Me: Walking down the hall...
Student: OMG, Dr. M! I LOVE YOUR OUTFIT!
Me: (grinning) Calm down, E, this isn't a belt--it's because I hurt my back.
What I wore: Ugly back brace.
*
Me: Looking all around my office, and then in a stroke of sheer genius patting the top of head... (nope), and then defeatedly asking student--"L, can you see my glasses anywhere?"
Student: (calmly) They're ON your face.
What I wore: Reading glasses.
*
Me: Chuckling to myself because there's a sign in the faculty break room that says, "Your mom doesn't work here! Do your own dishes." And At had rightly remarked that their mom DID work there and righteously asked why "mom" and not "parent?" And then I realized that despite all that, At had left some unwashed silverware by the side of the sink.
What I wore: A smirk. You know what they say about socialists and sinks.
12 comments:
Ha! I'm laughing, this was so funny. The back brace - VERY STYLING!!! That cracks me up.
Love the Equality Awareness of At, even though they didn't follow through with Equality Action. LOL
I've done the glasses thing more times than I can count. Also--"can't remember where I put my phone" whilst holding it in my hand. That really makes me scared because that means it's become such a natural extension of me that I don't even feel it anymore. Ugh.
Funny.
Ooohhhh...good catch on the part of At about the sexist nature of the sign. I've never even thought of it in that context before!
Love it! I actually think the sign makes a better statement when it says mom because that's who still does the domestic shit work, and going with a neutral term buries the work that's STILL bing done by women despite republican economic policies that have made the single breadwinner obsolete, etc etc etc
Nicole :D
Nance I've done the phone thing too! YIKES!!!
Gillian :)
Engie Right? Though I see Sarah's point too...
Sarah That is SO true! And I think that that's why the sign was phrased that way. But I am simultaneously worried that it *normalizes* women's domestic labor.
I think the labor is already normalized, and pretending it's a "parent" who does the work makes systemic inequity feel like a personal problem?
This cracked me up. I have had many many moments where I looked for my glasses and they were on my face. The worst is looking for one's phone when one is looking at the phone.
I do the glasses on top of my head thing all the time-- sometimes putting a spare pair on my face at the same time-- but I've never not noticed they were in front of my eyes.
I agree 100%
It's just that I imagine an older, male colleague seeing "parent" and having an epiphany. (I can dream!)
Beautiful blog
The commentary on the sign followed by not putting away one's dishes feels like it could happen with either of my kids honestly, but especially North.
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