saying

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IMPACT, VIDEO REELS

What are the ‘reopen’ protesters really saying?

The “anti-lockdown” and #Reopen protests in the U.S. have powerful and secretive backers, but there are real Americans on the streets expressing their opinions. As an ethnographer – someone who studies cultural participation – I’m interested in who those Americans are, and why they’re upset. I spent the last week in what you might call an online road trip, studying 30 posts of protest footage from events in 15 cities. I found some shared themes, which don’t fit well with popular narratives about these protests. Protesters object to handouts, but want work. 1. Poverty is taboo, but work is ‘essential’ Despite the economic toll the lockdowns are taking on America’s poor, no protesters put their own poverty on display, such as posting signs asking for help. Instead, they held signs with mo...

Why saying ‘OK boomer’ at work is considered age discrimination – but millennial put-downs aren’t

The phrase “OK boomer” has become a catch-all put-down that Generation Zers and young millennials have been using to dismiss retrograde arguments made by baby boomers, the generation of Americans who are currently 55 to 73 years old. Though it originated online and primarily is fueling memes, Twitter feuds and a flurry of commentary, it has begun migrating to real life. Earlier this month, a New Zealand lawmaker lobbed the insult at an older legislator who had dismissed her argument about climate change. As the term enters our everyday vocabulary, HR professionals and employment law specialists like me now face the age-old question: What happens if people start saying “OK boomer” at work? Evidence of discrimination A lot of the internet fights over “OK boomer” revolve around whether...

Why We Need to Stop Saying “Man Up”

This outdated, gender-specific, and illogical phrase is disrespectful and avoids the real issue. I never use the phrase “man up” since I realized that I was perpetuating misogyny with those two simple words. I began to examine the language that we use and the negative impact of gendered language. Take, for instance, calling someone a “pussy” when we’re implying that they are somehow weak. This one has always perplexed me. I’m a mother, and I can tell you that there’s nothing weak about female genitalia, particularly when we’re able to house babies in our bodies and then deliver them into the world. Using our body parts to imply weakness doesn’t line up with what I know about our strength. “Man up” may seem like a harmless way to tell a man to step up to his responsibilities, to be s...