Bill O’Reilly reality check
If I ever need to check my tendency towards being a know-it-all or talking over people, I’m just going to watch this video.
The gender dynamic is insane as well. I can’t imagine getting talked down to in this way by a colleague, especially when I was well researched, seemed to share the same political stance, and was, umm, correct. Re-reading the sentence that I just wrote, the fact that I can’t imagine this is pretty telling as I’m sure it’s a reality that many women face on a daily basis, and not just at FOX News. Frankly, it’s embarrassing to think about all the times I felt like I had to assert myself as an authority, even when I didn’t know what I was talking about and the mildly conflicting point of view was articulated politely and clearly. I take this as proof that the cultural expectancies that tie gender to authority, and intelligence and the ways one can express them are making us all less intelligent.
September 20th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
The quickest way I’ve found (does a better exist?) around the “authority” issue lies in a friendly wager.
If they’re so sure, they should have zero problems putting money on the line.
foreach $response {
/I don’t gamble/ and $counter = “This isn’t gambling, a second ago you were absolutely sure”;
/No/ and $counter = “Then you’re not sure.”;
/Yes/ and $counter = “Pay up! ;)”;
}