I’m making a big deal out of nothing. It is all my imagination. I’m taking things too literally. Certainly I must misunderstand the situation. I should just ignore it. Everyone has had ethics and harassment training, I must be mistaken. Our company has policies against that sort of thing. I’m just too sensitive. You’ve sandpapered me down to bare nerve and now you’re telling me I’m too damn sensitive?
For FIVE years Whazzis upstairs hasn’t looked me in the eye. His desk faces away from the door, he keeps his back turned and answers in monosyllables if he absolutely has to deal with me. He’ll say good morning to an employee with me in the hall, and act as if I’m not there. As an experiment, every day for a month I smiled directly at him and said “Good Morning”. I still didn’t exist. I asked other employees what was going on and was told, “Whazzis has a problem with women.” Oh. He doesn’t have a problem – he is the problem.
Whoozis held a training class last week for six of us, all in our forties. My coworkers were addressed by their first names. I was called “young lady”. Whoozis hangs out with a guy down the hall that refers to any particular woman as “the female”. (Drop the papers off with the female at the front desk).
Coworker Wannabe-Occifer Friendly came into my office uninvited, and proceeded to tell me about his wife the hooker. Literally. They relocated because he wants to be in law enforcement, and she’s been busted for prostitution. Why are you telling me this? Why are you in my office? What you are mistaking for a look of interest is the devout prayer that you actually DO become a rent-a-cop and shoot your dick off practicing your fast draw in front of the mirror.
A new guy had to impress me with how prejudiced he’s not. He told me all about the woman that was in his company in the military, how she could pull her own weight (amazing!), and how she told the guys to just deal with it when she had to change clothes in front of them. Your point is what…?
Bungee Manager-of-the-Week asked me (out of 30 techs) to leave an all-hands meeting. I asked him afterwards what possible reason did he have for excluding me shy of a surprise short-arm inspection? He said he needed to caution the guys about swearing and didn’t want to offend me if he needed to use some of the words in example. His buddy is the guy who marches down the hall every day voting for lunch at “HOO – ters! HOO – ters!”
Um. Welcome to the Straight Dope, Dynagal.
That was an ok rant I guess. Great use of Vb coding. Amazing, in fact, considering this is your first ever post here. (Unless you have Vb coding experiance from elsewhere.) Low marks for lack of creative profanity. I find it hard to understand why you registered here, learned Vb coding and created a Sig, just to get that off your chest, but then Who am I to judge…
I am just wondering where you work that the attitudes are stuck somewhere in the late 1900’s, say the 70’s.
Welcome to the boards, dynagal. This is where all the cool chicks hang out. Wait 'til you meet jarbabyj - she’ll keep you from losing marks for lack of creative profanity.
Your cow-orkers are a bunch of shitbiscuits. Let me guess - you’re a programmer or a scientist. Close?
Dynagal, your rant was just fine. I loved the part about the guy shooting his dick off. Don’t let anyone tell you that you have to be a big pottymouth to rant around here. I would rather read your rant than one that consists of the word “fuck” repeated 101 times, often 5 times in the same sentence.
Oh yeah, your situation sucks. Where are you working, in Saudi Arabia? Sounds like the guys in your office need a course in “women are people, too”.
Thanks, particlewill. I haven’t used coding before - I just have a bad habit of reading directions. I’ve been known for better vituperation, but yesterday I had been reduced to incoherent sputtering. Spent all winter building a Harley, rode it to work, and the first comment was “Nice bike. Whose is it?” It was down to posting or patching holes in my walls.
Gee, Enderw24, do you really think so?
I’m a generalized specialist - or a specialized generalist, I forget which. The engineers design the stuff, I build it out in the middle of nowhere and make it work. The guys I work with in the field are great. It’s the guys in the office that are the problem.
Actually, I always thought it would be pretty cool to have me (a guy) riding in the back behind a girl. That would sorta’ be straighting out the weirds.
Only half joking, you could try to act more “mannish.” Frequently when people feel uncomfortable around women, if they can manage to view the women as simply men with long hair and boobs, they can lighten up a little.
