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In reply to the discussion: It is not about the swimsuit issue it is about basic respect for women [View all]freshwest
(53,661 posts)Had to put up with a little discrimination growing up, so I didn't take it personally.
Like the day in high school when the outreach from a new magnet school came and wanted to get volunteers to transfer. That day, they were offering us to take professional photography courses for a career.
I'd been doing a bit of amateur photography and they asked students to come forward in the auditorium to sign up. The place seated abut a thousand kids. No one went up, and I decided, 'Hey, give it a try.'
I was standing below the stage and the people on the stage started laughing. No, I couldn't sign up. Girls were not allowed to take the course. None of the boys wanted to take it, so they went back emptyhanded.
Sone of the school kids in the auditorium started laughing too because I should have just known better. So I just walked to my seat as if nonchalant, rolling my eyes and sporting my patented look of 'Like I give a shit.'
That followed through in college, when there were some subjects I was very good at, but was told 'No one will hire you to do that, they don't hire women.'
After a certain amount of this, I decided I wouldn't take no for an answer. It never leaves you and some take it personally.
Not all of us are the same type of personality. At times I read some of the threads that the women comment on, and say how threatened they felt in some situations, etc. I designed my life to eliminate chances of that happening.
When I was a kid, I had fist fights with boys who called me names, or teased me or my friends. But one has to measure the level of threat, and some battles you have to walk away from to survive.
As far as this BS going on here, it's more telling of the poster than the person being attacked. As Skinner says something to the effect, of it's out there for everyone to see what kind of person you are.