"Ban Bossy" -- a new campaign to empower young women (1 Viewer)

[Smack Tripper]

Heard this on Opie and Anthony today...

http://abcnews.go.com/US/sheryl-sandberg-launches-ban-bossy-campaign-empower-girls/story?id=22819181

Can banning one school-yard word really change the world? Sheryl Sandberg says yes.

Sandberg -- the chief operating officer of Facebook and author of the best-selling book "Lean In" -- is spearheading the launch of a campaign today to ban the word "bossy," arguing the negative put-down stops girls from pursuing leadership roles.

"We know that by middle school, more boys than girls want to lead," Sandberg said, "and if you ask girls why they don't want to lead, whether it's the school project all the way on to running for office, they don't want to be called bossy, and they don't want to be disliked."

Sandberg said these attitudes begin early and continue into adulthood.

"We call girls bossy on the playground," Sandberg said. "We call them too aggressive or other B-words in the workplace. They're bossy as little girls, and then they're aggressive, political, shrill, too ambitious as women."

Sandberg's organization Lean In is joining forces with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Girl Scouts USA CEO Anna Maria Chávez to launch a public service campaign called "Ban Bossy." The banbossy.com website gives tips for parents, kids, teachers and others about how to encourage young female leaders.

Chavez said she got involved immediately after receiving a call from Sandberg, and believes the Girl Scouts are ideal partners for the new initiative. More than half of all American women were once Girl Scouts and two million girls are currently in scouting, she pointed out.

"Imagine a classroom in America where 50 kids are present: 25 girls, 25 boys," Chavez said.

"And the teacher walks into this classroom and says: 'Boys and girls, I have this really hard, difficult program that I need to solve that's gonna impact this country.' She writes the problem on the board and then turns around and escorts 24 of the 25 girls out of the room. ... She leaves one girl and 25 boys to solve that equation. That's what's happening every day in this country. Why wouldn't we want more girls to be opting in to building the right solutions this country."

The goal of the "Ban Bossy" campaign is to help girls and women feel more confident and comfortable as leaders.

While she and the other women leaders she is recruiting were able to persevere despite the taunt, many little girls can't, she said.

"If you look at the world, women do 66 percent of the work in the world. Woman produce 50 percent of the food. Women make 10 percent of the income and women own 1 percent of the property. We are 50 percent of the population. We are 5 percent of the Fortune 500 CEOs," Sandberg said. "We are 17 percent of the board seats. We are 19 percent in Congress. That's not enough for 50 percent of the population. We live in a world that is overwhelming run and owned by men."

During an interview at Facebook headquarters, she and Chavez are quick to point out that they are not encouraging rude, mean-girl behavior or bullying.

"Leadership is not bullying and leadership is not aggression," Sandberg said. "Leadership is the expectation that you can use your voice for good. That you can make the world a better place."

I'm sure this will solve many problems we share as a society.

 

[mquinnjr]

First comment in the comments section sums it up quite nicely:

TryNot2Get2Technical • 20 hours ago

Nothing says "bossy" more than BANNING a WORD just because YOU don't like it.

ETA: And the next one, agree with this completely as well:

Kaitlin Powell TryNot2Get2Technical • 11 hours ago

We will see more of this a set-up for Hillary Clinton in 2016. The liberals want to divide the country along gender lines, so they can get HIllary in... The gender issues have been somewhat quiet lately - but expect that to REALLY heat up.

Hillary has a lot of bullying in her past (from what ive read). Liberals need to re-frame the thinking so this will not be an election issue. If they can get the Country to NOT COMMENT on her actions over the last couple of decades (otherwise be labeled mysoginist) - then she will be setup for a victory.

 

[NCCommish]

Maybe try not being bossy? This is some stupid ####.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

 

[GroveDiesel]

Isn't bossy just another word for bully? True leadership isn't bossy. So dumb.

And women are seeing rapidly expanding opportunities for leadership. The idea that there is some sort of leadership crisis for women is silly. Someday, one of them may even be the CEO of a billion dollar tech company like Facebook.

 

[McGarnicle]

I have a better word for that anyway.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Women treat other "leading" women differently. Finding them and Calling them bossy, pushy, bitchy, et al.

Very hard for them to overcome and not a fault of simple words and phrases being used.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Yeah, I'm sure if they stop using that word that they'll stop being catty to one another completely. The couldn't possibly find another word.

 

[dickey moe]

They should get Hillary to do this.

 

[mquinnjr]

Women treat other "leading" women differently. Finding them and Calling them bossy, pushy, bitchy, et al.

Very hard for them to overcome and not a fault of simple words and phrases being used.

Do you think it's because it takes the crutch away from women who have not made it in their careers (or not made careers in the first place for themselves) that they can't climb the corporate ladder in this day in age?

That's what I sort of speculate is the case here.

I speculate that rather than embrace someone like Sandberg's career success as a pioneer...Sandberg is rather viewed as a threat to the mantra that Men keep women down in the workplace or prevent women from leading in theircareers...so let's tear her down, because we can push back against men on this topic, but it would be much harder for women to do so against another successful woman.

 

[Godsbrother]

What kind of an idiot does it take to try to ban a word? A bossy one.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

"Kylie, you need to stop being so bos...I mean you need to stop being such a little b itch."

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Women treat other "leading" women differently. Finding them and Calling them bossy, pushy, bitchy, et al.

Very hard for them to overcome and not a fault of simple words and phrases being used.

Do you think it's because it takes the crutch away from women who have not made it in their careers (or not made careers in the first place for themselves) that they can't climb the corporate ladder in this day in age?

That's what I sort of speculate is the case here.

I speculate that rather than embrace someone like Sandberg's career success as a pioneer...Sandberg is rather viewed as a threat to the mantra that Men keep women down in the workplace or prevent women from leading in theircareers...so let's tear her down, because we can push back against men on this topic, but it would be much harder for women to do so against another successful woman.

Its because of what people come to expect. From men they expect a,b,c. From women they expect x,y,z.

Once you step out of the comfort zone (i.e. make other people uncomfortable because of their own inabilities to comprehend) that is what inevitably will happen.

 

[NCCommish]

Women treat other "leading" women differently. Finding them and Calling them bossy, pushy, bitchy, et al.

Very hard for them to overcome and not a fault of simple words and phrases being used.

Do you think it's because it takes the crutch away from women who have not made it in their careers (or not made careers in the first place for themselves) that they can't climb the corporate ladder in this day in age?

That's what I sort of speculate is the case here.

I speculate that rather than embrace someone like Sandberg's career success as a pioneer...Sandberg is rather viewed as a threat to the mantra that Men keep women down in the workplace or prevent women from leading in theircareers...so let's tear her down, because we can push back against men on this topic, but it would be much harder for women to do so against another successful woman.

The young lady I work with says it's because women don't like women. She says loves working here because it is an almost exclusively male work group and men are easier to work with than women. None of the catty bull#### that comes with an office full of women.

 

[Schlzm]

Would calling someone a bossy slut be the new cant(){where a=u;}? Or just a dominatrix?

Schlzm

 

[SacramentoBob]

Women treat other "leading" women differently. Finding them and Calling them bossy, pushy, bitchy, et al.

Very hard for them to overcome and not a fault of simple words and phrases being used.

Do you think it's because it takes the crutch away from women who have not made it in their careers (or not made careers in the first place for themselves) that they can't climb the corporate ladder in this day in age?

That's what I sort of speculate is the case here.

I speculate that rather than embrace someone like Sandberg's career success as a pioneer...Sandberg is rather viewed as a threat to the mantra that Men keep women down in the workplace or prevent women from leading in theircareers...so let's tear her down, because we can push back against men on this topic, but it would be much harder for women to do so against another successful woman.

The young lady I work with says it's because women don't like women. She says loves working here because it is an almost exclusively male work group and men are easier to work with than women. None of the catty bull#### that comes with an office full of women.

The amount of petty BS that goes on in female dominated workplaces is ridiculous. It's like they never leave high school mentality. Men meet at the bike racks at 3pm to hash out their differences and generally get it out of their system by the time they're adults.

 

[igbomb]

I have two daughters myself and hope they never have to feel any hesitancy to assert themselves due to some fear of being perceived as bossy, but it's asinine to try to ban a word and think it would have any impact.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Isn't bossy just another word for bully? True leadership isn't bossy. So dumb.

And women are seeing rapidly expanding opportunities for leadership. The idea that there is some sort of leadership crisis for women is silly. Someday, one of them may even be the CEO of a billion dollar tech company like Facebook.

Facebook's COO is a woman.

And there's already at least 1 female CEO of a billion dollar tech company. Meg Whitman was the CEO of eBay for a decade and is currently CEO of HP.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Isn't bossy just another word for bully? True leadership isn't bossy. So dumb.

And women are seeing rapidly expanding opportunities for leadership. The idea that there is some sort of leadership crisis for women is silly. Someday, one of them may even be the CEO of a billion dollar tech company like Facebook.

Facebook's COO is a woman.And there's already at least 1 female CEO of a billion dollar tech company. Meg Whitman was the CEO of eBay for a decade and is currently CEO of HP.

Yeah, sorry, meant to put COO, not CEO. And it was total snark because the woman that wants to ban the word bossy because there is such a crisis for female leadership IS the Facebook COO.

 

[Smack Tripper]

I thought the O and A show made a good point, Beyonce is apparently a prominent part of the campaign, and is referred to in repeated references in Jay Z's lyrics as the Boss.

Not to mention his own language choices with the N word. I wonder how a campaign to ban that word IN HIP HOP would go over.

 

[Clifford]

Women treat other "leading" women differently. Finding them and Calling them bossy, pushy, bitchy, et al.

Very hard for them to overcome and not a fault of simple words and phrases being used.

Do you think it's because it takes the crutch away from women who have not made it in their careers (or not made careers in the first place for themselves) that they can't climb the corporate ladder in this day in age?

That's what I sort of speculate is the case here.

I speculate that rather than embrace someone like Sandberg's career success as a pioneer...Sandberg is rather viewed as a threat to the mantra that Men keep women down in the workplace or prevent women from leading in theircareers...so let's tear her down, because we can push back against men on this topic, but it would be much harder for women to do so against another successful woman.

The young lady I work with says it's because women don't like women. She says loves working here because it is an almost exclusively male work group and men are easier to work with than women. None of the catty bull#### that comes with an office full of women.

Have heard this exact same thing from a woman in a nearly all-male office.

Sheryl Sandberg has obviously appointed herself leader of all women, and she needs to #### and get the #### over herself. You worked your way up at Facebook, after having the perfect set-up in life and education. Congrats. You know what's a ####load more impressive than you "leaning in?" The MEN who invented it.

 

[E Street Brat]

And then they kiss and have a tickle fight,

 

[Schlzm]

Serious question. How many more symbolic and pointless steps need to be taken until women have been empowered enough? Yeah people are going to point at random numbers claiming that not enough women are x or whatever, but what if that many women simply don't want to be x? I'm sure there is a huge gap when it comes gender and coal mining, should we be pushing for more female coal miners just because it isn't "equal"? Bunch of neo-idiocy nonsense. I say we flip the coin and start an equality campaign that not enough men are mothers. Why the bias America?

Schlzm

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

I thought the O and A show made a good point, Beyonce is apparently a prominent part of the campaign, and is referred to in repeated references in Jay Z's lyrics as the Boss.

I don't see how this is a good point. Being called "the boss" isn't the same as being called "bossy."

ETA: Oh wait, Beyonce herself said the same thing: http://cdn-media.leanin.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Ban-Bossy-Quote-Graphic_Beyonce.png

 

[Schlzm]

I thought the O and A show made a good point, Beyonce is apparently a prominent part of the campaign, and is referred to in repeated references in Jay Z's lyrics as the Boss.

I don't see how this is a good point. Being called "the boss" isn't the same as being called "bossy."ETA: Oh wait, Beyonce herself said the same thing: http://cdn-media.leanin.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Ban-Bossy-Quote-Graphic_Beyonce.png

If anyone said that to me I would tell them I quit. Love to see their reaction to that!Schlzm

ETA: Oh and also Tony Danza's the boss! stupid #####es.

 

[NCCommish]

I thought the O and A show made a good point, Beyonce is apparently a prominent part of the campaign, and is referred to in repeated references in Jay Z's lyrics as the Boss.

I don't see how this is a good point. Being called "the boss" isn't the same as being called "bossy."

ETA: Oh wait, Beyonce herself said the same thing: http://cdn-media.leanin.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Ban-Bossy-Quote-Graphic_Beyonce.png

The way she says it makes me think she is a bossy boss probably a micro-manager.

 

[Clifford]

Serious question. How many more symbolic and pointless steps need to be taken until women have been empowered enough? Yeah people are going to point at random numbers claiming that not enough women are x or whatever, but what if that many women simply don't want to be x? I'm sure there is a huge gap when it comes gender and coal mining, should we be pushing for more female coal miners just because it isn't "equal"? Bunch of neo-idiocy nonsense. I say we flip the coin and start an equality campaign that not enough men are mothers. Why the bias America?

Schlzm

There is already a campaign aimed at women encouraging them to take up more blue-collar careers.

 

[Clifford]

Isn't bossy just another word for bully? True leadership isn't bossy. So dumb.

And women are seeing rapidly expanding opportunities for leadership. The idea that there is some sort of leadership crisis for women is silly. Someday, one of them may even be the CEO of a billion dollar tech company like Facebook.

Facebook's COO is a woman.And there's already at least 1 female CEO of a billion dollar tech company. Meg Whitman was the CEO of eBay for a decade and is currently CEO of HP.

Yeah, sorry, meant to put COO, not CEO. And it was total snark because the woman that wants to ban the word bossy because there is such a crisis for female leadership IS the Facebook COO.

Marissa Mayer, CEO Yahoo!

 

[GroveDiesel]

I thought the O and A show made a good point, Beyonce is apparently a prominent part of the campaign, and is referred to in repeated references in Jay Z's lyrics as the Boss.

I don't see how this is a good point. Being called "the boss" isn't the same as being called "bossy."ETA: Oh wait, Beyonce herself said the same thing: http://cdn-media.leanin.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Ban-Bossy-Quote-Graphic_Beyonce.png

I have a hard time taking her seriously on the "strong woman" thing when she married a guy that has used the word b###### in his singing career more times than a dog breeder from the 1920s. That's not even mentioning her recent songs that make it clear she's pretty much just a place for her husband to get his rocks off.

 

[NCCommish]

When you are really the boss you don't have to go around telling everyone you are the boss.

 

[Schlzm]

When you are really the boss you don't have to go around telling everyone you are the boss.

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

When you are really the boss you don't have to go around telling everyone you are the boss.

How would people know if you don't tell them?

 

[Christo]

"We know that by middle school, more boys than girls want to lead," Sandberg said, "and if you ask girls why they don't want to lead, whether it's the school project all the way on to running for office, they don't want to be called bossy, and they don't want to be disliked."

You can change all of the words you want. But being disliked is part of being a leader. It's not easy to lead for this very reason.

 

[NCCommish]

When you are really the boss you don't have to go around telling everyone you are the boss.

How would people know if you don't tell them?

I am the guy who runs the company day to day. Apparently everyone has a pretty good idea who is in charge without me ever saying a thing like "I'm the boss". And really only insecure schmucks, or people who have only marginal power, spend their time making sure everyone knows they are "in charge."

 

[Andy Dufresne]

When you are really the boss you don't have to go around telling everyone you are the boss.

How would people know if you don't tell them?

I am the guy who runs the company day to day. Apparently everyone has a pretty good idea who is in charge without me ever saying a thing like "I'm the boss". And really only insecure schmucks, or people who have only marginal power, spend their time making sure everyone knows they are "in charge."

I'm really hoping that he asked that tongue in cheek.

 

[B-Deep]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NisCkxU544c

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

When you are really the boss you don't have to go around telling everyone you are the boss.

How would people know if you don't tell them?

I am the guy who runs the company day to day. Apparently everyone has a pretty good idea who is in charge without me ever saying a thing like "I'm the boss". And really only insecure schmucks, or people who have only marginal power, spend their time making sure everyone knows they are "in charge."

I'm really hoping that he asked that tongue in cheek.

Tony Danza and Judith Light probably could have cleared up a lot of confusion by just being more explicit.

 

[Socrates11]

So you want to ban the word 'bossy'? Isn't that cute.

 

[Da Guru]

Can a guy still be bossy?

 

[NCCommish]

When you are really the boss you don't have to go around telling everyone you are the boss.

How would people know if you don't tell them?

I am the guy who runs the company day to day. Apparently everyone has a pretty good idea who is in charge without me ever saying a thing like "I'm the boss". And really only insecure schmucks, or people who have only marginal power, spend their time making sure everyone knows they are "in charge."

I'm really hoping that he asked that tongue in cheek.

Tony Danza and Judith Light probably could have cleared up a lot of confusion by just being more explicit.

But then how would hijinks ensue?

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

Can a guy still be bossy?

Boys are rarely described as "bossy", at least according to the "ban bossy" folks. That's sort of the point.

 

[NCCommish]

Can a guy still be bossy?

Boys are rarely described as "bossy", at least according to the "ban bossy" folks. That's sort of the point.

Yeah I am going to guess if they sat the same number of boys in that room and had them raise their hand if they were ever called bossy most or all would raise their hands. That's a word children use on other children.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Can a guy still be bossy?

Maybe? Probably? Or maybe he would just be called mean, a jerk, a bully, etc.

This campaign is beyond ridiculous. It's like something from SNL or The Onion.

 

[B-Deep]

Can a guy still be bossy?

Boys are rarely described as "bossy", at least according to the "ban bossy" folks. That's sort of the point.

i tell my son to stop being so bossy all the time

normally when he is being a minecraft tyrant with his friends

 

[Clifford]

Women treat other "leading" women differently. Finding them and Calling them bossy, pushy, bitchy, et al.

Very hard for them to overcome and not a fault of simple words and phrases being used.

Do you think it's because it takes the crutch away from women who have not made it in their careers (or not made careers in the first place for themselves) that they can't climb the corporate ladder in this day in age?

That's what I sort of speculate is the case here.

I speculate that rather than embrace someone like Sandberg's career success as a pioneer...Sandberg is rather viewed as a threat to the mantra that Men keep women down in the workplace or prevent women from leading in theircareers...so let's tear her down, because we can push back against men on this topic, but it would be much harder for women to do so against another successful woman.

My sister hates her, and here's why: In her book, she takes it as a foregone conclusion that everyone wants to be COO of Facebook or whatever their particular career ladder is and it's lack of courage and confidence that's holding them back. She then goes on to tell women how they can be courageous and confident just like her.

Taking it as fact that everyone wants a workaholic, self-aggrandizing life for themselves shows just how insular and myopic she is. My sister holds a PhD and works for a division of the CDC that has been cited by the President as great work being done by our government. She was recently called in to consult with the DoD about their gender violence problems in the military. So she is already incredibly successful. However, she has purposefully declined opportunities to climb the ladder at the CDC because it would take time away from her family, something she places above her career simply because its more important to her.

Sandberg's assumption that all women want to be like her and simply lack the courage is a ridiculous one filled with self-love and hubris.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Women treat other "leading" women differently. Finding them and Calling them bossy, pushy, bitchy, et al.

Very hard for them to overcome and not a fault of simple words and phrases being used.

Do you think it's because it takes the crutch away from women who have not made it in their careers (or not made careers in the first place for themselves) that they can't climb the corporate ladder in this day in age?

That's what I sort of speculate is the case here.

I speculate that rather than embrace someone like Sandberg's career success as a pioneer...Sandberg is rather viewed as a threat to the mantra that Men keep women down in the workplace or prevent women from leading in theircareers...so let's tear her down, because we can push back against men on this topic, but it would be much harder for women to do so against another successful woman.

My sister hates her, and here's why: In her book, she takes it as a foregone conclusion that everyone wants to be COO of Facebook or whatever their particular career ladder is and it's lack of courage and confidence that's holding them back. She then goes on to tell women how they can be courageous and confident just like her.Taking it as fact that everyone wants a workaholic, self-aggrandizing life for themselves shows just how insular and myopic she is. My sister holds a PhD and works for a division of the CDC that has been cited by the President as great work being done by our government. She was recently called in to consult with the DoD about their gender violence problems in the military. So she is already incredibly successful. However, she has purposefully declined opportunities to climb the ladder at the CDC because it would take time away from her family, something she places above her career simply because its more important to her.

Sandberg's assumption that all women want to be like her and simply lack the courage is a ridiculous one filled with self-love and hubris.

So you're saying your sister thinks Sandberg is bossy?

 

[Christo]

Women treat other "leading" women differently. Finding them and Calling them bossy, pushy, bitchy, et al.

Very hard for them to overcome and not a fault of simple words and phrases being used.

Do you think it's because it takes the crutch away from women who have not made it in their careers (or not made careers in the first place for themselves) that they can't climb the corporate ladder in this day in age?

That's what I sort of speculate is the case here.

I speculate that rather than embrace someone like Sandberg's career success as a pioneer...Sandberg is rather viewed as a threat to the mantra that Men keep women down in the workplace or prevent women from leading in theircareers...so let's tear her down, because we can push back against men on this topic, but it would be much harder for women to do so against another successful woman.

My sister hates her, and here's why: In her book, she takes it as a foregone conclusion that everyone wants to be COO of Facebook or whatever their particular career ladder is and it's lack of courage and confidence that's holding them back. She then goes on to tell women how they can be courageous and confident just like her.

Taking it as fact that everyone wants a workaholic, self-aggrandizing life for themselves shows just how insular and myopic she is. My sister holds a PhD and works for a division of the CDC that has been cited by the President as great work being done by our government. She was recently called in to consult with the DoD about their gender violence problems in the military. So she is already incredibly successful. However, she has purposefully declined opportunities to climb the ladder at the CDC because it would take time away from her family, something she places above her career simply because its more important to her.

Sandberg's assumption that all women want to be like her and simply lack the courage is a ridiculous one filled with self-love and hubris.

The world needs ditch diggers too, Sheryl.

 

[AAABatteries]

When you are really the boss you don't have to go around telling everyone you are the boss.

How would people know if you don't tell them?

I wondered the same until I found my new coffee mug - http://www.spencersonline.com/images/spencers/products/interactivezoom/processed/02426401.interactive.a.jpg

 

[TxBuckeye]

Taking it as fact that everyone wants a workaholic, self-aggrandizing life for themselves shows just how insular and myopic she is. My sister holds a PhD and works for a division of the CDC that has been cited by the President as great work being done by our government. She was recently called in to consult with the DoD about their gender violence problems in the military. So she is already incredibly successful. However, she has purposefully declined opportunities to climb the ladder at the CDC because it would take time away from her family, something she places above her career simply because its more important to her.

Sounds like she lacks the confidence and courage to accept the heightened responsibility these new positions would require of her and is using her family as a crutch. /sandberg

 

[Andrew74]

Women treat other "leading" women differently. Finding them and Calling them bossy, pushy, bitchy, et al.

Very hard for them to overcome and not a fault of simple words and phrases being used.

Do you think it's because it takes the crutch away from women who have not made it in their careers (or not made careers in the first place for themselves) that they can't climb the corporate ladder in this day in age?

That's what I sort of speculate is the case here.

I speculate that rather than embrace someone like Sandberg's career success as a pioneer...Sandberg is rather viewed as a threat to the mantra that Men keep women down in the workplace or prevent women from leading in theircareers...so let's tear her down, because we can push back against men on this topic, but it would be much harder for women to do so against another successful woman.

The young lady I work with says it's because women don't like women. She says loves working here because it is an almost exclusively male work group and men are easier to work with than women. None of the catty bull#### that comes with an office full of women.

I have two female staffers and one begs me not to hire a woman anytime there is an opening.