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  • Perpetuating stereotypes (long)

    OK, this is something that really bothers me, I don't really know about the rest of you, but here goes...

    A lady came through my line when I was on register and I greeted her and asked how she was doing. She was with her friends. She says: "Oh, you know, just spending more of my husband's money. I'm so bad!" Her and her "flock" starting cackling at this like the hens that they were.

    So when I announce her $200-ish total, she says: "Oh, he is going to cut me off, I just KNOW it!" Cue more laughter.

    The whole time I was trying to smile, but I don't think I found this very funny. This woman looked about mid-thirties, probably had a kid or two. I don't think that there's anything wrong with a woman not having a job and having her husband provide for the family on one income, but I didn't appreciate the way she was flaunting it. It looked like she was buying maybe one gift, but mostly just stuff for herself. Maybe I would have thought her comments were funny if she had been spending money on presents for her kids or something, but I think she was just giving stay-at-home moms a bad name by shopping with her husband's money.

    I know that many women who don't work outside the home have a lot to do. Running a household is not easy, I know this from experience, and I don't even have kids! But it just irks me the way that she reinforced this stereotype of housewives being lazy and pampered. I have a serious boyfriend, and yes, he has a full-time job and helps me out a lot while I'm finishing school, but when he gives me money to go buy groceries or something I don't rub it in people's faces like: "OOhh, look at me maxing out hubby's credit card and risking his financial ruin!" And these situations are only for necessities, not for shopping sprees at the mall. I grew up with a single mother who busts her ass to provide for three kids, one of them with special needs, and we never had any money to spend on frivolous sh*t. It was about getting the bills paid, food in our mouths, and clothing on our backs. It just makes me sick how some people blow money like that and think it's all some big joke. A note to SC's: If any of you happen to be somewhere spending whoever's money, please just keep your mouth shut about where it came from. Not only does the employee most likely not care (unless it's a stolen credit card), but it's possible they won't appreciate your spoiled attitude.
    "If you are planning not to tip, please let your server know before ordering so they can decide whether or not to wait on you" - from an advice column I read some time ago

  • #2
    I couldn't figure out how to edit titles (if that's even possible), but I meant to say "perpetuating" stereotypes, not "perpertuating." These people make me so angry I guess I just don't notice these things!!!
    "If you are planning not to tip, please let your server know before ordering so they can decide whether or not to wait on you" - from an advice column I read some time ago

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    • #3
      Hopefully the husband has money hidden away and gets the paperwork filed before she does. It's one thing to enjoy your money, it's another to enjoy somone elses money.
      "Magic sometimes sounds like tape." - The Amazing Johnathan

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      • #4
        Quoth Giggle Goose View Post
        I couldn't figure out how to edit titles (if that's even possible), but I meant to say "perpetuating" stereotypes, not "perpertuating." These people make me so angry I guess I just don't notice these things!!!
        Mod function - done it for you

        Rapscallion

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        • #5
          This is something I get every single day. I won't go into the morality of it, it's just that they're simply not as funny as they like to believe. It's gotten to the point I hardly pay attention to them anymore.

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          • #6
            UGH! I hate women like that. I am a SAHM and this is usually how my day goes.

            Wake up feed the munchkin and change his diaper. "good god what did we feed him!"

            Get the munchkin out of his jammies and into some clothes, put him in the jumparoo.

            Clean the kitchen, get jumparoo song stuck in my head. Oh wait whats planned for dinner, pull out some chicken, chicken always works.

            take kiddo out of the jumparoo roll around on the floor and play with him for a bit. Feed him his second feeding. Time for his nap. He is screaming doesn't want to sleep. I turn on the baby monitor and walk away for five minutes. I have a headache.

            Gets quiet in there I freak out run in and check on him, oh he is passed out Hurray!

            Time to clean up the computer room and the living room and vaccuum before he wakes up. takes me too long he wakes up halfway through the vaccuuming I stop mid floor leave the vaccuum cleaner there.

            Go get munchkin out of bed, change his diaper. Put him in the highchair time for some solids! This is always fun playing aim for the mouth and missing most of the time.

            Yay we are done eatting, go to put him on the living room floor so he can get some move around time. Oops! I left the vaccuum cleaner there, put him in his playpen thingy instead. He gets angry not enough move around room. I put up the vaccuum cleaner I can finish vaccuuming tomorrow.

            Now he is on the floor. I take my afternoon break and sit down and watch sprout. Whats an adult program again? I can't hear over the toy my son his bouncing his head on anyway.

            About this time Hubby comes rolling in the door. I pick the munchkin up and hand him over for my 30 minute kiddo break. I mean to cook dinner. Wait what is in my hair, is that PEAS!!

            Anyway these women must have rich husbands who can afford for them to stay home and hire a nanny and a maid, and yes they make me sick!
            Last edited by Luckymom; 12-04-2006, 12:13 PM.
            http://leae.livejournal.com/

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            • #7
              Quoth Giggle Goose View Post
              The whole time I was trying to smile, but I don't think I found this very funny. This woman looked about mid-thirties, probably had a kid or two. I don't think that there's anything wrong with a woman not having a job and having her husband provide for the family on one income, but I didn't appreciate the way she was flaunting it. It looked like she was buying maybe one gift, but mostly just stuff for herself.
              If you're not sure she has kids, it may not be the stay-at-home-mom stereotype she's perpetuating. It may be the trophy spouse one instead...

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              • #8
                Quoth Gurndigarn View Post
                It may be the trophy spouse one instead...
                Ah yes the trophy spouse, one of the worse types of marriages IMO. Commonly seen in high-end clothing stores and any place else that's high-end. I have been witness to perfect examples of trophy spouses at the arena, most notably basketball games. For some strange reason they all want to be carictures of the Desperate Housewives characters. It's sad that people like her have to flaunt that status, it's usually a sign of insecurity some notice.
                The Grand Galactic Inquisitor hears all and sees all.

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                • #9
                  Quoth Rapscallion View Post
                  Mod function - done it for you

                  Rapscallion
                  Thanks!!!
                  "If you are planning not to tip, please let your server know before ordering so they can decide whether or not to wait on you" - from an advice column I read some time ago

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                  • #10
                    Quoth Luckymom View Post
                    Go get munchkin out of bed, change his diaper. Put him in the highchair time for some solids! This is always fun playing aim for the mouth and missing most of the time.
                    One co-worker who is going to med school jokes that just putting in a feeding tube would be easier and less stressfull for everyone.
                    "Magic sometimes sounds like tape." - The Amazing Johnathan

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                    • #11
                      Quoth Giggle Goose View Post
                      So when I announce her $200-ish total, she says: "Oh, he is going to cut me off, I just KNOW it!" Cue more laughter.
                      I used to deal with women like that a lot. I would always imagine their husbands as really old or ugly dudes with more money than they knew what to do with. I remember one regular who always refered to him as "Sugar-daddy".
                      "I don't have an anger problem I have an idiot problem!" - Hank Hill

                      When in deadly danger, when beset by doubt, run around in little circles, wave your arms and shout!

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                      • #12
                        Quoth Ringtail Z28 View Post
                        I used to deal with women like that a lot. I would always imagine their husbands as really old or ugly dudes with more money than they knew what to do with. I remember one regular who always refered to him as "Sugar-daddy".
                        I think it would be funny if the husband died and left the her with a $500 a month trust fund and nothing else, then left the rest to his kids and charity. Karma at it's finest. Suddenly have that lady comming to you for a job, her friends having left for greener pastures.
                        "Magic sometimes sounds like tape." - The Amazing Johnathan

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                        • #13
                          Okay, not to excuse this type of behavior - but what if she was really just joking and it was part of some inside joke thing between her and her friends and part of the conversation before they even got to the till...even though I loathe women who don't work and spend their husbands hard earned money, I want to say that maybe she's not really a bad person and maybe being a third party to the conversation made it appear as if she was some super trophy spouse or stay-at-home-mom or something...when really, she was just joking around with her buddies.

                          I don't know. don't throw anything at me!
                          "I'm still walking, so I'm sure that I can dance!" from Saint of Circumstance - Grateful Dead

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                          • #14
                            Quoth ihatethenba68 View Post
                            Ah yes the trophy spouse, one of the worse types of marriages IMO.
                            More guys should be like Prince Charles. He married the trophy wife first, to get it out of his system, then ended up with the less-attractive one with whom he was really in love.

                            Hooray for Camilla.
                            A person who is nice to you, but not nice to the waiter is not a nice person
                            - Dave Barry

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