Okay, but this is an excellent method to use when anyone is being inappropriate. Pretend that you don’t get it. Whether the comment is sexist, racist, sexual, misogynistic, inappropriate, off-color… watching them squirm as they try to explain and realize just how awful their comment was it is better than being angry about it.
Playing dumb is very effective. When this one company I worked for asked me to do something sketchy I left a note saying “I’m not sure I understand. I thought we couldn’t do […] because it was illegal? Was I incorrect? Is […] something you want me to do?” And they quickly changed their minds. It works much better than a straight accusation if you’re in a vulnerable position.
My favourite thing is when big burly buff Travis Willingham gets so awkward and/or delighted and/or blushy that he has to hide like a turtle inside his shirt
“And remember: the sky is the limit! You can be anything you want to be!”
“Thank you. I want to be a secretary.”
That stopped them short. “What?”
“A secretary,” she repeated.
“But…” they trailed off, dumbfounded. “Why? You could be a CEO, a scientist, a law–”
“I don’t want to be a CEO,” she said. “I want to be a secretary.”
They scoffed. “You want to answer phones all day?”
She smiled. “Yes.”
“Schedule appointments?”
“I like organizing.”
“Be a second banana?”
An affirmative nod. “I’m skilled at helping.”
“I just don’t understand,” they said. “HOW could you be okay with all of this?!”
“I enjoy the work.”
“BUT YOU CAN BE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO BE!”
“I know.”
“Then WHY?!”
She shrugged.
“Because I want to be a secretary.”
Honestly though, this is very similar to my mom’s experience. She’s always been super bright, but has realized as she’s gotten older that intellectual pursuits just aren’t her jam. She dropped out of her PhD program to have kids, and although she has her master’s and was a pretty good school psychologist, she hated having to make huge decisions. She’s a church secretary now and loves it, and she’s GOOD at it; she’s letting her school psych certification permanently expire this year with zero regrets. If you can be anything you want, that includes the things we don’t tend to value as highly as a society. Not everybody is built for or wants the “respectable” careers.
My grandma did this to me, saying that i didn’t want to get stuck on the outside, making coffee and filing papers. The thing is, that’s exactly what I’ve always enjoyed the most, making and organizing things. That would be enough for me.
Nobody seems to realize that if you tell people they can be anything they want to be they will. And not everyone WANTS to be doctors or lawyers or CEOs or scientists. Sometimes, they just want to be a secretary.
it took me a LOT of therapy before i was able to shrug off the effects of the Gifted Child Upbringing enough to realize that what i really wanted to be was a house husband and Local Queerdad who writes novels sometimes. god, i’m so much happier now.
ain’t nothing wrong with an ordinary life. don’t let anybody tell you you have to be the top dog to be worth anything.
It’s a purple ghost pokemon that evolves from Haunter
No, that’s a Gengar. Gender the non branded or typical version of specific items.
No, that’s generic. Gender is a person who is particularly selfless or giving.
no honey, thats generous. gender is someone who is considered incredibly intelligent
No that’s a genius, a gender is a collection of people born at the same time.
No, that’s a generation. A gender is a type of writing based upon what kinds of elements you might find in the story, such as fantasy, fiction, non-fiction, etc.
No, that’s genre. Gender is when politicians redraw districts in a way that benefits them
No, that’s gerrymand. Gender is the brand name of a company that produces baby food.
No, that’s Gerber. Gender is the lovable robot on Futurama
No, that’s Bender. Gender is French for police officer.
No, that’s gendarme. A gender is a goal or list of goals you intend to accomplish, such as at a meeting or in a sociopolitical movement.
“People are getting the warm cuddlies over George W. Bush again. Stop. The Obamas are gracious to him because they have important public roles to play. We don’t. We can respect their having to stomach what makes us retch without pretending Bush deserves their grace. He doesn’t. George W. Bush ignored screaming sirens before the September 11 terrorist attacks. George W. Bush used those attacks to lie the United States into attacking a nation that had nothing to do with them, and hundreds of thousands of innocents were killed, with millions made refugees. The disaster he created continues. George W. Bush authorized torture. George W. Bush let a great American city drown. George W. Bush ignored climate change and his policies actively made it worse. George W. Bush deregulated everything, attacked unions and the social safety net, and crashed the economy. I get it. Compared to Trump, almost anything looks good. But this isn’t grading on a curve. George W. Bush was a horrible president because he was a horrible person. He is not cute. He is not charming. And pretending he is cute or charming is how we got Trump. Stop.”
Overdressed & Underappreciated 