The Sweet Smell of Sexism

[BookBint]

I do military history publishing. This means a lot of old men writing long books about battles. Old men have many excellent qualities, such as stories about the days when butter cost a penny, the natural instinct to hold doors open, and the ability to wear their trousers up to their nipples. However, they also have some rather irritating attitudes. Case in point, when Mr HarHar rang up today about his index.

BB: Me. Overworked lacky
A: Author, AKA Mr HarHar

BB: So yeah, just send it to us in a Word document.
A: Should I subdivide aspects of battles?
BB: Um, could you give me an example?
A: Well ,the Battle of Monte Cassino.
BB: Do you consider it large scale enough to warrant it?
A: Well it was a pretty big one har har!
BB: I'm sure you're right, I don't know much about it beyond the basic facts.
A: Well it must be odd for a girl to be doing stuff about battles, I mean, you wouldn't be very interested in it would you? All that shooting and running around har har!
BB: Well I'm more into Napoleonic stuff than WWII I suppose...
A: Pretty uniforms eh? Har har!

I resisted the temptation to point out that after two years of this job I probably had a better all round knowledge of military history than him. Jeez, does it require testicles to appreciate a good battle?

[Imogene]

Jeez, does it require testicles to appreciate a good battle?

No, obviously. Here, I have them, and hate learning about war.

Of course, I might just be a hippy at heart... but eh.

[Grumpy]

That reminds me of when my sister was learning to drive: At first, our dad refused to let her learn to drive the same truck that her brothers had learned in, because it wasn't an automatic transmission. My sister stared at him incredulously, and said "Oh, do you have to have a penis to push in a clutch?"

Dad turned very red, and told her to get in the driver's seat.

[Gravekeeper]

The Sweet Smell of Sexism

Old Spice, gin, pumpkin and just the faintest hint of cat pee.

Just to be specific. >.>

[cinema guy]

My sister stared at him incredulously, and said "Oh, do you have to have a penis to push in a clutch?"

I am reminded of a tale of the Air Transport Auxilliary (the men and women who flew fighters and bombers to where they were needed during WWII). One woman when asked if she was capable of flying a Lancaster bomber, replied, "The plane is carrying me, not the other way around."

[RecoveringKinkoid]

"Oh, do you have to have a penis to push in a clutch?"

.

Oh man! I have SAID this!

[Chanlin]

Old Spice, gin, pumpkin and just the faintest hint of cat pee.

Just to be specific. >.>

Thanks GK, now I can cross off another thing from my list of "I wonder what that smells like" things.

[Fenrus]

Old Spice, gin, pumpkin and just the faintest hint of cat pee.

I have to ask... pumpkin? I can see the Old Spice, the gin, and the cat pee... but pumpkin?

[Dark-Star]

That reminds me of when my sister was learning to drive: At first, our dad refused to let her learn to drive the same truck that her brothers had learned in, because it wasn't an automatic transmission. My sister stared at him incredulously, and said "Oh, do you have to have a penis to push in a clutch?"

Dad turned very red, and told her to get in the driver's seat.

Now THAT is pwnage - and on her own father no less! I'd say he did a good job raising you and sis...maybe a little too good.

[CiggyStoreClerk]

I work Customer Service for a Poker site, I hear stuff like that a lot. Most of the time when it happens, I'll answer the phone and the guy on the other end will sheepisly ask if there's a male rep he can speak with. I politely inform him that there are no males available but that I have the exact same training as anybody else and even play Poker more often than some of the males do. They usually seem to accept that.

And then there was one time an older gentleman was calling in to report that somebody else was saying some pretty offensive stuff in our chat room. He asked if he could speak to a male about it because he didn't feel a lady should be hearing some of the stuff that was being said. I laughed and told him I've probably heard worse; turns out I had

[tamezin]

Jeez, does it require testicles to appreciate a good battle?

No, but for the guys who believe that, they must be accompanied by a teeny schtick.

[fireheart]

Try getting sexist comments in a supermarket.
No one department is all male or all female, there is at least one member of the opposite sex in each department.

Bakery: fairly mixed, some male, some female.
Checkout: ditto, although a few more guys than girls. (Liquor is all male, but because some of the female supervisors from time to time do work in that department, it's a mixed one)
Deli: Mostly girls, but a few guys.
Seafood: One guy, the other three are girls.
Produce: Mostly guys, one girl.
Grocery/Perishables: One or two girls and the rest are guys. (I've done some grocery work from time to time)
Nightfill: There are a few girls, but yeah, mostly guys.
Off-the-floor: Systems are primarily girls and maybe one or two guys, upper management is all male, cash office is female with a guy running the department and I think that's about it....

[Cia]

I have yet to figure out how a built in kickstand increases brain power.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I work Customer Service for a Poker site, I hear stuff like that a lot. Most of the time when it happens, I'll answer the phone and the guy on the other end will sheepisly ask if there's a male rep he can speak with. I politely inform him that there are no males available but that I have the exact same training as anybody else and even play Poker more often than some of the males do. They usually seem to accept that.

What, have they never heard of Annie Duke?

Hell, I don't even know how to play poker and I've heard of her.

[RayvenQ]

My military history knowledge is a bit further back, namely, Ancient Greek/Roman times.

And yet I can still admit, I found 300 to be pretty awesome if woefully inaccurate in both the time and actual history (There were 700 Thespians, 400 Thebans and a fair few Helots, as well as the 300 Spartans)

Then now and again I come across an idiot who professes that spartans were da bestes evar!, at which point I rather bluntly remind them of the Battle of Lecutra, where 300 Thebans (Albeit the Sacred Band, which are an interesting group by the way) defeated a Spartan army outnumbering them by 3:1