HDRKID
Senior Member
secretary general
The teacher was talking about the secretary-general of the United Nations.
I asked her. "How can a secretary be a general?"
The result was howls of laughter echoing in the classroom. It was a joke of course.
I knew people would laugh because most generals are men. They are at the top of the hierarchy. Secretaries are at the bottom of the hierarchy in an office and often make very little money.
Fact is, I remember an exec. He asked a woman manager if she could type up a report for him and she said no. She also said. "I am a REAL manager, not an office manager."
Office manager is a nice way of saying - secretary. Much like saying "sanitation engineer" is a nice way of saying garbage man. He is not a real engineer.
The executive said. "I am a REAL executive, not an account executive. Do your F#%$@@% job or GTFO B@###!"
Humans associate jobs held by man as higher status.
For example:
cardiac surgeon - man
nurse - woman
Sadly, our secretaries use to be very important people long ago. It use to be a prestigious job, and the King's royal secretary in the old days was a man. It meant secret keeper. Well, it now means a human answering machine making near minimum wage.
The teacher was talking about the secretary-general of the United Nations.
I asked her. "How can a secretary be a general?"
The result was howls of laughter echoing in the classroom. It was a joke of course.
I knew people would laugh because most generals are men. They are at the top of the hierarchy. Secretaries are at the bottom of the hierarchy in an office and often make very little money.
Fact is, I remember an exec. He asked a woman manager if she could type up a report for him and she said no. She also said. "I am a REAL manager, not an office manager."
Office manager is a nice way of saying - secretary. Much like saying "sanitation engineer" is a nice way of saying garbage man. He is not a real engineer.
The executive said. "I am a REAL executive, not an account executive. Do your F#%$@@% job or GTFO B@###!"
Humans associate jobs held by man as higher status.
For example:
cardiac surgeon - man
nurse - woman
Sadly, our secretaries use to be very important people long ago. It use to be a prestigious job, and the King's royal secretary in the old days was a man. It meant secret keeper. Well, it now means a human answering machine making near minimum wage.
Put Jim on!
I'm sorry sir... Mr. Perkins is not in.
Where the hell is he?
Ah, he's in a meeting right now. Could you please leave a message? I'll have him call you.
Tell Jim that I need to talk to him right away!
Ah, yes sir.
I'm sorry sir... Mr. Perkins is not in.
Where the hell is he?
Ah, he's in a meeting right now. Could you please leave a message? I'll have him call you.
Tell Jim that I need to talk to him right away!
Ah, yes sir.