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“Oh, yes, this is the art department and it feels great!” She had been in sales for a decade and had abandoned her dreams for cold cash. But she hadn’t forgotten her passions rooted in a Masters of Art History—she twirled in my office with glee. Now she was in meetings with senior management to sell her entrepreneurial effort to a large company for a nice nest egg. Management likes to keep key personnel within easy reach for those last minute queries during due diligence. A member of senior management prefaced his financial probings with “I don’t mean to make you feel like I’m looking up your skirt, but . . . ” So no matter that she was the president of her company and they were trying to acquire it—the fact that she was female was still grounds to remind her of where she stood in a room filled with men. These are the same men who will use looks as a basis for less pay. This is just a more subtle form of bullying.
The sports reporter on the local news was a middle aged man who was clearly comfortable running through the day’s stats in professional sports. It was the casual banter after his segment that tripped him up. “The XYZ’s were the only team to pitch a no hitter last season.” “Uh, what about the ABC’s?” asked the weatherman, “They pitched a no hitter.” “That’s a woman’s team . . . well, if you consider a woman’s team professional sport; they don’t really count, though, do they?” Sport, professional or otherwise, is playing with balls; even if they aren’t between your legs.
Tech writer and blogger Kathy Sierra used to write a popular blog called Creating Passionate Users, but stopped when her opinions incited a few tech head Neanderthals who frequent sites like Bob’s Yer Uncle and meankids.org. A group of bullies who couldn’t win with words decided to debase Ms. Sierra by reminding her of her female frailty with death threats and images offensive to any human being with a lick of sense, with or without balls.
When I was just starting to show my portfolio, one middle aged male art director was shocked that I included male nudes. He said my work was beautiful, but he thought the subject I had chosen was most distasteful. “Would you feel that way if they were female nudes?” I asked. He took a moment to consider, said no and gave me my first freelance assignment. At another small agency, there was an art director’s job and I applied; the middle aged male production manager said I couldn’t apply for that position because the art director’s job was “intended for a man with a family to support.” The bottom line is nobody should restrict opportunity based on their idea of who they think counts. Everybody qualified counts, whether it’s female, Black, Hispanic, Algerian, Vulcan or Dargo from Farscape.
The Don Imus foofah is really about a bigot and a bully who slipped up. He got paid for spontaneity and humorous improvisation; but you can’t be spontaneous without tapping into your creative pool; and that’s filled with what you think is truth. If your truth is harboring antiquated ideas of superiority constructed by debasing others, that’s going to seep out in your work, no matter who you are. It’s a taint on the output, like wearing rose colored glasses skews how you see color.
The Rutgers Women’s Basketball Team is at the top of their game, but because they are women, it’s sporting in some circles to diminish their accomplishments by reminding them that no matter what they achieve, they are still submissive. Like no good effort can erase Eve’s sin or no amount of excellence can overcome the bane of womanhood. Here we are in the new millennium, rife with technology, capable of medical miracles; still some won’t manage libido & ego insecurities without falling back on the old stinkin’ thinkin’ to shore up their failings.
Snap out of it! One day, it may be your daughter who gets debased, and your sexually based discrimination will hit home then. But then she will have learned from you that it's okay for men to bully her that way. That's what Karma calls payback, boys.
Thinking of freelancing for a living? Tired of doing the boss' castoffs? Better get some good advice on how to protect yourself from those who would rape and plunder your creative talents. Look for more stories and adventures in advertising design in my book Start and Run a Creative Services Business. It's filled with great links and a full spectrum of experiences. Not an artist? You'll be in stitches as you follow the pitfalls and adventures of self-employment. And if you've been freelancing for a while, you'll find new information and a trustworthy mentor to stand by your side through thick and thin in Start and Run a Creative Services Business. Excerpts are available online at my website.
Ideally, there's not much to do with your post than to nod in agreement, Susan. It's valuable to note that Don Imus got relatively swift justice; unlike Father Charles Edward Coughlin 70 years ago, whose hate-filled radio broadcasts continued for years. So much has the court of public opinion changed, and look how long it's taken. The Karmic wheel is sometimes too slow.
We'd want to make certain, though, that what is hateful in one broadcaster is hateful in all, yes? So anyone (that's anyone) who broadcasts abuse and defliement over the airwaves should be fired, yes? How does that get accomplished? Via the Kathy Sierra route? That's not so good.
In addition to equal treatment, would "equal restraint" be a socially valuable guide?