WTF? (AGAIN!)
I interupt Widget Week to vent about something that completely blows my mind.
I was part of a conversation waiting for coffee to brew that really got my blood boiling. And hell Yes, I stuck up for myself. (go me!)
A coworker (Ellen, the stick in the mud who went to Vegas with me this past January) was talking about her kids to me and another coworker who has kids and is married who was in the kitchen. She made the statement that "hopefully my girls will get married after college like normal people do".
uh-huh.
I said "Excuse me?"
Then she starts backing up verbally by saying "You know, as that was passing through my lips I realized that wasn't right."
I am thinking "as it passed through her lips she realized a "never been married" girl was standing right in front of her and she knew her stubby foot was lodged squarly in her mouth."
The exchange continued on like this:
Me: "Well, Ellen, it's not like I haven't heard that before. I am used to people saying things like that. It bothers me that so many people spew things like that."
Her: "What I meant to say was Traditional"
Me: "And what is Traditional? Tradition comes from your backgrounds and everyone has a different one, so I guess that is individualized. If you are talking about societal norms, the trend now is that people are waiting even longer to get married"
Her: Stammer, stammer stammer...
Me: "I mean people make generalizations about issues like this all the time until they KNOW someone who is normal, and unmarried, like me. Just because I didn't get married out of college doesn't mean I am not normal or that something is wrong with me."
Her: "well, I know I just shouldn't have said that...stammer, stammer, stammer"
Me: "You are right, you shouldn't have. But people make statements because they don't know what it is like...Actually Ellen, you are recently divorced and technically "on the market" again, have you had much luck finding a decent guy to date?
Her: "Well, you're right, there isn't much out there..."
Me: "Exactly! I don't have difficult criteria, I just want a guy who has teeth, has an education.."
Her: (interupting) "And that you can see yourself spending the rest of your life with"
Me: "Uh no, I'm not even worrying about that right now. Heck, if I can get through 2 hours at dinner with him, that's the first step!"
With that I walked away thinking WTF?
Labels: Rants, Stereotypes, work
posted by C.C. @ 12:25 PM
7 Comments:
jeez get off of Ellen! I mean she is a good christian woman! All children should be married in their early twenties!!!
God she pisses me off. I am kidding about the above you know...
;-)
big geek beth
Why would a divorced woman hope that her daughters get married. She should realize that marriage isn't the answer to all of our dreams and that people can have satisfying lives staying single (probably more satisfying than hers!!) What an old fashioned,ignorant attitude!
WOW! I can't believe there are still women out there teaching their daughters that once you find and marry your "prince" you will "live happily ever after". AAArgh!
Never mind her, CC - it's more important to choose wisely than to follow some phony societal "timeline" for your life. (and choosing WISELY includes deciding when NOT to choose...)
I just wished I was in the kitchen when you let her have it! I would have loved to have seen the look on her face.
sigh...
big geek beth
I got this in an email and thought it was appropriate:
Women are like apples on trees. The best ones are at the top of the tree. Most men don't want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they sometimes take the apples from the ground that aren't as good, but easy. The apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they are amazing. They just have to wait for the right man to come along, the one who is brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.
That's great Lamby. I am glad you posted it. :)
Dear CC, I have been engaged three times, but never married. Regrets I've had a few as Frank would say. The teeth and the conversation are the important parts! Later, Uncle Laurie
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