Last week I was chatting to a Dad I know about Christmas and the new year. He'd had a 'crap' year. We didn't get to go into detail cos we were all wrangling our kids - he has 2 gorgeous children and a wife who I admire and count on as a good friend. He did say that his bad year was partly his own fault and partly everything else - political, economic etc. At no point would I consider this man a 'loser' but in my weekend paper there is a supplement that includes an article that has the same title as this post. It caught my attention and then I came to the actual article. Talk about tacky!! So Kate Middleton is a 'winner' (hmmmnn not so sure about that one really...) and the people of Haiti are 'losers' ...Hmmnn no not the best use of the english language for mine - instead it comes across as ghoulish, meanspirited and sensationalist... Horrible article... they really should do better.
Just what is a 'loser' anyway? Is it someone who through no reason of their own doing suffers an unfortunate and unavoidable event? Is it my gorgeous son who swam last in one of his races at the recent swimming carnival? Is it the people who are too shallow to think carefully about just what it means to turn a person, a year into a 'winner' or a 'loser'? Is it us the readers cos the editor and journo thinks that that is the sort of people we are - ready to gloat at the 'unfortunate' and compete with the 'winners'?
Maybe it is a certain arrogant male who I work with who thinks it is perfectly acceptable to email the whole building his prejudices about the so called 'feminisation of physics' as if we give a toss, as if feminisation whatever the hell that is downgrades a subject - - Christmas cheer - bah Humbug...I'm tired of suffering idiots....
3 comments:
Not just the people of Haiti, but of Pakistan ...
Many of our experiences are hard to plug into the "winner-loser" paradigm. Which is why there was a "Jury's out" column.
Thank you for warming and humanising the situation.
And the "daughter living a dangerous life" turned out to be Kirsty Sword Guasamo, who I have admired ever since A woman of independence. It's great to see her Mum worries and cares - and a piece of Timor-Leste is named after her, honouring early childhood education.
Poor man, he does feel rather emasculated, doesn't he? Don't worry, I'm not hanging his garters for sausages when Father Christmas comes. (though you might well feel like doing so).
Yes I found the column on Kirsty and her Mum fascinating too. And the tragedy in Pakistan - what can I say? terrible. We had a lovely man at work do lots of fundraising to try and help even just a little.
As for the worker @#!! - I was already annoyed at him after a work Christmas do where I was confronted (for the first time after 10 years of teaching) with the macho leering male culture - most unattractive!! I know lots of gorgeous wonderful men - but boy oh boy - that lot that year - what an eyeopener! I think that coloured my reaction to his anti 'feminisation of physics' diatribe... don't want his guts or garters anywhere near me! Will stay close to the wonderful well rounded men that I know and love! the ones who don't feel that their masculinity is an endangered species in this modern world...
oh, man. talk about salt in the wound. I'm really starting to dislike the year-end wrap-ups. Too much.
Feminization seems like it might improve some things, I think...if women ruled the world and all that, right?
Post a Comment