All right, I gotta bitch. Sorry guys, but funny isn’t really in my skull right now. I need to get this out, and I figure that we all know each other (and if we don’t then I don’t care) then I can just dump this out. If I don’t talk about it I will make the Earth blow up. But not before we send Ren’s new bundle of joy off in a ship so that s/he may become a superhero on a planet orbiting a blue sun.
At work I am the man. I don’t mean this in a good way. I am the sole “guy” on the job. Sure, there’s M, but he’s a real librarian for God’s sake. He can’t do the “boy work.” That is for me. I’m the fuckin’ lackey. I pick up the heavy stuff and put it down somewhere. I arrange the furniture whenever it is required. I put the crap together that needs to be built. I change the light bulbs. I replace the toilet paper; I clean the vomit up from the bathrooms. I take care of any dead birds or other post-life animals around the building. I occasionally refill the tampon machines. How did that become boy work?
I learned today that Zeepdoggie has a new task. I am now responsible for the leaves that may clog our drain and cause the library to flood. At the time the drain was installed out back by the garbage cans, all the builders did was dig a shallow hole to take the rain in. It doesn’t drain to shit. And some leaves gummed it up, and somehow a garbage can was on top of it. So the meeting room and the Children’s section got quite damp. So now, from what I understand, I am to “check the status of the drain.” I was too upset to ask as to when I should do this. Once a month? Daily? Or should I just wait until it’s raining, ride my bike over, and clear it then? Surely, this is something anybody in the library can do? It starts to rain, and one of the librarians pops her head out the door and takes a status check on the drain. Why is it on me?
Old Zeepdoggie has to do all the boy work on a job that is staffed 99% by women, and not a one of them is single. God may find this funny, but I sure don't.
I learned something very important on this job; polygamists are idiots. I don’t care how good the sex is; putting up with more than one woman’s bullshit is masochistic.
-Zeepdoggie
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I hate women. What I hate more is working *for* women.
Am I going to be the only one to stick up for the women?
Z, what you have is not necessarily a problem with women, but a problem with petty tyrants. It sounds like everyone there knows, to the letter, what their job description says and they're unwilling to take on additional tasks that might be boring or unpleasant. This type of behavior is found in either gender.
Unless, of course, your coworkers really do refer to what you do as "boy work" in which case I think you should throw some Betty Freidan and Gloria Steinem at them. Or, if you want to get historical, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Mary Wollestonecraft.
It is referred to as "boy work." Even on paper. And it's not a issue of job descriptions. Our new security monitor is female, and she has the same job description I had on that job, and yet she hasn't been asked to change a light bulb or rearrange furniture or assemble shelving.
I think I'm going to take Josh's advice on this one; whenever the subject of "boy work" comes up, I will ask one of the ladies to go ahead and get me a cup of coffee and bake me some cookies. I do "boy work," you do "squaw work."
I <3 being an enlightened male.
Another point: I really like working there. The staff is good and friendly, and personally I get along with them; working with the kids is awesome and rewarding. But the boy stuff does get tiring, especially since I have a good amount of prep for the kids and I have the bum knee and back right now. But I feel like if I don't get it done, it won't get done.
Like everything else going on, it is painfully complicated when it should be stupid simple. If only everyone just did what I tell them, this world would be much better off. Especially for me.
"But I feel like if I don't get it done, it won't get done."
And that belief will keep you doing it, and everybody else not doing it. "I've got to get this done and I need to leave on time. I would be happy to do it when I can get to it, probably next week." Someone will step up, but as long as you lay down to be stepped on, you will be.
BTW - that they have "boy work" on paperwork is just asking for a discrimation lawsuit. Just not thinking on that one.
Post a Comment