxy no more, in fact
don't even speak to her unless she
starts talking to you first. Got it?"

Monte snuffled but nodded.

Shiv let go and sprang
to his feet just in case.

Monte got up slowly,
still snuffling. He had
blood on his face -- must
have landed bad, since
Shiv hadn't even cut him.

The football player turned
and limped away without
looking at any of them.

"Well struck," Arthur said. "I
was hoping that we wouldn't
have to put him down too hard.
Are you okay after that nonsense?"

Shiv shook himself a little. "Yeah,
I'm fine, he didn't even touch me.
Thanks for the backup, though."

"Any time," Arthur said, clapping
him on the back. "We stick together."

"I can't believe that you beat him,"
said Abigail. "Monty Crouch is
huge, he's an offensive linebacker."

Shiv snorted. "Yeah, that guy is
offensive, all right," he agreed.

"I meant in football," said Abigail.
"People talk about him, too. He is
so notorious for tomcatting around
that folks call him Mount'er Crotch."

Shiv burst into laughter. "Oh, that is
so going on a train next chance I get."

"I want pictures," Arthur said firmly.
"I'm still collecting your graffiti art."

"We all want pictures," said Abigail.
"I've heard about how you do graffiti."

"I've seen his art," Nada said softly.
"Shiv is really good. He can use
a lot of different media for it, too."

"Listen, Roxy, you don't have to talk
about this if you don't want to, but it
might help," said Arthur. "Has Monte
been bothering you before today?"

Roxy nodded. "I asked him to stop.
He told me he was used to getting
what he wanted," she whispered.

"Well, that don't mean you gotta
let him have it," Shiv protested.

"I know, I know," said Roxy. "It's
just ... he's so much bigger than me.
I didn't want to make him angry."

"C'mere," Shiv said, beckoning.
"Let me show you something."

She came over, and sure enough,
they were about the same size.

"When you're this small, you gotta
fight like it," he explained, measuring
with his hand to show they were even.
"Get under his guard and his center
of gravity, and ram the bastard."

"Isn't he used to getting hit?"
Nada said anxiously. "That's
why I don't like American football,
it has way too much hitting in it."

"He don't wear the armor off
the field," Shiv pointed out.

He pulled out his phone and
looked up a picture showing
weak points of the human body.

"Here," Shiv said. "No matter
how big or small you are, these
points are vulnerable on everyone."
He paused, then added for sake of
completeness, "Except for guys with
Toughness or Invulnerability. Don't
mess with them, leave 'em to me."

"But you're so little," said Nada.
"I mean, you just beat Monte,
can you really take on anyone?"

"Well, Shiv is meaner than he
looks," Arthur said quietly.

Shiv looked around to see
if anyone else was watching
them, but the coast was clear.

"Watch this," he said. He
pulled a knife and dropped
it onto the sidewalk, where
the blade sank to the hilt.

"Holy crap," said Abigail.
"You really are a superhero."

"Super-villain," Shiv said,
retrieving his knife. "Anyhow,
I got a surprise up my sleeve
if anyone gets too pushy."

"You're still my hero,"
Roxy said. "You saved me.
He was always talking about
how pretty I looked and trying
to get a date, but he scares me."

"His comments are not compliments,
or even propositions," said Abigail.
"They are declarations of ownership
over you. They are threats. They are
the intrusive thumb of male privilege,
always reminding us of our place as
we move around within public space."

"I hate that," said Nada. "It is
the constant reminder that I
should always be scared,
that I am never safe."

"You are safe," said Shiv.
"That macho gag is bullshit."

Maybe he should've cut Monte,
just a little, to make the point.

"Harassment is actually
a sexualized form of bullying,"
Abigail said, crossing her arms.

"How do you figure that?"
Shiv asked. It felt true.

"Bullies use their social or
physical power to intimidate
and demean others," said Abigail.
"Harassers put a sleazy spin on
the same dynamic, using rude talk
and unwanted advances as they
pursue the same oppressive end.”

"Okay, I get it now," Shiv said.
He knew the feeling all too well.
"Shit like that just ain't right."

"Rape culture is scary,"
said Nada. "I thought
that America was different,
but ... maybe not so much."

"Most men don't want to be
that guy," said Abigail. "It's
just a few we have to watch for,
like some of the fraternity rats.
That behavior really is not okay."

"Yeah, I don't know what makes
some guys like that," said Roxy.
"It doesn't seem ... quite natural."

"Sexual harassment is using
what Nature gave us to take what
isn’t ours," said Arthur. "It’s an act of
violence not only against an individual,
but against society -- so it should
meet with the wrath of society."

Shiv lifted his chin. "Guess
I got that part covered."

It still seemed weird
to think of himself on
the side of right, though.

"How much trouble do you
think we'll get in for fighting
this time?" Arthur wondered.

"None at all," said Shiv. "Monte
ain't really hurt, just a bloody nose.
Okay, he might be peeing pink
for a few days, but it'll mend."

"That doesn't sound good,"
Arthur said with a frown.

"I'm a bouncer," Shiv said.
"Keeping jerks like that from
bothering gals is part of my job.
All I have to do is file a report with
the Nebraska Bouncers League
for an off-duty dustup. It'll be fine."

"Really?" Abigail said. "Arthur is
right, people don't like fighting,
especially on a school campus."

"I'm sure," Shiv said. He took out
his phone and filled in the form.
"Anybody else want to chip in
a statement of what happened
with Monty Crouch? No pressure,
but it'll help if he does stir trouble."

"I will," Abigail said immediately,
and the other girls nodded too.

"Here, touch your phone to mine
and it'll give you a bystander form,"
Shiv explained, offering his phone.

They all took the form, even Arthur,
which was ... oddly reassuring.

"It's good to have a means of
official complaint," said Abigail.

"Thanks for the help," said Shiv.
"This way, if Monte tries to make
more trouble -- like bothering a girl
in a nightclub or picking a fight with
a bouncer -- now he's got a record
so the League knows about him.
He can't get away with as much."

"What if he sues you, or worse?"
Roxy said. "I don't want you
to get in trouble because of me."

Shiv laughed. "I'd like to see
him try," he said. "Then I would
throw him to the Family lawyers
without mercy. They'd fight over
who got to him first. I might even
make some popcorn for the show."

"He makes really good popcorn,"
Arthur said. "I've had some."

Roxy giggled, so at least
she wasn't too scared.

Their shuttlebus pulled into
the parking lot, so Shiv and
Arthur got the girls between
them and seated safely.

Shiv might not be able
to rid the world of assholes,
but any time male privilege
poked a thumb at him, it
would come away bloody.

Then he chuckled. There
was no rule saying that you
had to draw what was actually
at the plein air class location.

Monte didn't know it, but he had
just volunteered as Shiv's art model.

Shiv hadn't done a 10 of Swords in a while.

* * *

Notes:

This poem is long, so its character and content notes will appear separately.