The Jerk

A quick one. That I can't rant on Twitter or accurately express on person.

Part of my job is dealing with facility matters. Fixing things, ordering stuff, moving things from point a to b. In my previous job I worked in logistics and there was planning but also doing. Stack this pallet. Move these boxes. Can you put together this item?

These are predominantly male fields so I deal/hear a lot a casual sexism. The kind of stuff people follow up with "hey, im just saying, im just saying!"

Two things that really irk me

1) The use of the term "females" to refer to women. These aren't bees we are trying to get to find pollen for us. It feels so redutive and cuts across both my moral compass and disdain for reductive words. Never say comfy in front of me.

2) the assumption that I am only doing what my female superior/supervisor wants me to do because a) I am a cuckold wimp and/or b) she must be a raging bitch, right?

Could it be that its becsuse she's my boss? Or shes right? Ya ever think of that, jabronis?

Plesse dont confuse this as fishing for "woke points." I am very aware of my privelege as a straight guy, born in USA, in this time period, and who can code switch to be WASPY. If you read this blog or Twitter then ive said pretty dumb things about yoga pants and the finer points of Baby Got Back. I have a wife and two kids and lots of failed awkward interactions with women.

But I hate the idea that not being a dick is inherently anti male. As if what is masculine is proportional to how awful one is to others, particularly women. That really feels appropo at this time.

Last on work experiences. As somoene who has had to manage folks tangentially (either volunteers or employees who I dont supervise but who could easily torpedo my professional goals) I loathe the philosophy that to manage one must be a dick. This isn't Machiavelli. So when i get rung up by good old boys because "I should tell at my people more. Really yell" I bristle and sometimes yell back at the good old boys. Who are sometimes suprised and other times laugh. "WTF was that?" Note, that one in what was likely my second worst professional ever, I had a colleague cartoon mock me to my face about one of these outbursts. Like I admire the audacity to pantomime me but also...wow.

And I'm not sugar and gum drops. Ask my kids (or my wife) I holler all the time. I was excommunicated once from a church I don't belong to! But when managing folks I see it as team and not a herd of sheep. Even though yes there are tough customers I wish I could mute and rock stars I wish I could clone.

I'm going off. This week I was told three times by 3 different "I'm too nice" and rherr is likely some truth to that but their counter (Just be mean) is too scorched earth.