!@#%$Men !!@%$!@#$

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So, I'd been out today to get glasses but my appointment isn't for a month. Being Lenscrafters, I thought I would walk right in and get them. Well, for one reason or another; choose any of three, it wasn't that way. It could have been my Hijab, but I doubt that they tumbled to the idea that I was one of those pervert trannies.

Feeling a little discouraged I decided to have some shopping therapy and found a darling gold nose ring. Yaaaaayyyy! As I walked out the door of the store, I remembered I needed a short video cord to hook up my VCR. Completely relaxed and happy I walked into Radio Shack to get said cable.

Upon going into the store, a man immediately stopped me; eying me like I could get completely lost there; maybe even knock things off the rack or otherwise defile the place. When he asked what I wanted, I said, "I need a Video Cable to hook up my VCR". I was thinking what I said was completely clear and logical. Well, his dominance walked me over to a rack were the cheapest cables began at about $50. He kept asking me these inane questions that had nothing to do with a simple VCR, and treating me as if the whole thing were way too technical for "Lil ole me". I put up with it for a while until he started asking me about audio cables and, oh that other funny cable that I can't even remember the name of. I tried to protest saying, "sir it is for an old VCR" but nooooo, he wouldn't hear of it. I was starting to expect him to send me home to get my husband! Hmph!

Finally having had enough of Mr Male Master of me, wanna be, I told him "Sir, I will find it myself". By now, indignation roaring in my ears, I minced over to the correct cables and picked one up. I went back to wait in line, and another gentleman started to check me out. Well, by now I'd had it and another sales man walked up to me, and asked if I was alright. I doubt that my Hijab was burning!

My petulance was bubbling to the surface and I told him that I was "just fine, thank you" while wearing my sweetest smile.

When I got to the counter, the man there and another checker were sort of giggling about things, and I told him,"I've had it with you men, you treat women as if they know nothing"; this all done in my best false Saudi accent. This made them really crack up and I wiggled out of the store with my most seductive er, "wiggle".

I suppose that I could have been primed for trouble because I had been watching some you tube video that caught the Mujaheddin (religious police) in Saudia mistreating a woman for who knows what.

Well, I am home now, dinner is in the oven, and I am going to sit down after dinner and eat part or even ALL of a half gallon of Bananna Split Ice Cream. Maybe I'll sit in a hot tub of bubble bath with my Bananna Split Ice Cream

I just needed to vent. I feel much better now.

Princess Khadija Gwen

Comments

I was thinking...

I was thinking more along the line of those guys at the Ratty-Ol-Shack store.

By the way, it's not just women that they think are clueless. I have had my share of frustration with them. Sometimes I amuse myself by saying something that goes way over their head.

Oh, and nerve has nothing to do with it. I still have use for my banana. ;-)

Ray

Radio Hack

They must all go to the same "wanna be a geek" company motivational school, seriously, I doubt even the A/V geeks from HS would stoop so low as to work there.
Somewhere along the line some upline has convinced them that they are Gods intermediary to lead the general public to the altar of God's technology.
They see large breasts entering their temple and assume you are brainless and helpless, I brush them aside and if they insist on getting in my way (being helpful) I say something like "where are your quad comparator IC's?" ..you are now either and enigma or a Goddess in their eyes. For the few that still think your husband sent you down to find the parts and must stand between you and what they feel are the holy of holies, tell them there is a high likelyhood you were the engineer that designed the parts you are looking for and you are too lazy to drive further away to a quality electronics store to get them.

Alas...

They no longer have things like quad comparators. If you want individual parts, you pretty much have to go to the internet (unless you live near a an area that has decent electronics stores.) I went in there a couple years ago to get some 4000 series (CMOS) logic gates, and they didn't have a thing.

I still haven't figured out why some of them assume that I'm an idiot. Maybe it's because they are young whipper-snappers, and they don't believe that middle-aged geeks exist.

Maybe Bob can shed some light on the subject,

Ray
KA8UUU

4000?

They must have whiskers on them so I'm hardly surprised they're not standard stock. I've been retired for 13 years and they weren't exactly flavour of the month even then.

I think the kids who work in computer/electronics shops have a compulsory personality by-pass before they're allowed to deal with victims ... sorry, customers. We do have a very long established old-fashioned electrical component shop in my home town and they're pretty good but Maplin's/Tandy/PCworld etc are quite dire generally. As an ageing gent I get the same sort of treatment unfairly dished out to women despite having spent my life (since birth :) ) dealing in electronics from crystal sets to PCs.

When a youngster pointed out to me that I must have difficulty in the modern world as I'd grown up before computers were available in every home I agreed. Then I pointed out that we felt so deprived that we invented them :)

Geoff

Gwen, it's interesting

But I can't recall being treated like that. For at least the last 12 years, going into a store, I would be wearing bicycling clothing (tights over my bike shorts in cooler weather, maybe Dec., Jan., & Feb.), shorts or jeans. Usually, I'm not especially fat; I haven't been doing well with weight lately, I'm 180. 5' 11" in bare feet, I'm usually in bike shoe or running shoes. If I'm at a store and not biking I have earrings and a sports watch. Biking: no earrings. No make-up. I maybe slightly frowning. Grey/brownish nearly straight hair, center part, almost always in a pony-tail.

I think most people don't read me as a dyke, just a big, fit, no-nonsense womyn. I don't swagger or act agressive, but I don't act very fem, either. People waiting on me are usually friendly and helpful. Once someone talks to me I'll smile some and act more animated and friendly.

Maybe it's just the way people treat others around here; I don't know.

I also think, from what you've said, that people see you as being a lot more feminine than they see me. Know what I mean? like they can't compare us, I guess it would be compared to some national stereotype...

Hugs,
Renee

Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee