I've been mulling over whether to post about a conversation I had yesterday that left me entirely gobsmacked. And I've decided that I will, because it's a way of getting it out of my system.
Here goes:
Me (to parent I'm sitting next to at the school assembly): Do you know what time this will go to as I ought to be back at work by about 10am?
Her: I think about 9.30. Do you work in the city?
Me: No, I'm a freelancer, so I mostly work from home.
Her: Doing what?
Me: Financial copywriting, generally, for banks and stockbrokers.
Her (pulling face to indicate distaste): I bet that's not the glamourous idea you had in mind when you started copywriting.
Me: (contemplating possible responses, including that most of my work has just happened organiclly and glamour was never a factor): ... Um ... I don't really mind it. [Trying to think of something to say to move the conversation away from my offensively unglamourous job] I'm also a primary school teacher - I do that for fun.
Her (pulling face as above): Except that it's not fun.
Me: (totally speechless for at least five seconds) Actually, I really enjoy it, although it is often quite hard work. [Trying to get away from my work altogether] What about you?
Her (expression of complete disdain): I don't participate in the paid workforce.
Silence.
I have known many women who have had the luxury of not participating in the paid workforce, but I have never before had someone respond so negatively to my work. It really threw me.
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6 comments:
She sounds like someone who is miserable with her own life and projecting that misery onto others.
Honestly, don't you wish you'd burst out into an enormous guffaw of delighted disbelief that anyone could be so . . . um, obtuse, rude, and a plethora of other adjectives. . . . Wow! Pretty unbelievable that one could so lack social skills. Hope her kid doesn't come home with yours any time soon. . . ;-)
Pseu, that's what Spouse said. I guess I should feel sorry for her - but at the time I just felt like I was under attack!
Mater, you and Pseu have both said things that Spouse said to me when I told him. I do wish I had guffawed! Funnily enough, Kid 2 is catching the bus part of the way home today with her daughter ...
I feel sorry for her kids...
I am beginning to think that perhaps she was feeling intimidated by all the incredibly high achievers - the barristers etc - and went on the offensive because I was a comparatively easy target. Either way, it wasn't nice manners :)
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