Sunday, July 26, 2009

Pretty Little Head

Okay, I'm normally a pretty easy going girl, but one thing that really gets me is when people act like I'm less than they are. Just because I a) work as a maid, b) am young, and c) am female doesn't give anyone the right to treat me like I'm half a person. I've had people staying at the lodge I work at tell their children that I'm a maid because I'm poor and I'll never amount to anything. I've had men sexually harass me, and then try to justify it by saying that I'm a woman, which is somehow supposed to make it all right. I've had older people tell me how my generation is self centered and is destroying our world without even knowing. But a few days ago I had a real first: someone refused to speak to me and I have no idea why.
This week there was a summer music festival in my home town, and I offered to help cook for a man who was housing 7 of the performers. He and I talked, and he told me that a baked good, any baked good, that would work as an alternative to cereal would be great. Then that afternoon a middle aged woman that is staying at this man's home while her husband is moving their belongings down to their new home in Arizona and who had refused to cook for the guests called our house. I was the only one home, so I answered the phone. She wanted to know if she could talk to my mom "about what Aaron is going to cook for the people staying at X's house." I was a little baffled since I had clearly identified myself when I answered the phone, but I told her that my mom wasn't home. She then told me that she'd call back latter when my mom was home. I was kind of miffed at why she wouldn't talk to me when I was the one who was going to do the baking anyway, so before she hung up I asked her if she wanted to tell me what she needed or if she wanted to leave a message for my mom. She told me that she'd like to leave a message. Her message went something like this "There are going to be 8 people here Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I'd like Aaron to make coffee cake for breakfast Friday morning." Then after making sure that I would give my mom the message she said "goodbye Aaron" and hung up.
I, handle my own finances, live on my own for most of the year, act responsibly, and have in the past run my own buisness. In my eyes there is no reason why I shouldn't be able to speak for myself as long as I do it responsibly and politely. However, something about who I am caused this woman to treat me as though there's nothing but air in this pretty little head. All I can say is that I have to much hair for that to be true because if there wasn't something in their to hold it all up my head would have caved in by now from the weight of my hair.
I guess this just goes to show that everyone has a different view of everybody else.

-Aaron

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