Maybe I'm from the old-skool where women, especially pretty women, are given special privileges just for being, well, pretty women. I could go into some rant about how that's sexist towards guys, but I'm sure someone will point out five more examples of how sexism towards women is more pervasive in this country and society. And honestly, I just don't want to get into that conversation.
Then again, I'm from the old-skool, with a "k."
I got my usual lunch today (Subway, 5...5 dollar...5 dollar footlong...and now it's stuck in your head) and I was taken aback by the following situation:
Very attractive blond gets a 6-inch tuna sandwich, asks for a large cup with ice, and a bottle of water. Price rung up? $8.27. She pays without a second thought and moves along.
Wait, what?
Now maybe I just noticed this because I almost always watch my finances, but that wasn't right. In a matter of seconds, the cashier rung her up for a footlong sandwich (she had a 6"), a large drink (even though it only had ice), and a bottle of water (the only fully legitimate item she paid for). He overcharged her by about $3. And me? I just stood there and let it happen, awestruck by the lack of the customer's wherewithal.
Yes, I should have intervened and said something. But she should also have recognized a mistake. Where can you get a bottle of water and a 6" tuna sandwich? A nice restaurant. Not Subway.
I don't tell this story to bring up how the cashier took advantage of the blond stereotype. Rather, I mention it as a warning to all consumers:
Check your receipts. If you're paying for something that you shouldn't be paying for, or are overcharged, tell someone. Make them make it right, or leave with every single cent in YOUR pocket. Don't let companies take advantage of you.
If you do, the terrorists win.
And the old-skool.
6 years ago
4 comments:
hm.
you know, sexism is actually something I see every day.
you probably would too, if you weren't convinced it wasn't really that big of a deal. or invested in it continuing, because it serves you.
and, for what its worth, women being judged by their appearance and willingness to play to unrealistic standards of beauty so as to gain favor and a little smidgen of power in a still male-dominated world isn't really privilege. unless all that counts as privilege is some dude holding a door open for you and expecting you to smile pretty back at him.
hi. Someone.
Of course, I'm obviously biased, because I'm already an angry hairy feminist dyke so what the hell would I know about sexism? I'm too clouded by my own experiences with it to have any idea what I'm talking about.
And honestly, I doubt you actually don't want to get into that conversation - why else bring it up?
*an addendum, because I posted too quickly*
Although, really, I'm kind of dubious that the situation was actually as you analyzed it.
I'm probably the last person to discount charges of sexism, because it is that pervasive and pernicious, but I sort of doubt this guy overcharged her because he had a vendetta against women. Or thought blondes were dumb enough that he could scam her $3. And you, apparently, don't disagree that she's stupid, because she didn't notice she was overcharged.
I know you've traveled a bit Jeremy, so I'm sure you can agree that prices, even at fast food chains, vary by region. Plenty of people, when they're in a hurry or just don't care, don't calculate exactly how much a single small purchase is going to be. Maybe she's not stupid, but also not over-concerned with the cost of her lunch. Perhaps she's from DC, or New York, or Boston, or somewhere that menu prices are generally a notch higher, and wasn't taken aback by the price. Maybe her mind was elsewhere, on more important matters. Maybe she noticed, but didn't respond, because she's so heavily socialized to always be polite and willing. There are any number of reasons she didn't say anything - you've only given us one for why you didn't, which is that you were too busy judging her for not saying anything and being too pretty and blonde.
You fully admit that you don't really care whether or not sexism was an issue in this instance, and you quite happily use the sexist stereotype of the "dumb blonde" as a rhetorical device to make your point - none of us should be as stupid as this idiot, and let ourselves be taken advantage of. Obviously, if a cashier screws up, it's our fault.
So really, you don't seem to give a damn about sexism, except insofar as it serves to reinforce your concept of "what not to be." A dumb blonde woman. Who gets her way all the time because she's pretty. Except when she's being used as the butt of a cautionary tale about the perils of overpriced fast food. That might not count as "getting her way." Oh wait, except she was asking for it, by being pretty (by your standards), blonde, and a woman.
cute.
duly noted.
i would like to point out, however, that i did not use the word "dumb" once in my entry. please don't twist my words.
i would also like to point out that i was attempting to stand up for the customer. if the same situation had occurred with a guy in a suit, i would have had the same reaction: shock that the customer did not notice that they were being overcharged. please don't twist my words.
lastly, i state very clearly at the beginning of the post that i did not wish to engage in a sexism discussion. that topic is for another blog completely that i do not wish to write. rather, the point of the entry was that as consumers, we should always be aware of how much we are being charged. please don't twist my words.
look, my purpose of this blog is to tell it how i see it. if you have a problem with that, fine. no one is forcing you to read this blog. for those that choose to read this blog, thank you. i appreciate that you're taking the time to read. and if you disagree with me, that's fine too. but please, if we are going to discuss this blog, don't twist my words.
You don't actually have to say "dumb*" for comments about "the blond stereotype" to imply it.
Unless you're referencing a stereotype other than the one that says that blonde women are stupid. If so, in all sincerity, I'd love to know what you're referencing. It'd be easier to have a discussion if we're on the same page.
Jeremy, I'm not trying to twist your words, and perhaps I was too liberal with the sarcasm. That doesn't always translate well over the internet. What I was trying to do was demonstrate how your words, innocent as they may have been on their face, played into deeper entrenched sexist tropes and ideas.
If you don't want me to comment on your blog, or on this post, I'll respect that. This is your space.
However, I'm not trying to indict you in the court for evil sexists. Really, I'm trying to point out how the device that you used to get across the argument you're making played into existing sexist themes and assumptions about the world and society.
Here's how I interpreted what you were saying:
Your point: People, pay attention as consumers, don't get taken advantage of.
The rhetorical device you used to further emphasize your point: A story about an attractive blonde woman, who astounded you with how little attention she paid to something of such utmost importance as the cost of her sandwich.
My questions:
Why mention her gender, physical appearance, or hair color at all? We all "know" the stereotype about blondes being unintelligent. Blonde women, particularly. As a piece of knowledge likely shared by all of your readers, it served as a useful device to illustrate the finer implications of your point. Namely, that smart people pay attention to things like how much they pay for a meal and if they're being overcharged. Conversely, people like the woman in your story, don't. And what do we all know about people like the woman in your story? They are stupid - or so the stereotype goes. So what do we all not want to be, if we don't want to be like the woman in your story? Stupid. Or blonde.
I'm not saying you did any of this consciously, Jeremy. But you did, on some level, appear to be aware that framing this story as you did brought up issues of sexism. Why was your response to say "I don't want to talk about that stuff, just the stuff I notice and how I interpret it" rather than "hm. maybe I shouldn't frame it this way?"
Would your point have been more difficult to make if you'd written your post like this?:
I got my usual lunch today (Subway, 5...5 dollar...5 dollar footlong...and now it's stuck in your head) and I was taken aback by the following situation:
[The customer in front of me] gets a 6-inch tuna sandwich, asks for a large cup with ice, and a bottle of water. Price rung up? $8.27. [The customer] pays without a second thought and moves along.
Wait, what?
Now maybe I just noticed this because I almost always watch my finances, but that wasn't right. In a matter of seconds, the cashier rung [the customer] up for a footlong sandwich ([instead of] a 6"), a large drink (even though it only had ice), and a bottle of water (the only fully legitimate item paid for). [The cashier] overcharged [the customer] by about $3. And me? I just stood there and let it happen, awestruck by the lack of the customer's wherewithal.
Yes, I should have intervened and said something. But [the customer] should also have recognized a mistake. Where can you get a bottle of water and a 6" tuna sandwich? A nice restaurant. Not Subway.
I mention [this story] as a warning to all consumers:
Check your receipts. If you're paying for something that you shouldn't be paying for, or are overcharged, tell someone. Make them make it right, or leave with every single cent in YOUR pocket. Don't let companies take advantage of you.
You can, with no skin off your back or emphasis lost from your story, tell it without resorting to sexism. And if you feel that your argument is lost if you don't include things like her gender, physical appearance, and hair color - then perhaps your point wasn't quite so non-sexist.
I don't have a problem with you "telling it like [you] see it." Do you have a problem with me disagreeing with how you see it, or how you tell it?
*I stopped using the word "dumb" because, though I sometimes use it without thinking, it's considered pretty offensive to non-speaking folks.
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