There have been many moments when i question whether i earn my paycheck.
This has NOT been that week. But as ugly as it is for me to fire someone, it is far uglier for the guy i am firing. So i will not whine.
Trying to salvage the human, as well as the work effort, in a difficult situation, i was at a table with four scientists. Brainstorming options. Ivan, my senior physicist who was born, raised and trained in Russia, is rather emotionally engaged in the issue at hand. The success of his project is tied to our efforts to keep his post-doctoral research assistant engaged on the job.
As the Management-Like-Object at the table, i threw out a very blunt, painful, and realistic assessment of our options. Explaining that this is not an ideal circumstance. Explaining that it was going to smell. Explaining that we were going to have to “Nut up or shut up” to make it happen.
Ivan: Look. We are all on the same page. There are no women at this table…
To my left was Taylor. He is my “young ‘un”. Masters degree in Physics, and new to the team. Oh, and he happens to be an ethnic minority in the field of science and engineering… And we’ve had several discussions regarding achieving “equality” – through the insidious tactic of “infiltrate and excel”.
i felt him flinch at Ivan’s comment.
daisyfae: Yes. We are on the same page. And thank you for your comment. If i’ve checked my ovaries at the door then i have succeeded. Gender irrelevance is the goal… Now… Back to the post doc position….
With the current state of affairs in the United States where conservative lawmakers are crawling inside the vaginas * of citizens, it was extraordinarily refreshing to experience a moment of gender-neutrailty. And we moved on…
Gender. When it matters? i know it.
Unfortunately, that is not universal. There are elected officials in the United States of America who believe that it is their responsibility to inspect our uteruses to make sure that we can make informed decisions about our reproductive health care.
WHY THE FUCK ARE WE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS IN THE YEAR 2012?
Trailer Park Refugee 
good question, I am shocked there is even a public platform for an attitude that I knew had crawled under a stone, but someone overturned it, grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
i need to get noisy about this. i am often quiet – thinking that reason will prevail. obviously, these dickheads have an attentive audience. time to make some noise.
Great minds think alike, Daisyfae. I just posted about a Virginia legislator who said their proposed bill mandating trans-vaginal ultrasounds was “no big deal.” Is the GOP on a suicide mission or what?
it’s me who’s been under a rock. how the fuck is this a conceivable conversation? they want to require vaginal rape to assure we can make an informed decision? THE FUCK!?!?
For pretty much the same reason I fell out with a good friend (male) at high school, more than 50 years ago. I was considered a Bolshie, an atheist,a throwback to witches.
It still hurts.
i work in a male dominated profession. 18% has been the number for females for the past 20 years… my upbringing? i was raised as a “child”, not a “girl”. i am not wired to think this way. i have trained myself to NOT THINK ABOUT IT. as a result, i believe i am abushed by these sorts of things.
it DOES hurt. it enrages me. how can they belittle my brain? my “self”? how can they tell me that i am unfit to make responsible choices? yeah. i know the hurt. you expected better of your friend. i expected better of my country.
I am male. I have no right to discuss women’s issues. Major rant avoidance mode “ON”
and i would never weigh in on medical decisions regarding your prostate, testicles or penis. because i respect your intellect…
I’m rather fond of weighing testicles
that’s recreational! entirely different!
shouldn’t you be in the kitchen now, making your man dinner, instead of writing this? barefoot? {ducks thrown knives}
I [steps menacingly toward La-Z-Boy] CAN’T [sharpens shuriken] COOK [embeds shruriken in gnukids gonads]
Well, then In the spirit compromise, better make it a sammich and a beer.
Oh. When you put it that way… Turkey or Ham? Mayo, mustard or arsenic?
Roe v Wade passed when I was 5.
Birth Control pills were available to my Mother before I was even thought of being conceived.
Why the fuck ARE we having these conversations in 2012????
My body, my choice (s).
GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY VAGINA!
(ok, I just had all my plumbing ripped out, so maybe i’m not such a good voice anymore. But I have nieces, 2 step-daughters and every other woman on the planet, right?!)
Yes you DO have a voice. My reproductive plumbing was dealt with years ago and I still argue that such rights are those of individuals, not to be decided by some pratt in (supposedly) a higher office.
ToysRus is crammed with sparkly pink dolls and pretend babies on one side and guns galore and camo shirts on the other. And stupid parents can’t see the problem?
Oh shit! This is Daisyfae’s place.
slams door on way out…
no worries, dinah – rant away.
blazngfyre – i have taken it for granted that we wouldn’t face this kind of crap again. i had envisioned a day where we could have drive-through birth control clinics. free. safe. available to all. i think that was a dream…
And in my country and in yours we feel so superior to the way the Taliban treats women. Are we sure that we are safe on that pedestal? Aaaargh. And much more appropriately Grrrrrr.
i don’t like the view from the pedestal. too many pervs down there trying to look up my skirt. the old “We respect women so much that we will fight hard to protect them from their own bad decisions” argument doesn’t get much traction with me. i’m just stunned that there is an audience for it…
Sorry, it’s got a little lost in translation here. Is someone in the US trying to withdraw free (I don’t know – maybe you have to pay for it over there) contraception?
Conservative party has re-launched a war on birth control. Free? Oh, no… it’s never been free here! This is an argument whether INSURANCE companies should be required to provide it to all as part of the coverage — even when the “company” paying the insurance premiums happens to be a catholic, or religious-based organization.
Yes. We pay for it.
I still can’t figure out who this religious person on the panel was hoping to reach with his statement that asking them to cover all medical decisions on their insurance is a ” Violation of a person’s religious conscience and is nothing less than the rape of the soul”. Did he actually think using the word rape would resonate with women?? or think the horrific act of rape is on the same level ???? As a victim of rape I found his statement an insulting appropriation of a word to promote an ideology that is hurtful to women. The irony of it is obviously LOST on them.
Oh FFS. As if the teenage pregancy rate isn’t high enough already. Rightwingers just can’t stand the idea of someone having good dirty fun.
jafa – agreed! these folks are clueless and reprehensible. i am still just stunned that anyone can argue against birth control. let alone try to pass laws that treat us like cattle….
looby – oh, these up-tight white bible-thumpers make damn sure their girlfriends use birth control, so their wives never find out. grrr….
It is 2012 not 1950 right?
leave the vaginas alone.
I could not disagree more 🙂
sausage – mine is accessible by invitation only. no wing-nuts need apply!
looby – recreational usage aside!
There’s a reason why whenever there is a march for reproductive freedom that women like my mother walk with a coathanger that sports the sign “Never Again”.
For the life of me, I cannot understand how someone can stand there and tell me that providing birth control is too expensive when the unwed and poverty stricken young women who have babies because they don’t use birth control are sucking at the public tit of welfare for several years after they produce their offspring. I once invited my son to compare the cost of condoms to 18 years of child support. He has been investing in them ever since.
there is no logic here. it’s all about control. my mom was a nurse at a women’s clinic before Roe v Wade. she’s MILITANT about birth control and abortion rights, because she’d dealt with the messy aftermath of botched abortions. my kids had access to information AND whatever they needed to be responsible.
Good for you. My mother’s kids also had access and information, and that was a rarity in the time and place we lived. I bless her for that. Your mother and my mother probably have a lot in common as far as experiences go…
I have a detachable uterus that I use for special occasions.
You could probably market that if it was only true. I can recall times I wished mine was detachable…. Still have it though.
DP – is it inflateable? i’m thinking it would make a lovely party balloon!
HMH – mine is still there… although not of much use!
Once again, I am glad I’m not a girl. I hope things are better by the time this stuff is relevant to my daughters.
i’m glad you’re not a girl, too… 😉
Rock on Daisy Fae. Reason will not prevail without reasonable women voicing their opinions about their rights.
for the moment, the butt-heads seem to be regrouping. but if the Santorum Tsunami continues, we can expect a lot more of this shit. i still can’t believe that little weiner is a serious contender for the nomination — just shows how much fundamentalist Christians hate Mormons.
Is it just me, or does it feel like we’re sliding back here? Don’t get me started. Have you seen Ms Represenation, by the way. Fascinating little doccie. Thank fuck you and I missed most of the socialisation.
will have to look it up some cold rainy night… i’d have failed miserably at the uptight upbringing. i was raised as a child, not a girl. simple and powerful concept, really… tried to do the same with my spawn.
On this side of the pond, there was an article in yesterday’s Guardian about it. But apparently it’s been abadoned now – is that correct?
yes, but… as the Guardian article mentioned, it’s already happening in Texas. They won’t quit. If a conservative wins the Presidential election, it’s only going to get worse…
This is just so unbelievable. We went on a trip to Argentina, and one of the guides was German. She was totally smart and adorable. She confirmed that the rest of the world thinks we’re nuts. This sort of thing is what does it. The creepy, intrusive, ultra conservatives making these weird vendettas makes us look totally loopy to the world.
There was a funny moment, where she said the Germans couldn’t believe we elected Bush. My friend whispered to me, “Well, you guys elected Hitler…” I almost snorted wine out of my nose.
In defense of the Germans, Hitler never really did get elected, much like a certain ex-president he got into power and then cut a deal to take over as Reich Chancellor and when that happened it was all over, you then had a chance to vote for the party or spend a winter in the re-education camps until you came around, the National Socialists never won more than 38% of the vote in any free national election but once in power they won 99%, of course there was no choice then and i’m greatly simplifying what happened for lack of space but your friend wasn’t exactly correct.
Way to wreck a joke, Kono. *snorts wine back into nose*
I know. I suck.
kono – yet another reason i am elbowing my way to the front of the queue to be the charter member of your church…
robin – i have seen the same thing with folks i meet while traveling. if we become well-connected, and if there is a bit of alcohol involved, they will eventually get brave enough to ask questions such as “How did Bush get elected? Then re-elected?” i shake my head… shrug… smile… and say “i have no fucking idea either…”
This issue pisses me right off and i don’t even have a vagina, though i must admit i’m quite fond of them, i really just wish the Jesus set would shut the fuck up and piss off, every woman should have the right to do with her body what she wants, how she wants, when she wants casefuckingclosed, yet the bible thumping idiots feel the need to impress their views on everyone but hey, what if i don’t buy what they’re selling? It’s the American Taliban, this need to jam their brand of Christianity down my throat but what if i don’t believe in the bunny that rises from the dead and hands out chocolate? what if i believe in a different apparition or dare i say nothing at all? what if i believe in the Beatles? can i say i was never so proud as the day i cast a vote to toss Ricky Santorum out of office.
After the fatal shooting this morning at the high school near Cleveland, the governor of my state today issued a statement that said “Let us all pray…” My response (as i screamed it at the television) “I DON’T PRAY! Can i sacrifice a goat? Fuck a virgin? Donate money to the food bank? Drink rabbit blood?”
don’t get me going about the Santorum Tsunami… how the fuck that crap-slinging, woman-hating Victorian weiner is a serious candidate for president is a complete and total mystery to me…
Isn’t that guvner about to get recalled? can i say “thank god” to that?… and in Slick Rick’s world if we let women work and gay and lesbian humans marry than we’ll be fucking virgin goats while we sacrifice rabbits to the food bank, seeing as he came up with that brilliant “man on dog” analogy, the fact this man is even in the conversation for the country’s highest office goes to show that maybe we should stop cutting education funds so we can give oil companies tax breaks.
sadly, he’s entrenched. loyal gaggle of wing-nuts at his beck and call… we’re stuck with him.
I don’t know how the Republicans can claim to be pro-small government while butting their noses into the vagina of every woman in America.
my vagina is well-defended. and may, in fact, have a few booby traps…
I get so worked up about this issue that it makes me raise my voice. (if you knew me in person at all, I’m not a yeller…screamer maybe, but not a yeller) As I ponder on why it’s so important to legislate my vajayjay, I always come back to ‘how DO we combat this issue of reproductive rights.’ There is too much shouting from each side to be any place close to reasonable. And in the land of taking everything for granted, we are dangerously close to going backwards. In a simplistic statement, I am befuddled as to why this matters, and I say this as a former fundamentalist christian. I know that on the whole, intelligence will win out….but recent discussion prove that we are still a long way off.
that’s just it – this is a medical issue. not political. there should be no need to shout. do we battle each other over when to get a colonoscopy? if an EEG that measures brainwaves is really trying to read out thoughts? whether men should be allowed to use condoms? have vasectomies? it’s just straight up bullshit. control breeding and you control the population. and to control breeding, you would need to control women. grrr….
I am so very glad that your vag is well defended. I was thinking about that while reading.
It is amazing the lengths to which our government will go to protect us, huh?
As taxpayers, we ultimately pay. Twice.
A lovely ovarian nugget, DF
~m
it’s a kevlar-encrusted fortress! bricked up as tight as a misers coinpurse! sealed in concrete, shielded by transparent armor, no one gets in!
oh, wait. that’s not my vag. that’s my heart.
never mind…