When researching the history of the PRANK known as the Godiva Ride, I observed several elements of ritual that intrigued me about my profession and colleagues in engineering.
The first and most blatant of the ritualistic needs served in the elevation of an animalistic desire into something socially acceptable. The majority of the engineering students and professors are male and logically appreciate the sight of a naked woman. Within the engineering community the spirit of jest and mischief shrouded with the intense secrecy and planning jargon are the acceptable ways of approaching the event. Outside the engineering sub culture, particularly among the professors a politically correct amnesia infects the majority of the participants.
The potential for the feeling of unworthiness in the non-participants is great. Many liberal arts students are aghast at the spectacle of the woman on the horse invading their space with tongue-in-check anachronism. The engineering student has drawn reference to a historical event of civil disobedience with gender and religious implications. The engineer has planned, directed and executed performance art on a significant scale (woman, horse, parade of engineers). All of this accomplishment makes the student of the liberal arts envious. They think "Why can't my debating society build a distillation system?" or "Why doesn't my Women's Centre fix cars?".
The most elegant historical reference is the relationship with viewing the ritual and the character 'Tom'. It is said that 'Tom' gazed on Lady Godiva inappropriately (voyeurism, not in the spirit of protest) and thus had his eyes dashed out. The viewer, who is unable to seize the spirit of the occasion, is infuriated because of the logical linkage to Tom and the subconscious feeling that their eyes should, could or have been violated. It is thus with guilt and/or unworthiness that opposition to the Lady Godiva ride is gathered.
The Godiva Rides are banned or voluntarily discontinued for the sake of female engineering students. The systematic decision seemed to have little relevance to the female engineering students I've talked to or the former Lady Godivas (who were saddened by its decline).
The Lady Godiva ride is a long standing tradition of the university engineering student. The psychology of the people involved in such events is explored through the telling of urban legend and personal reflection. Godiva ride footage and stills are intercut with the disclosures to form a unified tale of frivolity and discovery.
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