Letters to the Editor
healthyskeptic
Published Letters: 671 Editor's Choice: 14
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since the BS fluffers seem totally incapable of writing about feminist issues
[Read the article: Hillary's chest war]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'll take a shot.
Any woman who wants to be "empowered" should start by stopping with the obsessing over breasts.
Do not whine about the misogyny, breasts, fashion, or such. Do not obsess and whine about those things a person actually "empowered" would put themselves above.
Some more useful routes to empowerment:
* Study hard and earn a degree in a hard science or other important field.
* Exercise and have a lean/muscular body where your beauty is measured in fitness, not fashion trends.
* Take a martial art or something similar to strengthen your sense of self esteem, calm assertiveness, and physical capability.
If you do that, you'll be able to out smart, out run, and out fight most people. And even if everybody did so, the mediocre average would be pretty self confident, healthy, and intelligent.
If you're obsessing over your breasts constantly, the glass ceiling is the least of your problems. Chewing gum and walking may be your next developmental step.
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top buton?
[Read the article: Hillary's chest war]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The norm of interpretation for male candidates who undo the top button
Top button?
Do Clinton's breasts come up to her chin? Is she Carol Doda? No.
To show cleavage you have to wear a scoop. Which is equivalent to a man unbuttoning and going open chested, ala Burt Reynolds in the 70's.
But all of this is too obvious, and just shows how amazing stupid this mob is that BS panders to.
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logical conclusions to an absurd argument
[Read the article: The politics of postpartum depression]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If the anti-abortion fundies say post-abortion depression is an argument against abortion, though it occurs far less than post-natal depression, then logically post-natal depression is an argument against child birth.
And for that matter maybe we should ban everything that may lead to some temporary deprerssion afterwards.
Post cancer depression is an argument against surviving cancer. Post combat depression is an argument against national defense. Post vacation blues? No vacations.
It's absurd.
Plenty of reasonable choices may still cause temporary feelings of depression if they're difficult physically and/or emotionally. It doesn't make them bad choices, it just proves we're human, and that life isn't always fun and easy.
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lol
[Read the article: Will Rudy Giuliani's marriage hurt his chances?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]transforming herself from "Judi" to the queenly "Judith," even though her father insists, "Judi is what she was born. I don't think we called her Judith ever."
Now that's what I call a "class act."
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fantasy land
[Read the article: Hillary's chest war]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I can hear Sen. Clinton herself saying something like, "I feel as if I should take it as a compliment that the press finds my cleavage newsworthy," with that patented Hillary Clinton smile on her face.
-- djansing
Maybe in fantasy land that's how it works and presidential candidates score points thusly.
In the real world, any time a presidential candidate has to deal with a fashion issue, it belittles them. Which is why most candidates dress predictably and conservatively rather than make fashion statements.
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"nice girls"
[Read the article: The costs of asking for a higher salary]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If being a "nice girl" or "nice guy" is your primary job qualification, you're probably not in any position to ask for a raise. People get raises by being more important and useful to the company, relative to how much they're currently paid.
If you're so "nice" you're not asking for a raise because you're too scared, well you have no one to blame but yourself.
Everybody has to walk that tightrope between being a chump and overvaluing themselves. Welcome to reality.
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no kidding?
[Read the article: The costs of asking for a higher salary]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I've asked for raises twice in my life, both times when I was being underpaid significantly for the work I was doing. Both times, my male bosses seemed surprised and displeased when I asked. -- jebldmm
OMG! It's the patriarchy! Because that never happens to men!
lol.
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The only surefire advice on seeking raises
[Read the article: The costs of asking for a higher salary]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Is to stop whining about it.
Nobody likes a malcontent.
There are two basic strategies for getting a raise that I see as common:
A) The low risk strategy. Be so nice, so hard working, and so reliable, that you're virtually guaranteed regular raises without asking for them, so long as you're not working for complete aholes. However, you'll never be at the top of the pay scale that way. But neither will you ever risk friction with bosses and companies will probably fire you last even if downsizing because you're a great value. That is a good strategy for people who are naturally less assertive, who don't want the stress or have the desire/ability to reach the top, and who prefer security over risk. Both men and women.
B) High risk strategy. Be the best. Be essential to your company. Demand the highest pay. But if you can't deliver, and if you've over estimated your abilities, or if your employer has unreasonable expectations of your highly paid stardom, then look forward to resentful and potentially putative bosses and lob job security. Also, expect that you may have to go through more job changes and stress before you find the right fit. This is a good choice for those who like risk and willing to gamble they're actually as great as they think they are.
Ideally, everyone should make a rational choice. In reality men tend to choose the latter and women the former due to biological and cultural differences, like testosterone and social norms.
Those choosing A will tend to be safe and do fine. those choosing B will tend to either rise to the top, or crash and burn.