Better call this entry 'Friday afternoon work dreadfulness' in order to stay work-safe

[westernind]

Appalling office politics taking place. I hates it, I hates it I do. But I'm guessing it happens wherever office moves are planned.

I also hate bullying managers. The technique used by this particular specimen is to state an assumption as a fact. If you point out that it's an assumption, he waits a few minutes, then states it again as a fact. When you challenge it again, he then labels you as unhelpful. Personally I think he suffers from being stressed and insecure in his job but I'm buggered if I'm letting it mess up my priorities.

And now, a rant on terminology which is not-worksafe. No, I mean it. Not work-safe.

Those closer to me will know that, inspired by the Vagina Monologues, I've been doing my bit to reclaim the word CUNT; if someone uses the word as a derogatory noun (invariably to describe a male person) in my presence, it triggers a happy-dreamy muttered free-association spielette: lovely rooound cunt, furry cunt, broown, friendly-vowelled, cunt-cunt-cunt, positive word for female genitalia. La la la. "Use words for the appropriately gendered genitalia to describe the lowlives of the relevant gender", is wot I sa. Seems only fair.

Cunts aside, ("Cunts aside! cuntcuntcunt, yo ho ho!") another term has recently crawled into my field of view.

Cocksucker. What's going on here, then? Why is 'cocksucker' a term of abuse? Don't you want your cocks sucked*? Isn't it a Good Thing?

Yeah, there's an element of disingenuity. I have a perfectly-formed opinion on why it's a term of abuse; I've never heard it used to describe a woman. So, I'd be interested to hear a defence. Is there anyone out there who's prepared to argue that 'cocksucker' is value-free and not at all homophobic?

Cocksucker! Let's reclaim the word!

One last thing. I could turn the comments function off. But I'm not gonna. Play nice, no overt abuse please. But do feel free to use the word COCKSUCKER as a term of praise and positive concordances. Or even CUNT. :-)

* this rhetorically addressed to those of you as have cocks not quims. Incidentally, 'quimsucker' is a neologism as yet, I would argue, free of negative connotations.


Can you tell it's Friday afternoon?

Comments

[clarisinda.livejournal.com]

Any paricular manager? ;-) Actually, news travels fast round here, so I'd already heard you'd had a falling out with him ;-) FWIW, the seating plan thing has caused much heated discussion down here too, mostly because a certain DBA wants the best seat and will bully anyone and everyone to get it. I *think* we've agreed to draw lots, but I'm 99% certain I'll arrive on Monday morning to find she's already bagsed a corner and is not shifting for anyone :-/ Even the boss is not prepared to stand up to her.

[westernind.livejournal.com]

I didn't have a very severe falling out, I just wasn't prepared to be a pushover - if you heard there was bloodshed, it's Chinese whispers. ;-)
We're drawing lots for seats in our cramped corner. It's the only fair way. That, or swap round every three months.

[clarisinda.livejournal.com]

The switching round every few months thing doesn't work - we were supposed to be doing that in our current office, but once people get desks they like, it's extremely difficult to persuade them to shift. Our DBA has been threatening to resign if she has to sit near the boss! Personally I'm dreading the move - open plan, more noise, users nearby, air conditioning, longer commute, and I'm not going to get away with arriving at 11am :-/