Hey everyone,
I was chatting with a colleague this morning and she asked me if I was going to dinner with the girls this weekend. Now mind you, I work with around 30 women so even though I am severely outnumbered, I am certainly one of the gang and they have always extended their invitations to include yours truly. We shared a short conversation, chatted for a minute where I thanked her for inviting me, but I respectfully declined. Then, I think I made some joke about not getting the official email invite maybe because I was a guy. Anyway, we started to wrap up the watercooler chat and I proceeded to leave the kitchen but not before she hit me with ‘well, we are still trying to acquire gender equality Ash so, you are probably getting paid more than us.’ In my mind, I was like…what did she just say? That comment really kind of took me by surprise and I actually felt weird about it.
Friendship Disclaimer – if you’re reading this and can figure out who I am talking about, this post is merely because it was thought provoking. I actually thank you for drawing my attention to the topic and it made me post-Double points for you.
OK, back to it…so, why did I feel weird? Well, simply because I don’t think that way, the thought of getting paid more than my female counterpart has literally never crossed my mind. I thought about that for a second, a couple of ways. One, because my unawareness is an example of the ignorance. And second, because like I said, I don’t think that way, even when I was searching for a career or a particular job, I absolutely didn’t expect that I would get it because I was a man or that I would be expected to get paid more solely based on my gender. Now, I do know it exists and it sucks, but I feel pretty confident that the world is moving in the right direction in correcting some of these wrongs.
Just yesterday, March 8, 2018, was International Women’s Day. Happy belated to my family, friends, and female readers by the way, you ladies are all amazing. To not be treated equally based solely on gender is ludacris, actually for any reason really. I cannot begin to appreciate what it must be like to have to face those types of obstacles and challenges. I commend all those who have been in trenches fighting for equal rights, they/you have a lot to be proud of.
So guys and girls (see what I did there), I decided to chime in with what I thought was a bit of a reverse stereotype-ish kinda thingy. I guess, it’s easy to assume that just because you are a certain sex, ethnicity, race, etc. you share the same beliefs. Listen, those rules were made by old geezers in weird mustaches who ruined it all of us, for guys like me. I work and have worked with mostly women all my life but that’s not what I look at, I look at the fact that I work with people like me, my peers…my friends. I look at people for who they are on the inside and it matters not their gender and any other difference for that matter. To think this stuff is still a thing shows us that we as human beings still need a ways to go but we can get there, we just need every one of us to do it.
Take care ma peeps, until…
I hope all of you have enjoyed a great holiday season along with a wonderful new year, safe, sound, and with the people you love. All the parking lot tetris, long line-up grief, and that grinchy scowl you received when both those carts wouldn’t clear that aisle are all but distant memories. Christmas is a wrap! (see what I did there) Another holiday season a success, and before you can enjoy that for a second, it’s January 1, 2018, a new year…now what?
Well, now we all get to slowly start moving back toward our regular lives, back to the old routine, shoot me now. But, before we do, New Year’s gives us that last bit of holiday vacation bliss and also the perfect opportunity to reflect. The good, the bad, the happy, and the sad too, all 2017 in account while we set or sights on 2018. Oh yeah, you also get one last chance to stay in your pj’s all day.
I am going to consider this post another successful “force write” session, seems like the juices are flowing again, the Christmas block has passed, your patience very appreciated. With this momentum, I intend to make 2018 a big year for Earth to Ash, I had a huge 2016. I would have never expected this blog to be where it’s at today, so far, so fast, thanks again for being a big part of it.
