Captive Audience

[pecunium]

Someday I hope I have this much calm; and the ability to call it forth.

Callow youth and vicious age

Comments

[onyxlynx]

Damn. (Admiringly.)

[harimad.livejournal.com]

Jaw-droppingly awesome.

[harimad.livejournal.com]

I just posted this to the BackUpProject. Are you aware of it? It's about women backing each other up when one seems to be being harassed or in a sticky situation. It started as a result of a particular Spectacular Fail at a con (long story, I'll spare you unless you ask) and expanded to other situations as well.

The Project is very specific that it's *women* backing each other up, because part of the problem is women being marginalized and considered (or acting) dependent. Men, however, are part of the solution as well as part of the problem ergo the Gentlemen's Auxiliary. (Women can be part of the problem, too, but that's rare. Nonetheless, we back up no matter who needs to be backed up against.)

The biggest barrier most BackUpers face is the courage to speak up, generally because it's unpopular and one often risks looking foolish. Another barrier is not knowing how: how to intervene, how to make the situation better not worse, what techniques to use. Sound familiar?

I'd bet my hat that you're a member of the Gentlemen's Auxiliary by nature.

Check out the LJ group, I think you'll have a lot to contribute.

[crazysoph.livejournal.com]

I think I have a new hero, too.

Crazy(and with you in that desire for calm and ability)Soph

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

That's the kind of old woman I'm aiming to be. Thanks for the role model heads-up!

[don-fitch.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's the kind of person I want to grow up to be.

The probable age of that old woman seems to place her with the generation of the [#th] wave of Feminism that was so helpful in educating me back in the '60s. And yeah, many of those people would be quite capable of saying the things quoted. (Mind you, they/I might've started off by saying, sweetly, "Oh, I'm so sorry -- I didn't realize that this elevator doesn't go to the basement", giving an additional implied put-down to the adolescents.) But then, I tend to work on the theory that it's good for kids to get shook-up in their preconceptions. Adults too, though that's often more difficult to do.

[phonemonkey.livejournal.com]

Fantastic.

[izzydesan.livejournal.com]

Priceless. I am filing it away in the brain cabinet for future reference.

[tanithk.livejournal.com]

Me too. That kind of wit and poise comes from a thoroughly grounded person.