Comments on: Something Else

By: MsKate

MsKate — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

A lot easier to be dissatisfied with your wages when you know they are automatically lower than others who do the exact same job simply because you are seen to lack something between the legs!

By: norbizness

norbizness — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

Here’s another weird example of exclusionary language… well, not weird, considering the source:

“I want the President to look across the country and find the best man, woman, or minority that he can find.” — Trent Lott, speaking on the replacement search for the open Supreme Court slot.

By: norbizness

norbizness — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

Sorry, but national politics keeps putting weird headlines and quotes out there; from the New York Times: “Bush Is Not Expected to Feel Need to Pick Woman Again” [insert joke here]

By: laughingmuse

laughingmuse — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

It seems that we have (and by “we” of course I mean “people who drive me nuts”, “the patriarchy”, “the ‘other’”) (oh, OK, me too) become so lazy with language that people don’t even realize that they are saying.

Aside from these absolutely ridiculous examples of pathetic comments, demonstrating that the speaker or writer has some nutty whacko perspective on what is “normal” and what is “abnormal” (hello, all non white males!), other examples of lack of thought have bugged me. And not just my own strung-together, over parenthetized sentences.

I refer to “webspeak” or whatever that crap is that some of my students in the past have used in e-mails to me. It inspires a deep, quiet rage in me.

Similar, although a different flavor of rage as these “everyone aside from white men are weird!” headlines and comments.

By: wordgirl

wordgirl — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

PGA or LPGA

Professional Golf Association or Ladies Professional Golf Association.

Real golf….or golf lite.

It’s only one of many examples out there that just chap my ass.

Even with high school teams. Panthers and Pantherettes or Lady Panthers. People, people people! Even the local zoo doesn’t refer to the real female animal as a lady panther. There is, in fact, a college that has a Bull as its mascot. And the women’s teams are called…get this…Lady Bulls. Is that to avoid calling them Cows?

And please…someone tell my mother to stop saying “lady lawyer”. I’m begging you.

By: zz

zz — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

“And the women’s teams are called…get this…Lady Bulls. Is that to avoid calling them Cows?”

Lady Bulls? You’ve got to be kidding. (Why do I get the feeling that they get called “cows” anyway?)

By: wordgirl

wordgirl — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

There are Lady Bulls in Hereford High School.
Also, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association features Lady Bulls. They offer Lady Trojans, Lady Panthers, Lady Tigers, Lady Eagles, Lady Broncos, Lady Rams, Lady Bulldogs, Lady Vikings, and Lady Falcons.

The list goes on, but I’m feeling nauseus. I’ll take a swig of Pepto and stick another pin in my Patriachal VooDoo doll.

By: wordgirl

wordgirl — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

Sorry….Patriarchal. My editor has the day off.

By: peacebug

peacebug — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

I read the comments differently. I read the women as a subgroup of the full sample of “nearly half of all Brit employees.”

which is not to say that women as a subgroup aren’t paid less (we know we are), but that more women than men are dissatisfied with their low wages because they’re even lower than the low wages the men earn.

the sadder and more intransigent problem the item points out is that fewer of them say anything about it - that’s the patriarchy blaming bit for me. women have been screwed on the wages front for time immemorial but STILL we’re not able effectively as a demographic to stand up and holler about it.

By: AndiF

AndiF — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

Brings back memories of my youth when the idea of equal opportunity for women was starting to reach public consciousness. Public pronouncements would have “and women, too” tacked on to them in ways that made it clear just how insincere the addition was — “We are an equal opportunity employer who welcomes all qualified applicants, and women, too.”