Grandduggar # 3 on the way? Pictures.

[Lola]

I worked for an Old Boys' Club on two different occasions. They were the most depressing and scary employment experiences of my life. I felt like I was constantly having to walk a tight rope without a safety net. I quit the first job as soon as I could. The second time, I was married and had responsibilities and felt I had to hang in there. Both times i had to suffer being treated less than and as a pretty object. I don't want to go into detailS, it still makes me sick. I consulted a lawyer, but didn't have enough evidence to sue. How I don't know. I hated my boss and so did my staff, his solution was to fire me without cause and hire some bimbo. She actually bragged to my staff about how she got her job, "it isn't who know, but who you blow." There are more sordid details, but yech. This was in the year 2001, and my story isn't an isolated one. No surprise, that every Old Boy prick referred to his female staff as "HIS girls." Calling women "girls" may seem like a little thing, but little things add up and are often indicative of the big and real picture.

ugh, I'm a cashier and get sexually harrassed. It's disgusting

[Sinister Rouge]

Holy crap there are a lot of us Albertans on here!

Don't mention the oilsands! ;)

[ChunkyBarbie]

ugh, I'm a cashier and get sexually harrassed. It's disgusting

I absolutely can't fathom why some people think it is okay to sexually harass others. Especially others that have very little power or opportunity to fight back. If I see some jackass harassing someone, I will say something especially if the someone can't.

[Aurora]

Don't mention the oilsands! ;)

hehe! *waves from Edmonton* :flags-canada:

Lola and Barbie - so sorry, that is nasty. Some people are lowlifes.

[littlehouse]

Mmmmm go eat some Col. Mustards and New Asian Village for me!

[Haligh the Liar]

Sorry to continue the great northern hijack, but is there anyone here from Moosejaw, Sask? I'm not Canadian, but I have always thought that was the coolest place name ever.

Oh yeah, and reds, fuck off. There is no way in hell that women with "strong" personalities are able to stop harrassment while women with "weak" personalities aren't.

[ChickeyMonkey]

It is a huge deal, because not only does language reflect the views and norms of society, it also shapes them, in a continuous feedback loop. By consistant use of a diminutive for women but not for men, or using the term 'female' to describe a woman in terms of sex and sexuality only, the foundation is laid and reinforced for inequality. One analogous example is the historical (and in some areas, contemporary) use of the term 'boy' to refer to African American men. The term did not imply youth, or carefree nature, but rather it is a conscious and direct put down, designed to make sure AA men knew their place- below whites. The use of 'girl' for women accomplishes the same thing. Colloquial uses like "girls' night out" or "boys' night out" fall in to a separate category.

As for the why bother to debate other women about this, there is no binary when it comes to sexism- men are not the only perpetrators or instigators. We see that in fundies often enough.

It's fine that you prefer Nikki, in fact, I generally prefer to be called Kathleen as well. However, the problem arises when social linguistic conditioning leads to things like my students being far more likely to call me Kathleen on the first day of class, while my male colleagues generally get Mr/Dr/Professor Lastname right off the bat.

I'm not really in a professional setting at work, but if I'd pursued teaching and gotten my certificate, I would teach special ed early childhood. I would go by Miss Alicia instead of Mrs. N. For one, my last name is Vietnamese and almost no one says it right anyway, but then I get variations of my first name, too, but that isn't what I wanted to say.

I understand that in professionl settings (and most others as well), it's polite to call someone " Mr/Dr/Professor Lastname" until/unless that person has told you call him/her what s/he is more comfortable with. I feel weird when someone calls me Mrs. N or even Miss Alicia when talking to kids. I prefer to just go by Alicia. I identify myself as Alicia, not Mrs./Ms/Miss N and it makes me somewhat uncomfortable to be called by anything other than my first name.

On the other hand, I call professors by Prof Lastname or Dr. if that's what they prefer, and feel awkward when told to "Just call me Steve," or something familiar in nature.

If you want to talk unprofessional, I had one English teacher at the community college tell us that we could call her Prof Last name, or Taz, because she liked the Tasmanian Devil from Loony Toons. She was a weird one.

I do have one exception to what I stated above, though. I hate when the checkout person uses my name when saying goodbye. I don't know you, we aren't going to be interacting except for this one time, don't say "have a good day, Ms. N," or "Alicia." It rubs me the wrong way.

[holierthanyou]

Sorry to continue the great northern hijack, but is there anyone here from Moosejaw, Sask? I'm not Canadian, but I have always thought that was the coolest place name ever.

Head-Smashed-in-Buffalo-Jump is a way cooler city name we have up here in the north. I am also a fan of Dildo (in nfld).

[Daenerys]

Head-Smashed-in-Buffalo-Jump is a way cooler city name we have up here in the north. I am also a fan of Dildo (in nfld).

I love how the next big city after Moose Jaw is called Medicine Hat!

[EmmieJ]

The part that is sounding unprofessional to me is the use of the word "my" and then a gender word to describe a co-worker.

I would never say ( and don't recall ever hearing ) "I'll have my girl do it" , but I also wouldn't say "I'll have my woman do it" or "I'll have my boy do it" or "I'll have my man do it" ... all of those sound weird and like you are in a relationship with the person.

I would probably use the name of the co-worker and/or their title. "I'll ask the Office Manager to do it" or "I'll ask Pat, the Office Manager, to do it"

Agreed. I am my parents' daughter, but not their "girl." That being the case, I am most certainly not my employer's "girl." EVER. I am very good at my job. My employers have always appreciated that, and have usually gone out of their way to make sure I'm happy. Therefore, I get treated with respect. I truly appreciate that.

But in college, I worked in the college bookstore. The manager of our little department was in his late 40's, a local boy who had not gone to college, and this was as high as he was going to get in his career. He had a nasty tendency to walk up behind the girls (and we were in the age range of 18-20-something "girls" then) in his department and give them a "friendly" neck or back massage. Can I just say YECHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

He did that to me once and I said "yuck!" and "please don't touch me!" without even thinking about it. He was embarrassed because several people saw and heard the exchange. He never did it again.

Anyway, sorry to get off tangent. In the workplace, people should always behave professionally.

[fundyfunland]

hehe! *waves from Edmonton* :flags-canada:

Lola and Barbie - so sorry, that is nasty. Some people are lowlifes.

Torontonian here!! :D I don't want to start a culture war though.

[Whydoyouask]

Can anyone confirm or deny if Anna is pregnant? That's really all I want to know right now... Thanks!

[holierthanyou]

Can anyone confirm or deny if Anna is pregnant? That's really all I want to know right now... Thanks!

No, no one can confirm or deny.