"Dear Sir/s" - grrrrr!

It never fails to annoy me when this happens: the letter that arrives for me in my business capacity which addresses me as 'dear sir' or my business as 'dear sirs'

I can forgive elderly folk who are still stuck in their early days when those in charge were usually male, but it really gets up my nose when folk in their 40s and 50s (and sometimes younger [:0]) do this.

It's up there with the ones who used to phone up and demand to speak to my boss ('I AM the boss!')

It is especially galling when it is your own business!!!

Rant over. For now. Until the next time it happens [}]. And I am sure it will...

When I was a radio operator (back n the dark old days) I gave up answering the phone as the person on the other end would always ask to speak to a radio operator[}][}]

I guess that is what you have to put up with working in a male dominated career. Easier to not answer the phone, than try to explain who I was

I guess the "pc" brigade has not caught up with your letter writers yet.

cheers
Jan
www.kozitoez.co.nz

hee heee.. I'm a software engineer.. I work on an air traffic control system. A friend of my partner's kept asking me how I liked being a flight attendant!!
Also hate it when you tell a builder what size you want someting.. and he tells you to get your partner to call him!!

Yep. Work in a male dominated profession - used to get annoyed but now I just laugh.

On one occasion a potential client was discussing with my male manager an urgent job. Manager asked if I could do it and reported back to the client that someone could be there that afternoon. He got a long spiel about what the MAN would see when he went to the place, what the MAN should think of various aspects and what points the MAN should note. After some minutes manager broke in and said "Umm actually it is a woman, is that alright?" The client was actually mortified he had made such an assumption and apologised profusely LOL.

When I was in a management position - managed to wiggle my way out of that now - I often got irate people demanding to speak to someone in charge, silly thing was they had usually spoken to the men I managed and been put on to me when they wanted the supervisor - "Okay next up the ladder is in Wellington I'll just give you the number". And a nasty old misogynist rang me up one day after I had spoken to a community meeting and told me I was a typical lying woman and what would I know anyway...

On the other hand a friend went to work for a company where she was the only woman apart from the receptionist and a couple of typists in a staff of 80 odd. She was flummoxed when the job offer included a secure carpark rather than the run of the mill carparking as they felt that she couldn't be walking round insecure carparks late at night by herself - wasn't sure whether she should be aggrieved that they were treating her with special consideration as she was a woman or not...

Sexism still exists.

You can always try buying a new vehicle. I was the one buying and initiating the conversation yet salesmen always spoke to male partner accompanying me. They always looked suprised when he said you have to talk to her, she's buying it. And then they look aggreived when I said I wouldn't deal with them after they had been so sexist

Here you are, something to make you smile...or cry.....about your men folk..

Find out what may really mean when they say...

"I'M GOING FISHING"
Means: "I'm going to drink myself dangerously stupid, and stand by a stream with a stick in my hand, while the fish swim by in complete safety."

"IT'S A GUY THING"
Means: "There is no rational thought pattern connected with it, and you have no chance at all of making it logical".

"CAN I HELP WITH DINNER?"
Means: "Why isn't it already on the table?"

"UH HUH," "SURE, HONEY," OR "YES, DEAR..."
Means: Absolutely nothing. It's a conditioned response.

"IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO EXPLAIN"
Means: "I have no idea how it works."

"I WAS LISTENING TO YOU. IT'S JUST THAT I HAVE THINGS ON MY MIND."
Means: "I was wondering if that redhead over there is wearing a bra."

"TAKE A BREAK HONEY, YOU'RE WORKING TOO HARD".
Means: "I can't hear the game over the vacuum cleaner."

"THAT'S INTERESTING, DEAR."
Means: "Are you still talking?"

"YOU KNOW HOW BAD MY MEMORY IS."
Means: "I remember the theme song to 'F Troop', the address of the first girl I ever kissed, and the vehicle identification numbers of every car I've ever owned, but I forgot your birthday."

"I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT YOU, AND GOT YOU THESE ROSES".
Means: "The girl selling them on the corner had great tits."

"OH, DON'T FUSS, I JUST CUT MYSELF, IT'S NO BIG DEAL."
Means: "I have actually severed a limb, but will bleed to death before I admit that I'm hurt."

"HEY, I'VE GOT MY REASONS FOR WHAT I'M DOING".
Means: "And I sure hope I think of some pretty soon."

"I CAN'T FIND IT."
Means: "It didn't fall into my outstretched hands, so I'm completely clueless."

"WHAT DID I DO THIS TIME?"
Means: "What did you catch me at?"

"I HEARD YOU."
Means: "I haven't the foggiest clue what you just said, and am hoping desperately that I can fake it well enough so that you don't spend the next three days yelling at me."

"YOU KNOW I COULD NEVER LOVE ANYONE ELSE"
Means: "I am used to the way you yell at me, and realize it could be worse."

"YOU LOOK TERRIFIC"
Means: "Please don't try on one more outfit, I'm starving."

"I'M NOT LOST. I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE ARE."
Means: "No one will ever see us alive again."

"WE SHARE THE HOUSEWORK"
Means: "I make the messes, she cleans them up."

quote:Originally posted by ravenseyes

You can always try buying a new vehicle. I was the one buying and initiating the conversation yet salesmen always spoke to male partner accompanying me. They always looked suprised when he said you have to talk to her, she's buying it. And then they look aggreived when I said I wouldn't deal with them after they had been so sexist

Had the new car thing happen to me. When we last wanted a new car I suggested to DH we look at a Subaru as nothing else seemed what we wanted. Had a look at the local dealer, did the test drive thing, did a bit of negotiation on price, and asked when we could collect the car (brand new) as there was only a demo modle in the shop - the dealer turned to me and asked what colour would I like!!!!

He nearly got bloody clobbered as it had been my idea to look at Subaru and I had done most of the negotiations and research on the car. DH still laughs over the frosty response to the fact I didnt care what colour it would be and what was the colour of the first new car due in [?] - the guys face was a picture. I guess the little woman is only supposed to care what colour a car is:D

And from the other perspective, I've been shoppign for curtains since the bedroom in the house I was renting had none and I HATE being woken up by all the light far too early in midsummer.

Wandering around the shop I was approached by a nice redhead (And yes, she was wearign a bra) who asked if there was anything I lked and when would my partner be joining me? Given i was single it was a bit funny [] I told her I was single, and asked was she?

quote:Originally posted by Kiwi303
[(And yes, she was wearign a bra)

Huh?

I understand your original point Kiwi303, and its a very valid one, but did we need to know this bit?

My latest in a continuing (unfortunately) line of sexist crap is people who always ask The Staff about the cattle. As if he'd know!

It used to be the blokes who'd phone when I worked in telecommunications and would frequently ask to talk to a technician. Who the hell did they think they'd rung? I never got around to laughing about it, it was just drearily tiresome, day after day after day and similar things now are no funnier.

Oh, and the other one, now I'm a woman of a certain age, is the number of times people marry me off to ... who? I'm Mrs Somebody most of the time on any piece of correspondence from anyone who doesn't know me - and the Staff gets to be Mr Myname, which amuses him, since the other Mr Myname he knew was my extremely nice father.

Most unbelievable of all was my spotting, on an ACC form somebody else had part-filled-out on my behalf the other day, my occupation listed as "housewife". Good god! The offender was somebody's receptionist I haven't met, but REALLY! Why would my house have married when I will not?

quote:Originally posted by swaggie

quote:Originally posted by Kiwi303
[(And yes, she was wearign a bra)

Huh?

I understand your original point Kiwi303, and its a very valid one, but did we need to know this bit?

Just a quip as an aside to MM's post [] My sense of humour showing

quote:Originally posted by maggies mum
"I WAS LISTENING TO YOU. IT'S JUST THAT I HAVE THINGS ON MY MIND."
Means: "I was wondering if that redhead over there is wearing a bra."

quote:Originally posted by Isla

I never got around to laughing about it, it was just drearily tiresome, day after day after day and similar things now are no funnier.

I think that's the stage I am at, Isla, I have lost my sense of humour about it cos it just happens too often, I am tired of it, and it just wears me down when it happens. It is even more depressing when even younger people do it, which I have noticed happening more and more...[V]

quote:Originally posted by Kiwi303

quote:Originally posted by swaggie

quote:Originally posted by Kiwi303
[(And yes, she was wearign a bra)

Huh?

I understand your original point Kiwi303, and its a very valid one, but did we need to know this bit?

Just a quip as an aside to MM's post [] My sense of humour showing

quote:Originally posted by maggies mum
"I WAS LISTENING TO YOU. IT'S JUST THAT I HAVE THINGS ON MY MIND."
Means: "I was wondering if that redhead over there is wearing a bra."

Bugger, another thing that has recently floated over my head....