Don't Ban “Bossy”
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Don't Ban “Bossy”
1–10 of 102 posts
Re: Don't Ban “Bossy”
#2I saw the video a couple of days ago and it was flabbergasting that someone thought that this whole thing is going to achieve anything.
Re: Don't Ban “Bossy”
#3That's funny, I actually heard the word used when I was a military cadet in high school. It was used to teach the difference between being a a leader, or just, well bossy. Don't be a boss, don't act bossy, and so on.
Bossy people, we were taught, boss people around by using their rank. No one wants to follow them, they just have to. That's the worst kind of leader, we were taught. don't be bossy was good feedback. A good leader inspires, sets the example, is firm but fair, and through their behavior and actions people will want to follow them.
Not sure what all this implied sexism stuff is, I only heard it used around men, and it was and still is a damn fine term for the bad ones. What term would they prefer be used for someone that's acting bossy?
Re: Don't Ban “Bossy”
#4I'm immediately extraordinarily skeptical about anything that suggests solving a cultural problem by changing language.
That's like trying to solve a math problem by changing the value of pi.
Re: Don't Ban “Bossy”
#5I understand that this is a touchy subject, especially on HN, but come on: "Avoid editing what you want to say in
your head, and try not to worry about being wrong."
This is straight from their Leadership Tips for Girls pdf. They are encouraging girls to just say whatever comes to mind. What's next - calling everyone who disagrees "sexist"?
Re: Don't Ban “Bossy”
#6I'm immediately extraordinarily skeptical about anything that suggests solving a cultural problem by changing language. That's like trying to solve a math problem by changing the value of pi.
Agreed, but imagine how many more math problems you could solve if you were allowed to do that :D
Re: Don't Ban “Bossy”
#7I'm immediately extraordinarily skeptical about anything that suggests solving a cultural problem by changing language. That's like trying to solve a math problem by changing the value of pi.
Agreed, but imagine how many more math problems you could solve if you were allowed to do that :D
The answer to every geometry question I run into is now 7.
Re: Don't Ban “Bossy”
#8I'm immediately extraordinarily skeptical about anything that suggests solving a cultural problem by changing language. That's like trying to solve a math problem by changing the value of pi.
There is at least a theoretical logic to banning words like this: if being called bossy is causing girls to lose leadership skills then maybe stopping this artificially (even if people still think it without saying it) could lead to less girls being affected, and therefore in the next generation the stigma has disappeared. Obviously it's not that simple, and I have no idea to what extent, if any, this actually works, other than in theory.
Re: Don't Ban “Bossy”
#9I'm immediately extraordinarily skeptical about anything that suggests solving a cultural problem by changing language. That's like trying to solve a math problem by changing the value of pi.
When culture changes shouldn't language that reflects outdated culture also change?
Racial slurs aren't acceptable anymore. No one thinks that change is what brought about the civil rights movement, but it's obviously a consequence of it that also contributed to the whole movement in a positive feedback loop.
Re: Don't Ban “Bossy”
#10That's funny, I actually heard the word used when I was a military cadet in high school. It was used to teach the difference between being a a leader, or just, well bossy. Don't be a boss, don't act bossy, and so on. Bossy people, we were taught, boss people around by using their rank. No one wants to follow them, they just have to. That's the worst kind of leader, we were taught. don't be bossy was good feedback. A…
In Sandberg-style liberal feminism (which preserves inequality except for the more well-off white women and therefore doesn't help all women), I can imagine they want to improve subordination to female bosses. So you should be ready to follow her imperatives like you would Zuckerberg's.
In corporations, boss subordination is so complete that "bossy" only applies to someone who isn't actually literally a boss. So I can imagine "bossy" is used to question the legitimacy of female bosses. However, more serious kinds of feminism directly attack the existence of bosses, since many more women are at the bottom of hierarchies than the top.