Ban Bossy? Really???

[Poker_Babe]

Has anyone else seen this new campaign to ban the word "bossy"? I mean really, I feel like I'm in an episode of the Twilight Zone, or in some 1984 nightmare after watching this video.




And look at who one of the supporters of this campaign is... it's Beyonce! Fucking give me a break, you're really gonna jump on this ridiculous band wagon of banning the word "bossy" while not giving 2 shits about the fact that your husband Jay-Z routinely refers to women as “bitches” and all kinds of other sexist words in his songs. But noooooooo... the word "bossy" is soooooooo damaging to the youth of our nation, that it needs to be banned.

Guys and gals, please tell me that none of you are buying into this BS. It would make me feel a whole hell of a lot better.

 

[Bocefish]

How is not being bossy by trying to unilaterally ban the word bossy?

Seriously, where do they come up with this shit? :lol:

bossy  
Use Bossy in a sentence
boss·y1 [baw-see, bos-ee] Show IPA
adjective, boss·i·er, boss·i·est.
given to ordering people about; overly authoritative; domineering.
Origin:
1880–85, Americanism; boss1 + -y1

Related forms
boss·i·ly, adverb
boss·i·ness, noun

Synonyms
highhanded, officious, dictational; overbearing, abrasive.

 

[theRileyDaniels]

I liked the message. I feel that girls should feel more take charge and not be afraid of being called a bitch or being told they should be more submissive.

 

[lilypad_]

Their trying to ban the word bossy?

Srsly?

 

[Gen]

I like the campaign and the concept of it. Love Beyonce, love Jay Z.

 

[JickyJuly]

I make it a point NOT to use the word bossy with my daughter because we DO live in a society where girls are "bossy" and boys are "assertive". I think Beyonce's attempts to be seen as a feminist icon are laughable, but anything that gets parents and girls thinking outside of the Barbie, Princess, good girl box is a positive in my book.

 

[Poker_Babe]

If they really think that the word "bossy" is that discouraging to young girls, then why not make a campaign focused on how to deal with being called bossy, and not to let it stop you from being assertive just because someone calls you that?

[Edit] We really need to teach our kids to have thicker skin than this, because that's the way the real word is.
They should be encouraged to deal with such criticism head on since that's package and parcel of being a leader!

 

[Violet October]

It's not that they're trying to really *BAN* the word bossy. It's more along the lines of just trying to encourage young women to me ambitious without the fear of the words/name that come their way. And letting people understand that women being ambitious is the same as men being ambitious.

I know so many women who are afraid to take leadership roles because they aren't taken as seriously as their male counterparts. And it starts so young. In middle school, like the video said.

 

[Sevrin]

What did Bawksy do now?

 

[Gen]

If they really think that the word "bossy" is that discouraging to young girls, then why not make a campaign focused on how to deal with being called bossy, and not to let it stop you from being assertive just because someone calls you that?

[Edit] We really need to teach our kids to have thicker skin than this, because that's the way the real word is.

Why treat the symptom and not the problem? Obviously if you disagree that women leaders are treated poorly than that's one thing, but if you agree with the base of the campaign (that girls are told they're bossy and that's a negative thing), then it seems more logical to tackle the issue itself than to just teach them to suck it up.

 

[lillyrose]

i think its counter intuitive. it says to me that it is more important to care what other people think than what actually matters, which is ridiculous, why do i care is loser bully joe thinks i'm bossy?
it's a silly campaign with a microscopic focus on something that is a made up problem.

 

[Violet October]

If they really think that the word "bossy" is that discouraging to young girls, then why not make a campaign focused on how to deal with being called bossy, and not to let it stop you from being assertive just because someone calls you that?

[Edit] We really need to teach our kids to have thicker skin than this, because that's the way the real word is.

Why treat the symptom and not the problem? Obviously if you disagree that women leaders are treated poorly than that's one thing, but if you agree with the base of the campaign (that girls are told they're bossy and that's a negative thing), then it seems more logical to tackle the issue itself than to just teach them to suck it up.

Agreed. I have a friend who thinks it's more important to teach kids how to deal with bullying than it it to teach kids not to bully.

We should address the problem first, and then deal with the symptom(s).

 

[JickyJuly]

If they really think that the word "bossy" is that discouraging to young girls, then why not make a campaign focused on how to deal with being called bossy, and not to let it stop you from being assertive just because someone calls you that?

[Edit] We really need to teach our kids to have thicker skin than this, because that's the way the real word is.

I think the point is more about the messages that we send to our daughters with words that are used only toward them. No bully I've met kept "bossy" in their arsenal, and I've never seen a tear shed over the word either. It's casual, accepted misogyny poisoning little girls often from the mouths of their own parents and teachers who don't realize it's not a great thing to say.

 

[AmyLemon]

I just dealt with this at work today!

It started an impressive amount of good productive conversations there. I'm with everyone else here on the, "are you sure you chose the right spokespeople for this campaign?" train but from a "randomly illiciting quality conversations in the workplace about important stuff" perspective it definitely got the job done (despite kind of taking the long way 'round)

On a side note: one of the things that I learned from these Highly-Productive-Workplace-Conversations is that I am the bossy girl

 

[Jesse0328]

My initial thoughts are that this is like saying eliminating a certain racial slur towards an ethnic group will end racism. There are plenty of other adjectives out there.

 

[Poker_Babe]

Why treat the symptom and not the problem? Obviously if you disagree that women leaders are treated poorly than that's one thing, but if you agree with the base of the campaign (that girls are told they're bossy and that's a negative thing), then it seems more logical to tackle the issue itself than to just teach them to suck it up.

I'm just a firm believer in freedom of speech, that's one of the reasons we have the first amendment, to protect free speech. But if you truly want to protect free speech, you can't cherry pick. Popular speech doesn't need protection, it's unpopular speech that needs it. So in the spirit of protecting free speech, we need to teach our kids to deal with it.

I'm not saying we shouldn't teach our kids to be respectful of others, I'm saying this campaign has a hidden agenda.

 

[Gen]

Why treat the symptom and not the problem? Obviously if you disagree that women leaders are treated poorly than that's one thing, but if you agree with the base of the campaign (that girls are told they're bossy and that's a negative thing), then it seems more logical to tackle the issue itself than to just teach them to suck it up.

I'm just a firm believer in freedom of speech, that's one of the reasons we have the first amendment, to protect free speech. But if you truly want to protect free speech, you can't cherry pick. Popular speech doesn't need protection, it's unpopular speech that needs it. So in the spirit of protecting free speech, we need to teach our kids to deal with it.

I'm not saying we shouldn't teach our kids to be respectful of others, I'm saying this campaign has a hidden agenda.

We don't have the first amendment here, but isn't freedom of speech in relation to the government? And what do you think the hidden agenda is?

I'm pretty sure they aren't trying to legally ban the word...also I think the overarching point of the campaign is to think about how we treat ambitious young women; "ban bossy" just makes a cute, rhyming hashtag that can easily lead people to more info on why words matter and all that.

 

[AllisonWilder]

The people used and the actual catchphrase of "ban bossy" aside, there's a really positive message in this campaign.

Encourage girls to lead, to be strong and be ambitious. Listen to your own voice. There are no limits. Dare to be you. You can change the world. Be brave. Be you.

I like it.

 

[JickyJuly]

Why treat the symptom and not the problem? Obviously if you disagree that women leaders are treated poorly than that's one thing, but if you agree with the base of the campaign (that girls are told they're bossy and that's a negative thing), then it seems more logical to tackle the issue itself than to just teach them to suck it up.

I'm just a firm believer in freedom of speech, that's one of the reasons we have the first amendment, to protect free speech. But if you truly want to protect free speech, you can't cherry pick. Popular speech doesn't need protection, it's unpopular speech that needs it. So in the spirit of protecting free speech, we need to teach our kids to deal with it.

I'm not saying we shouldn't teach our kids to be respectful of others, I'm saying this campaign has a hidden agenda.

We don't have the first amendment here, but isn't freedom of speech in relation to the government? And what do you think the hidden agenda is?

I'm pretty sure they aren't trying to legally ban the word...also I think the overarching point of the campaign is to think about how we treat ambitious young women; "ban bossy" just makes a cute, rhyming hashtag that can easily lead people to more info on why words matter and all that.

Unless our government is planning to throw people in the clink for calling girls bossy, it certainly is NOT a 1st amendment issue. Wanting to protect constitutional rights is excellent, but it requires understanding them clearly.

 

[Jesse0328]

Clearly this is Kelis' fault:

 

[Violet October]

Unless our government is planning to throw people in the clink for calling girls bossy, it certainly is NOT a 1st amendment issue. Wanting to protect constitutional rights is excellent, but it requires understanding them clearly.

THIS.

Clearly this is Kelis' fault:

Damn. It's dancin' time.I remember being goddamn obsessed with this song. :lol: :thumbleft:

 

[Poker_Babe]

We don't have the first amendment here, but isn't freedom of speech in relation to the government? And what do you think the hidden agenda is?

Freedom of speech is a basic human right. It's not given to us by our government, because if that were the case, it wouldn't be a right, it would be a privilege. Human beings have rights endowed to us by our creator. Yes, the first amendment is a law stating that our government is not allowed to stop the people from exercising their right to free speech (among other things).

I think there's actually a few hidden agendas behind this campaign actually. The first one that comes to mind is it's attempt to acclimate the population into accepting the idea of literally banning words as a good thing.

"Though I may disapprove of what you say, I will defend to the death your right to say it."
-Voltaire

 

[LilyEvans]

But they're not LITERALLY trying to ban the word, they're just encouraging people not to use it.

Freedom of speech may be a right but Gen is correct, the phrase is only in relation to the government. "Freedom of speech" ONLY refers to how the government may react to your speech. It only means that they cannot arrest you for saying things they do not like.

Freedom of speech DOES NOT mean that schools cannot ban bad words or punish students for saying bad words. It DOES NOT mean that you can say what you want, when you want on private property. It DOES NOT mean that you can yell FIRE in a crowded movie theatre. It DOES NOT mean that someone won't punch you in the dick for voicing your opinion.

 

[Poker_Babe]

the campaign is the work of LeanIn.org, which itself is supported by a plethora of big banks, transnational corporations and PR firms.

http://leanin.org/partners/#partner

The "gov" and these big corporations are in bed together!

[edit] oh and I understand that they aren't speaking in terms of legally banning the word bossy... yet. My problem is that it's intended to acclimate us into eventually accepting the legal banning of certain words as a good thing.

 

[AmberCutie]

:icon-rolleyes:

 

[Sevrin]

We don't have the first amendment here, but isn't freedom of speech in relation to the government? And what do you think the hidden agenda is?

Freedom of speech is a basic human right. It's not given to us by our government, because if that were the case, it wouldn't be a right, it would be a privilege. Human beings have rights endowed to us by our creator. Yes, the first amendment is a law stating that our government is not allowed to stop the people from exercising their right to free speech (among other things).

I think there's actually a few hidden agendas behind this campaign actually. The first one that comes to mind is it's attempt to acclimate the population into accepting the idea of literally banning words as a good thing.

"Though I may disapprove of what you say, I will defend to the death your right to say it."
-Voltaire

I wouldn't mention a "creator" and "freedom of speech" together. There's no mention of "freedom of speech" in any scripture of any major religion. Freedom of speech is a humanist concept, as are rights generally. There's no bill of rights in the Bible, for instance. "Freedom of speech" also implies a freedom to blaspheme, which most religions kind of frown on.

As far as the topic, it's just a catch phrase intended to encourage debate about women's right to be assertive. As long as it gets people talking it is an effective and successful campaign.

Also, Voltaire didn't say that. That quotation originated with one of his biographers, Evelyn Beatrice Hall, in an attempt to illustrate Voltaire's thinking.

 

[AllisonWilder]

the campaign is the work of LeanIn.org, which itself is supported by a plethora of big banks, transnational corporations and PR firms.

http://leanin.org/partners/#partner

The "gov" and these big corporations are in bed together!

This is kind of silly. Leanin.org is also supported by companies like Chiquita and The Boys & Girls Club. It's not all "big business" out to get the man or something. It's just a cute little campaign designed to inspire parents to encourage their daughters to be ambitious.

 

[Rose]

I actually really like this campaign. I heard about it on the radio today while driving to get Spawn from his Grammaw's. The reason why I like it and think it's a good thing is because I'm sick of being called bossy. It pisses me off. There's absolutely nothing wrong with me being the main provider and caregiver for my household. Being a stay at home parent doesn't make BJ lazy either.

Why is it ok to call me bossy for earning most of the income and call BJ lazy for being a stay at home parent, when if the roles were reversed, everyone would accept it. They're not trying to make any words illegal, hah give me a break, and there's no hidden agenda. They're simply trying to provide another means to stop bullying and teach kids how to stop it/deal with it. I think teaching kids to 'just deal with it' is bullshit. They need to be taught to cut that shit out and get help, not just tolerate it and grow a thicker skin.

 

[Poker_Babe]

I wouldn't mention a "creator" and "freedom of speech" together. There's no mention of "freedom of speech" in any scripture of any major religion. Freedom of speech is a humanist concept, as are rights generally. There's no bill of rights in the Bible, for instance. "Freedom of speech" also implies a freedom to blaspheme, which most religions kind of frown on.

But there is mention of it in the Declaration of Independence.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

 

[Anonymous]

the campaign is the work of LeanIn.org, which itself is supported by a plethora of big banks, transnational corporations and PR firms.

http://leanin.org/partners/#partner

The "gov" and these big corporations are in bed together!

[edit] oh and I understand that they aren't speaking in terms of legally banning the word bossy... yet. My problem is that it's intended to acclimate us into eventually accepting the legal banning of certain words as a good thing.

This sounds like some tin-foil hat business right here.