The language of patronisation...
I was in the supermarket a couple of days ago and passed a small boy complaining about wanting something or objecting to something his mother had chosen. A few minutes later I passed them again, and heard the child call his mother "you stupid little woman". I was shocked, and had the following thoughts:
a) she didn't look surprised, so this may well have happened before.
b) the boy must have heard that somewhere - he was primary school age. Is this what he hears at home?
c) it was increadibly insulting and demeaning and was said with real disdain. I would be very angry if anyone spoke to me like that.
d) possibly she was cross at this and was waiting until they were more private to talk to him, however she answered him as if he had spoken normally.
This was brought to mind just now when the engineer came to fix a fault with our fire alarm. We had a problem with it a couple of weeks ago and the BT engineer thought he had disconnected it. I phoned the fire alarm company to say I though this had happened, and the woman I spoke to said no, it was working fine. Today we had a false alarm and discovered that it wasn't calling through. When I explained this to the engineer, he said that the "silly little girl" should not have told me this.
Somehow I find this so much more insulting than if he had called her a bitch or a cow. This was reducing her to the status of a child. I can't imagine him calling a male receptionist a little boy.
A few months ago I started making a concerted effort to stop using 'girl' to describe women. I use Ms rather than Miss because I do not see why my marital status is relevent. Maybe you will think that I am over reacting, but it made me angry.
ETA: interesting thoughts about hatred towards female celebs http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7402907.stm
a) she didn't look surprised, so this may well have happened before.
b) the boy must have heard that somewhere - he was primary school age. Is this what he hears at home?
c) it was increadibly insulting and demeaning and was said with real disdain. I would be very angry if anyone spoke to me like that.
d) possibly she was cross at this and was waiting until they were more private to talk to him, however she answered him as if he had spoken normally.
This was brought to mind just now when the engineer came to fix a fault with our fire alarm. We had a problem with it a couple of weeks ago and the BT engineer thought he had disconnected it. I phoned the fire alarm company to say I though this had happened, and the woman I spoke to said no, it was working fine. Today we had a false alarm and discovered that it wasn't calling through. When I explained this to the engineer, he said that the "silly little girl" should not have told me this.
Somehow I find this so much more insulting than if he had called her a bitch or a cow. This was reducing her to the status of a child. I can't imagine him calling a male receptionist a little boy.
A few months ago I started making a concerted effort to stop using 'girl' to describe women. I use Ms rather than Miss because I do not see why my marital status is relevent. Maybe you will think that I am over reacting, but it made me angry.
ETA: interesting thoughts about hatred towards female celebs http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7402907.stm