Precision of Language

[rolanni]

Women under 30 may be referred to as "snippy" by Persons Seeking to Establish Moral Authority Over Them in the Workplace.

Women over 30 in similar situations may be trivialized as "angry."

In deference to their grey hairs and years on this planet, women who are 50 years old and over ought to be accorded the adjective "bitchy."

Also? Come into my office in high dudgeon, lie to me, talk to me like I'm a particularly slow six-year-old, and start taking binders off of the shelves? You bet I'm going to be bitchy.

Comments

[shana.livejournal.com]

The number one rule of academic survival: do not piss off the department secretary.

Said person is DOOMED!

She-Who-Makes-Things-Go

[wdonohue.livejournal.com]

Yes, the department secretary/office administrator should never be trifled with. Doing so will void your warranty, send you to the special hell, and get all your requisitions filed under 'burn before reading'.

-- Brian, who lives with one and knows, oh yes --

[malkingrey.livejournal.com]

No kidding. There was a grad student at Penn, while I was there, who lost his fellowship after he dissed the Freshman English secretary once too often and she told the administration that either he went or she did.

[cailleuch.livejournal.com]

Absolutely true.

I may piss off many people at my institution, particularly those up the food chain. But never, never, NEVER do I piss off any secretary. They can "make your life bloody hell" and besides it it just not nice.

[groblek.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I still remember the first advice I was given by my academic advisor at UC Davis - "Always be nice to the secretaries. They have the real power around here."