"Bitch" as a power word
It was a big compliment yesterday when you told me that you hired me because I am 'pushy'. The validation of my attitude, behavior, personality, or whatever you attribute it, to means a lot. I've been criticized for that same quality many times, especially in situations where I've refused to back down. It's good to know that there are men in the work world who can deal with a woman with her own opinions. I'm especially glad that my boss is one of them.
SAFRAN: Thanks, but let's be clear for the home audience... I didn't use the "B" word. I believe I said "You're pushy. I like that." And I do. Too many people in newsrooms would rather seethe than try and bring problems to the forefront. News is about agressively pursuing information. I don't see what being a woman has to do with it, or why aggresive women are called "bitches." To me, a bitch is anyone who... well... bitches a lot without offering constructive advice or solutions. That ain't you.
True, Steve did not use the word 'bitch'. I did not mean to imply that he did. But that is what pushy women tend to be called...think Hilary Clinton or the mom in Terminator 2.
SAFRAN: Thanks, but let's be clear for the home audience... I didn't use the "B" word. I believe I said "You're pushy. I like that." And I do. Too many people in newsrooms would rather seethe than try and bring problems to the forefront. News is about agressively pursuing information. I don't see what being a woman has to do with it, or why aggresive women are called "bitches." To me, a bitch is anyone who... well... bitches a lot without offering constructive advice or solutions. That ain't you.
True, Steve did not use the word 'bitch'. I did not mean to imply that he did. But that is what pushy women tend to be called...think Hilary Clinton or the mom in Terminator 2.
posted by Lyss at 9:10 AM
1 Comments:
Sorry it's a long comment:
The good, or bad, thing about this business, is that some people who succeed can be regarded as bitchy or pushy.
My old boss, bless him, was both of these; as well as neither of these and a spoiled brat. He, like Steve Jobs, was all
I want my
I want my
I want my look and feel
especially when it came to the on-air product. He was FAMOUS for not tolerating certain errors -- at the top of his lungs.
Now that he is gone some have noticed that things are getting looser and going slack -- and all these yes-men and -women are in place, so a bit of anarchy is in order. The old rules that were never broken (or he'd come down hard on you) are now up for discussion.
Still, this sort of person gets things done. Sometimes done well. At least one of the people I work with, one of the best producers in the shop, is pushy and can be mouthy.
I'm often a bitch, in Safran's definition; I love to bitch about my coworkers' faults. But I'm ready to admit my own faults at the drop of a hat.
I could get a LOT better at being helpful and constructive in my complaining about problems in policy around the newsroom, and say "This is wrong and we need to change this". Sometimes I just scream it across the room as a psychopathic rant because I just want to be a drama queen and I'm not allowed to KILL people at random.
As for aggressively pursuing information, I kind of bitched the other day in the morning meeting about how a talk radio host, whom I'm starting to dislike/be bored with, was trying to make a mountain out of a molehill (specifically, why is the Governor getting a 24-hour-a-day state police detail, mainly, the adding of overnight guards at his home where before there were none). And one of my superiors said, "well, that's what journalists do," raise the question about changes in policy.
Knowing the demand the Beast has for us, the talk show host also has to come up with SOMETHING to put on the air. (shrug)
Post a Comment
<< Home