Robi was my friend at university. A discreet man, except for his bad breath, which was soon publicly denounced by his female students, who accused him of misogyny and harassment. I learned that the conflict began when Robi, in a seminar on History and Teaching, advised a group of female students to be more decorous in the classroom. He didn't demand that they come to university in tailored suits , but that they avoid flip-flops and shorts that were too tight on their buttocks. He also commented that, in the classroom, a professor shouldn't sprawl on the table or make ostentatious gestures.
I confess I never noticed Robi's bad breath, but of the five senses, smell is the one I miss the least. Perhaps because it's the crudest of them, and I've always been impressed by the subtleties of hearing or the brilliance of sight. Saint Bernard said that faith begins with hearing and love with sight. I don't know of any mystic who praised the sense of smell.
Roberval had no idea that his pedagogical comments would unleash a cavalcade of Valkyries on our campus. Harassed by these warriors, Roberval decided to treat his halitosis. Before a meeting of the Faculty Congregation, he raised his arms shouting: "I am a victim of sexism, forgive me, everyone."
This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Unicamp.
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