Approximately 15% of the US ham population are female and the attendees at Hamvention reflected that statistic. By far, the males outnumber females.
The people staffing the booths at Hamvention also reflected that statistic. Some booths have no females, some booths have one or two females and a few booths have professional "booth babes" hired to attract customers.
Some visitors to our booth must have read me as the equivalent of a booth babe. On a few occasions, fellows approached me at the booth and asked, "Do you know anything?" or "Can I talk to someone who knows something?" or something similarly insulting.
Damn! I probably know more about ham radio than they do. I've been a ham for nearly 50 years. I have written six books and thousands of articles about ham radio. I even won a special achievement award for my contributions to the hobby.
Usually, I am so taken aback by the question/insult that I do not have a quick comeback. Instead, I do my duty and try to help them out.
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| Wearing Boston Proper (Source: Boston Proper) |
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| Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard (The Three Stooges) femulate in the 1950 film Self Made Maids. |
Maybe next time:
ReplyDeleteStana: Perhaps Sir, you could just outline your question so that I can direct you to the best person to respond?
Attendee: Well, I actually had some technical questions about packet radio.
Stana: Then you have come to just the right booth, Sir, one of our guys wrote a whole book on the subject, maybe I could interest you in a copy or have him respond to your queries directly?
Love Linda
And then without blinking an eye, add, "Ask away!" LOL
DeleteHere's my two part question, Stana. 1. Do you think that had you from the get-go in life been allowed to live as a girl/woman you would have developed an interest in HAM radio? 2. Had you been born with an XY chromosome body do you think you'd have developed that interest? I'm not trying to be provocative, I've always been curious about traditionally male/female activities and how those intersect with gender identity.
ReplyDeleteThe actor in me says - prepare snappy comebacks NOW and rehearse them for that moment. No one - male, female, whichever - deserves to be treated like that. And the only way to stop it is one offender at a time. OR, you could be polite and say, "I know a few things, what is your question?" (but the polite way is not NEARLY as much fun! ~~giggle~~)
ReplyDeleteYeah - not as much fun - but these are our customers, so I have to be polite.
Delete"...I have written six books and thousands of articles about ham radio."
ReplyDeleteYes, but as you don't look like a bloke, numpties like that don't think you're capable. :-(
My wife gets similar treatment from some men in her field despite her being a well respected scientist.
Still, I doubt Femulate readers would commit such a faux pas, so we can probably mock such men freely ;-)
And we thought all the dinosaurs were extinct!
DeleteIt works the other way, too. I walk into a fabric store and all the help believes I'm the village idiot. I try to wear a particularly well done shirt and almost from the start mention I made it. Then I ask where their Pima cotton shirting is. On the other hand, I once knew a woman who built her own airplane. People wouldn't believe SHE built it, so she painted it shocking pink (a color she hated), because no man flies a pink airplane.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should paint my radios pink! LOL
DeleteJust say "I know quite a bit about ham radio - ask away!". Hugs, Tanit
ReplyDeleteThat's probably the best way to handle it because the customer is always right.
DeleteStana, you look good, but if you think anyone sees you as a “booth babe” you’re clearly delusional. Before you make a claim about how you know what it’s like for a professional woman, dealing with all that comes with working in a potentially male dominated space day in/day out, take an honest look at what you just compared that to. You were at a hobby convention for a weekend. Maybe some of those misogynistic guys just figured you were someone’s wife. Or more likely, they didn’t want to talk with the weird old guy wearing women’s clothing. It’s great to be accepted, but you also have to accept that some people don’t. Reciprocate and accept that yourself.
ReplyDeleteKoński tyłek!
DeleteI love your wordplay Stana, "I've been a ham for nearly fifty years." Since it takes one Polish Femulating Ham to know another, all I can say is............me too.
ReplyDeleteQSL
DeleteStana
ReplyDeleteIt shows how well you were passing as a woman
The way he treated you is one of the disadvantages of being one
Lucy
You need to think along the lines of Mad's "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" feature. How about:
ReplyDelete"Do you know anything?" "I know you're a sexist pig. Anything else I can tell you?"
Dani
I like "Do you know anything?"
DeleteBack in the early 1970's Steve Goodman wrote:
ReplyDeleteMiss Beverly Jones had a PHD in Physics when she went to town to look for some work
She was told she was qualified to be a secretary or a clerk....
These lines are from "I've Got The I Don't Know Where I'm Going, but I'm Going Nowhere in a Hurry Blues".
Amazing how little things have changed over the 40+ years since the song was written. And since subtle has failed to work over the years I think the only way to deal with it is directly! Hold up your book, tell them you wrote it back when you were a man. Then do a "Vanna White" product hand swoop over yourself and tell them you changed "this" but I kept my brain -- now, what is your question? You'll either chase them off or get a real question.
Years ago, when I worked for HP, I had to sub in for a rep who handled our technical computer line. My HP3000 had a proprietary OS. The technical geek customer decided to test me right off the bat. "What do you know about UNIX"?
I came back instantly: "Quite a lot-- in fact I just saw "The Last Emperor" this past weekend". Talk about a blank look back at me!!! After my explanation we both laughed and having broken the ice with humor we had a good conversation.
Thank you for the suggestion, Mikki. Love "The Last Emperor" comeback!
DeleteJust for grins, why not do a "study" on booth visitors? You've been a blonde, so why not wear a brunette wig next time, then red, black, straight, curly, etc to see if the ham-men respond differently.Ha!
ReplyDeleteBut I still think "direct" is the best way to deal with those "mysogynites". Don't attack, no sarcasm, just look 'em in the eye and give 'em a straight response.