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It's a poor social etiquette! You don't ask people, and especially women their age, their weight, how much they make, or other personal questions. It is inappropriate and impertinent, unless you have a clear purpose beyond idle curiosity or speculation.
If you're dating or spending significant time with someone, you'll eventually find out. If not, there's no need to know.
I agree.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TabulaRasa
With age discrimination being rampant in the workplace, and essentially impossible to substantiate (as with nearly all forms of discrimination), I find NOTHING whatsoever off about shutting down coworkers who pry regarding one's age. It simply isn't the sort of thing a coworker needs to know at all, apart from being culturally socially inappropriate behavior.
I agree. I know several people who probably were fired or not promoted or transferred due to their age.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NotSocial
Okay, I waited for what everyone said, this is rude? So why is it that when some other guy asked her for her age she told him and it happened at the job. This happened 6 months after she told me to hush. This guy she gladly told him, no hesitation, I saw it with my own eyes.
Maybe she knew him longer, maybe he asked in a different context, maybe he was nicer to her, maybe she already told him once before and he was asking again, maybe some other reason./
Okay, I waited for what everyone said, this is rude? So why is it that when some other guy asked her for her age she told him and it happened at the job. This happened 6 months after she told me to hush. This guy she gladly told him, no hesitation, I saw it with my own eyes.
It reduces a woman to a biological category. We see a LOT of it on the Relationships board from angry kissless virgin engineers who want to know WHY women won't bow down in their presence.
If I worked in a place where some coworker was keeping score cards in his head of what I said to whom 6 months apart and I came to know about it, I would be afraid - it sounds like stalking-type behavior, or autistic but aggressive.
In general, it is rude to ask a woman's age because we live in a society that largely judges women by their physical attractiveness and ability to bear children, and women are generally pressured to be eternally young - take one look at Hollywood and the relative ages of "mated" couples in movies and you'll get a clue - so it has become a social norm that it is not appropriate to ask a woman's age in many contexts including casual work conversation.
She tried to give you a subtle, polite hint not to ask when she said "Hush". The fact that she told someone else is meaningless. Maybe she didn't feel like fighting it that particular day, maybe that person has more social etiquette than you and has a relationship with her such that she doesn't feel offended by being asked - whatever the reason, it is irrelevant and none of your business - same as her age.
The fact that you're keeping track of this kind of stuff is frankly disturbing and aggressive.
What does it mean if a female tells you to hush after asking her how old she is? A female worker at the job I started a conversation with told me to hush with her index finger touching her lips after I asked her how old she is. I thought she was joking or something. I asked her again and she did the same thing. Now when I see her I don't even look at her. I don't talk to her. I don't even respond to her if she says hi. I been doing this for a year now.
I find it hard to believe you didn't know that a lot of women are insecure about their age. It's common knowledge.
You also shouldn't be making too personal of chitchat with your co-workers at work if you know what's good for ya. Especially with a co-worker who is a straight woman if you're a straight guy. You're bound to have problems if you do.
It reduces a woman to a biological category. We see a LOT of it on the Relationships board from angry kissless virgin engineers who want to know WHY women won't bow down in their presence.
This is the first I have ever heard of that, and that's ridiculous. There aren't any other generalized ways to refer to genders without taking into account age. Are we expected to say "girls & women" instead of "females" and "boys & men" instead of "males"? I don't think so.
Merely using those terms doesn't make a person a misogynist nor a misandrist.
This is the first I have ever heard of that, and that's ridiculous. There aren't any other generalized ways to refer to genders without taking into account age. Are we expected to say "girls & women" instead of "females" and "boys & men" instead of "males"? I don't think so.
Merely using those terms doesn't make a person a misogynist nor a misandrist.
Because you've never noticed it, it's ridiculous?
As usual, context is key. This is but one explanation you can easily find by Googling:
It's often used by men who want to have sex with women but don't really seem to like women very much. Hang around the Relationships forum a while and you'll get it.
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