So some woman are afraid of me because of my job....

[Veylon]

Classism runs very deep with some people, yeah.

This. I do a variety of things at my Wal-Mart job, so I've learned that when I'm working with the computer, people think I'm smart so they interrupt to ask questions. When I'm working with the broom to sweep up a mess, not so much. What you're holding does define you to a surprising number of people.

 

[McMullen]

Journalists? snooping fuckwads

Maybe it's just because I spend more time here than any actual news site, but I've lately gotten the impression that journalists don't work hard enough to ever get around to something as proactive as snooping.

The second part I agree with though.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

A lot of my family members are in construction (various professions) and I have done a couple of jobs with them, so I know how it feels to be in unappealing work clothes in front of attractive women. I don't tend to mind too much; I'm here for work and pleasure is what comes later on that night anyway.

Anyway, big respect for those hardworking individuals. I have done a lot of different jobs in my life and those jobs in construction always leave me exhausted at the end of the day.

 

[ResonanceSD]

Journalists? snooping fuckwads

Maybe it's just because I spend more time here than any actual news site, but I've lately gotten the impression that journalists don't work hard enough to ever get around to something as proactive as snooping.

The second part I agree with though.

Hi there. I work for a news organisation. Awesome to see you sticking up for the tradesman, but at the same time taking a dump on my guys.

Let me just put it this way, our journalists don't spend a whole lot of time on forums. Oddly enough they're creating/providing content, you know, doing their jobs. The fact that you dont read it and then accuse them of lazines is nothing short of hilarious.

Also, calling all journalists 'hacks' is funny. Calling all journalists 'hackers' is something else entirely. Denigrating an entire profession because of the actions of a minority, localised to the arse end of tabloid press is beyond ridiculous.

EDIT: you are aware, of course that DS here was naming social stereotypes? Which you seem to have just picked up and run with.

 

[ResonanceSD]

Do you wear a hat, and one of those tool belts? Are you shirtless, because maybe they are sexually intimidated! I don't think I've ever seen anything like that happen- maybe its the area you are in?

Why do i get the feeling that your post was seconds away from a 'village people' joke?

 

[theravensclaw]

As long as you don't act like a yob i dont care what you do for a living. Most tradies are nice guys. Some are sexist pigs and grots. but you know in the corporate world of suits and ties most guys are nice but some are sexist pigs and grots too - just in suits.

Girl from Queensland btw

 

[Gatx]

I have massive respect for carpenters, if only because my dad's one, which also makes me feel slightly inadequate for not being able to fix all the plumbing and electrical problems in my house on my own.

 

[Merkavar]

when i see a builder or something i laugh cause i remember teasing my brother about his glitter vest (safety vest thing).

but i dont think rapist or even sexist, their just guys working outside. sometimes i think stupidiy when i see them with out a shirt on, covered in sunburns, moles, freckles and purple skin from burns on burns.

 

[ResonanceSD]

As long as you don't act like a yob i dont care what you do for a living. Most tradies are nice guys. Some are sexist pigs and grots. but you know in the corporate world of suits and ties most guys are nice but some are sexist pigs and grots too - just in suits.

Girl from Queensland btw

On the other hand, I have a desk job, know why P is a british idiom for father, love Shakespeare and play saxophone. According to Tony Abbott and his mob, people have free reign to stop just short of running me out of town for being 'too elite'. Tall poppy syndrome in this country is why I sound like Paul Hogan in public, and Geoffrey Rush at work.

If we did have more people like you here, it wouldn't be an issue =D

 

[Pat8u]

I avoid builders not because their rapists I avoid them so I don't impede their buisness which is usally a new pavement and because I just generally like to avoid people I don't know, any class of person.

 

[McMullen]

No, it is not fair to men to have to deal with women suspecting them of being possible rapists, but rape is too real a threat to not be paranoid.

A vast majority of rape stems from women being retarded (Like getting way too wasted at a bar/club) and not the "Scary man from nowhere stealing you off!"

So no, your excuse is wrong.

You ignorant bastard. You have NO IDEA WHAT THE FUCK YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.
You have no right to make that claim, and talking like that only goes to belittle the very real horror that it can entail.

Come back to me after your friend is violently raped and murdered in her own lab, just minutes away from where your sister is, or people you care about being violated by their own fathers as children, or overpowered and raped on her college campus by a serial rapist, (As in, a sadistic bastard who attacks random women on the street) only to be treated to the "You were asking for it" bullshit you're flaunting about now, undermining her ability to trust and leaving her with a sense of self doubt that she has had to deal with all her life.

I know too many women that I care about on a personal level who have been raped, at absolutely no fault of their own. I have seen it affect them deeply, not matter how resolute they are in moving on and not letting it change their lives. I don't know what your experience is with rape, but its obviously an incredibly shallow and uninformed one.

Shut your mouth, and show a goddamned bit of human compassion.

Strange man, probably strong from his line of work, knows the place inside and out, has a perfectly legitimate reason to be in the environment handling equipment unfamiliar to the general public?

And that's without the group acts of sexual objectification towards women that comes with the builder stereotype.

No, it is not fair to men to have to deal with women suspecting them of being possible rapists, but rape is too real a threat to not be paranoid.
I'm sorry things are this way, and I'm very sorry that its worse when you're dressed for your job, but please, bear with us women. We don't like it, either.

Sometimes that paranoia goes to far, my friend tried to ask some lady for directions on the street, in broad daylight, and she pepper sprayed him

Well, I think that probably stems from those women not being very sensible people in the first place.
Just because everyone's a potential threat doesn't mean that you should act on it.

I kind of think that part of the reason a lot of men don't take rape seriously is because they hear stories like that pepper spray incident. That, along with the general suspicion the OP perceives, whether it is real or not, makes it very hard to avoid thinking that women have worked themselves into a state of hysteria over rape.

Almost every male nerd, myself included, will probably tell you that part of their nervousness about talking to women is that we're not sure if you're one of the sane ones or one of the pepper-spray ones. Of course, we know the pepper-spray ones are very rare, but there's still plenty who might cry "Stalker!" or "Freak!" if we look at them the wrong way. In my case, I once found that looking away in order to not be called a freak led directly to being called a freak anyway. Seriously, you can be actively trying to avoid creeping people out and that avoidance will cause them to be creeped out.

This is not the kind of situation that will lead men to believe that rape is the problem that it is, or that it is not, in fact, the woman's fault. It makes it very easy to invent and believe myths about rape that place the blame more on women than on men. As long as this keeps happening, men are going to use it as justification to treat women's concerns with contempt.

So, while rape itself isn't women's fault, I do kind of think this paranoia women seem to have has had some part in creating the indifference to it. If that paranoia were to diminish, I imagine more men would care enough to do something about the actual problem.

 

[Pat8u]

This made me think of a nice, heartwarming story my Dad e-mailed me a few days ago.

Spoiler: Awwwwwww :)

A young family moved into a house next door to an empty plot. One day, a gang of building workers turned up to start building on the plot.

The young family's 5-year-old daughter naturally took an interest in all the activity going on next door and started talking with the workers.
She hung around and eventually the builders, all with hearts of gold, more or less adopted the little girl as a sort of project mascot. They chatted with her, let her sit with them while they had tea and lunch breaks, and gave her little jobs to do here and there to make her feel important.

They even gave the child her very own hard hat and gloves, which thrilled her immensely.

At the end of the first week, the smiling builders presented her with a pay envelope - containing two pounds in 10p coins. The little girl took her 'pay' home to her mother who suggested that they take the money to the bank the next day to open a savings account.

At the bank, the female cashier was tickled pink listening to the little girl telling her about her 'work' on the building site, and the fact she had a 'pay packet'.

'You must have worked very hard to earn all this', said the cashier.
The little girl proudly replied, 'Yes, I worked every day with Steve and Wayne and Mike. We're building a big house.'

'My goodness gracious,' said the cashier, 'And will you be working on the house again next week?'

The child thought for a moment. Then she said seriously:

'I think so, provided those wankers at Jewsons deliver the fucking bricks.'

OT: I think it is a bit ridiculous, sometimes workmen can look a little intimidating but to actually be afraid of them is a bit much. That said, I'm a fairly big bloke and I can give them a nob and a "Alright mate" as I pass which is usually returned in a friendly manner. Don't get bummed out about it, just smile and nod at the ones that don't cross, in this day and age a smile from a stranger in the street is the sort of thing that makes you feel fuzzy inside.

Can I ask whereabouts you work? If you're in Britain, I think the attitude is different depending on which side of Birmingham you're on.

That story was hilarious. Thats the sort of thing I'd believe really happened.
I'm an Australian. Specifically I work in the city of Launceston in the state of Tasmania. Lovely state, much colder than the rest of Australia in winter but less hot too. It's actually compared to England in climate a lot. Less rain though.

I guess that's all there is to it. Just be nice and try to change people's opinions. It feels good to vent these worries somewhere.

you know what makes me feel weird Im an australian and I don't know any tasmainian towns apart from hobart...

 

[McMullen]

Journalists? snooping fuckwads

Maybe it's just because I spend more time here than any actual news site, but I've lately gotten the impression that journalists don't work hard enough to ever get around to something as proactive as snooping.

The second part I agree with though.

Hi there. I work for a news organisation. Awesome to see you sticking up for the tradesman, but at the same time taking a dump on my guys.

Let me just put it this way, our journalists don't spend a whole lot of time on forums. Oddly enough they're creating/providing content, you know, doing their jobs. The fact that you dont read it and then accuse them of lazines is nothing short of hilarious.

Also, calling all journalists 'hacks' is funny. Calling all journalists 'hackers' is something else entirely. Denigrating an entire profession because of the actions of a minority, localised to the arse end of tabloid press is beyond ridiculous.

EDIT: you are aware, of course that DS here was naming social stereotypes? Which you seem to have just picked up and run with.

Fair enough. It was actually directed at the Escapist specifically (the meaning was along the lines of "the Escapist's writers are bad enough to skew one's perception of an entire field"), but I can see now that I worded it carelessly. In the end it wasn't even necessary, and off-topic anyway.

 

[BringBackBuck]

Yeah people judge you because of how you look based on all sorts of stereotypes. It's not good, but that's the way it goes. Most tradies are physically fit guys, who work in a macho environment. People (esp. women) tend to be cautious around big strong aggressive macho looking guys.

I used to get that too as a pretty solid dude who played rugby. People would go out of their way to avoid me. In my day job (accountant), people's reactions are completely different. Try catching a cab at 2am when you're out with mates who also play rugby, no cab driver wants to pick up 3 big guys who might beat him up and steal his taxi. Whereas when I walk out of my office in a suit with breifcase in hand and hail a cab, they almost crash into each other trying to pick me up.

 

[newdarkcloud]

I wasn't aware there was a stereotype associated with carpentry/building.

 

[Varrdy]

This made me think of a nice, heartwarming story my Dad e-mailed me a few days ago....

Excellent! I was in a foul mood until I read this and it's cheered me right up!

Wardy

 

[Aethren]

It's because your outfit is all wrong. Builders are supposed to be shirtless, with slightly loosened pants that hang down just enough to give a hint of boxers, but still hiding everything. And don't forget to oil your skin either. Hardhat is optional, but if you do wear it, keep it unfastened, because secured straps aren't sexy at all. Your pants should be somewhat baggy, khakies or jeans work great for this, and they need to be tucked into high worker's boots. You know the type, rugged leather with steeltoes. And again, don't forget to oil your skin. But make sure you have some form of tan, which by working in the outdoors, you should easily possess. A toolbelt is a good accessory too, but only keep the more phallic tools in it, and have it slightly loosened like your pants.

Spoiler: Like This

Spoiler: Or This

 

[teebeeohh]

i only do this if they are going to and from their van a lot. it's like i wouldn't want someone to march through my office.
i do however know some women who are extremely uncomfortable around men who do actual physical work and then turn around and accuse the office sitting type of being boring and detached from "the real economy"

 

[WalrusPowers]

I try stupidly hard to not judge based on appearance, so no, I don't cross the road or anything like that.