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

[saruby.livejournal.com]

When I was in law school, a particularly astute professor told the class that it was important to cultivate good relationships with the court clerks and they would help you out. I found this to be true for all support staff. Conversely, if you piss off the court clerk, or worse the judge's clerk, you are totally screwed and much groveling will be necessary to get anything done again. having been a both ends of the support staff-professional spectrum, I can only say that I thanked my staff profusely and often asked if I could do something to help them, so that they weren't overburdened with what we often referred to as s**t work. As a secretary, I often wished that people would realize that the job requires the ability to multitask, enormous amounts of patience and an excellent memory. These are important skills that academics (and other professionals) often lack.