Quote what I like

Historically, with whom do we fight the most frequently? It is our nearest neighbors or those closest to us in terms of religious or social ideology, even our family members. Christians, Jews and Muslims? Neighbouring clans in Africa, or gangs in New York? Husbands and wives? It often appears that it is not truly the "other" that we fear. It is the all-too familiar, yet different in ways that shock our sensibilities, that we rail against most loudly. Being understandable to us, we cannot easily consider them so foreign as to ignore.
- Sam Mitchell

Pronouns

This post at Shakesville reminds me of a story a substitute professor told me. He was a baby lecturer (his words) at Sydney Uni, in the 70s, the early days of Women's Lib. One day a young activist protested the use of the male pronoun as universal in the University handbook. It made it sound like all the students were male. The women students were feeling a little alienated. Don't be silly, said the male Dean, it's understood that the male pronoun is universal, and means men and women.

Now, this activist had a mate at the printing press, and when the next bunch of student handbooks went to print, there was one small difference. Oh sure, the book was still written with only one gender pronoun, it was just that - it was the female pronoun.

The Dean pitched a fit. How dare those feminists! It made it sound like his University only had female students! The horror! Don't be silly, said the activist, it's understood that there are students of both gender.

Of course, it wasn't understood. The Dean ordered the run of handbooks pulped. The activist's mate (and higher-ups who had failed to disapprove the change) were fired. But the activists won, because someone realised the Dean's hypocrisy. Obviously, it mattered, and the handbook started using both pronouns.

Ah, Work

At the moment I have nothing else to talk about, and so: this weeks bitchiest customer at [Restaurant].

Customer at Table M has been catty to us all night, let's call her Snob, for reasons which shall become obvious.

Snob: Excuse me, but we're finished with this cake, and we just thought the Staff might want it.

(Now, we have been given cake before, but something about her manner seemed off.)

Me: Oh, ah, thanks ma'am but that's ok really...

Snob: No. Really it's quite tasty, we just thought The Staff might appreciate it.

Me: Well, thanks ma'am... *I take the cake, feeling like a peasant being given the scraps from The Lords table. Snob gives me a filthy look, like I'm not being grateful enough.* I'm sure we'll all enjoy this.

As I later remarked to AmericanR, it's the first time someone has managed to insult me by giving me cake...

My brain

Your Brain's Pattern

You have a dreamy mind, full of fancy and fantasy. You have the ability to stay forever entertained with your thoughts. People may say you're hard to read, but that's because you're so internally focused. But when you do share what you're thinking, people are impressed with your imagination.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?