Transgendered Teachers "Rights" - WTF

One of my friends just posted this on her facebook wall:

(Names have been removed and replaced with **)

*My Friend* "Aaaaaaaand... my daughter is working her way towards a good Catholic education."

Debate Over Transgender Teachers - CBS News Video

www.cbsnews.com

CBS News: Debate Over Transgender Teachers - Nancy Cordes spoke with the Human Rights Campaign's Allyson Robinson and the Traditional Values Coalition's Andrea Lafferty about the upcoming congressional vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Yesterday at 9:10pm · Comment · Like · Share

*Friend 1* - "I will take a qualified transgender teacher over a straight "teacher" that doesn't know how to teach or that doesn't care about kids any day. Look at the skills of the teacher and not the gender. Seriously, should we also not allow gays and lesbians to teach? Let's just put everyone who is not "normal" according to the religious radicals on an island! Everyone needs to stop judging others and let God do the judging!"

Yesterday at 9:41pm

*My Friend's Father* - "You miss the point of the discussion. No one argues for unqualified teachers in the classroom. A kindergartener should not be required to "learn" why his/her teacher has changed from Ralph to Mary before he or she knows how to read. Parents should also be permitted to direct this sort of personal part of their child's upbringing. You don't have to be a "religious radical" to recognize that an agenda is being pushed here and parents are best able to make the decision about its appropriateness."

Yesterday at 10:22pm

Heather *Me* - "That's sad. The fact that people possess that sort of prejudice and hatred for others and hide behind terms like "severe mental disorder" and "Christianity" only proves that they are hypocritical bigots. So much for love and acceptance.

On the physical side...approximately 17 out of every 1000 births are inter-sexed...meaning the child may appear male or female but has physical identifiers of the other gender. Many parents opt to have their newborn surgically altered to appear fully one sex even though the child may have equal traits devoted to male and female anatomy. Should these people also be banned from teaching simply because they were born different?

Since the term "transgender" covers people who dress and act in a style or manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex...they are being discriminated based solely on their appearance. Think of what kind of doors this opens... Maybe all teachers should be under a certain weight so that children aren't led to believe that being overweight is acceptable... This line of thinking is hurtful and ignorant.

In my opinion, the idea of binary gender groups is not only unrealistic, it's also a much more harmful to a child to tell them that people that are different deserve to be treated with less respect. The world isn't monochromatic. Children who grow up in a more diverse culture will be more accepting in the future. The only people that are "confused" are the parents...unfortunately many of them would be more content poisoning the minds of our youth than allowing them to embrace cultural diversity."

The real concern I have here is that it's discrimination. Plain and simple. What if a child is "confused" that their teacher is not the same color they are? Or talks different from mommy and daddy? These are still things you "can't" explain to a child...but it's still wrong to exclude them from the classroom if they are qualified and capable to teach.

Trying to make sure everyone fits into the make-believe "standards" that many adults have set in place is why racists and sexists still exist today. They are created, not born. And parents can choose that for their children...it's just wrong to not give those people that are transgendered any choices.

Just my opinion...but I support equal rights."

9 hours ago ·

*Friend 1* - "Okay, so I haven't read this entire stream of comments, but here's once again where the religious radicals contradict themselves. Their reasoning is that we should, as parents, have the right to make choices for our children. What about the right to make choices when it comes to our own bodies? Is education more important of a right than our control over our own bodies? (I am truly not this liberal but its worth a thought.)

And, I 100% agree with Heather. This is no different than the arguments for segregated schools. Should we really allow our children to be taught by someone that looks different, or, God forbid, go to school or eat beside children that are different? Its a huge slippery slope. I recommend that you look at the level of education a child will receive in certain schools and, believe it or not, but non-Catholic, non-white, non-specific gender, non-straight people can provide one heck of a good education. Check out the tenured professors at the First Tier Universities. You will most likely find that no one professor at those schools fits the specific mold that the religious right wants for our children.

Bottom line: As a parent, we should teach our children tolerance and how to embrace all different types of people. Our differences are what makes us human and unique. The world is complicated and sheltering children in schools of like color, like creed, like gender is not a true representation of the people that GOD put on this earth.

8 hours ago

*My Friend's Father* - "But I guess that "tolerance" does not get extended to people whose sincerely-held religious beliefs include the belief that Homosexuality is "intrinsically disordered". This is not some recet formulation of the dreaded religious right but the tradition of mainstream Christianity and Judaism for their entire existence. I do not favor segregation, racism, lynchings, etc. I do favor allowing parents to direct the upbringing of their children (a long-held right here in America).

*Friend 1* and Heather may argue that Congress knows better how to raise children than parents but they are wrong.

Allowing parents to choose what their children learn about sexuality and when is very different from the broad question about allowing people to choose to have an abortion. Unfortunately, that (abortion) is a choice now available in America but I think it is in 99% of situations -- a very bad choice.

One more time, I think my children benefit from their contact with other children, no matter what their race, religious belief, disability or national origin.

I do not believe all children are prepared to discuss gender identity conflicts before they can read or maturely participate in the discussion. I do not believe children of that age are ready to make choices about smoking, drinking alcohol, using a salt shaker etc.

It is not about discrimination, it is about parental rights. Read Wisconsin v.Yoder for more on parental rights."

6 hours ago

*Me* - " [*Friend 1* and Heather may argue that Congress knows better how to raise children than parents but they are wrong.] This statement is incorrect.

I'm not debating the actual "issue" here in the video. I'm discussing the discriminatory behavior towards transgendered people. Everyone is entitled to their views, but I understand that there is no rational way to discuss them when religion becomes involved in an argument, so I'm going to leave it alone. I care about my friendship with *my friend* too much to keep posting walls of text."

2 minutes ago ·

Ah...ignorance and bigotry in the morning. What a way to start the day.

Black Friday Tips - LOL

1. GET UP EARLY AND WAIT OUTSIDE YOUR STORE OF CHOICE AT LEAST 5 HOURS BEFORE OPENING. Sure, getting up early and waiting in the cold isn't an ideal situation, but most stores only stock a VERY limited supply of the best deals, so the rewards go to those who get in line first. Remember, the better the deal, the less quantity they will stock.

2. Be a jerk. Being a nice, polite shopper will get you trampled on Black Friday. When all else fails, become unruly, it might take a little elbow bumping to grab that last LCD TV, but hey, that $20 savings is worth it, right? As soon as those doors open people will go rushing in, so be prepared to argue over items, take other people's baskets, and verbally abuse other people to get what you want.

3. Count on store employees helping you. Retail employees who have to work Black Friday are the most happy employees in the world. Everyone is fighting for the attention of the store employees, so one more won't hurt. Once you get one of them to help you, demand they only pay attention to you and start yelling obscenities if they attempt to help anyone else. You waited long enough to talk to them, it's your right!

4. Find out which stores match competitors’ prices. It helps to bring along the ad when you shop so that you can prove the item is on sale somewhere else at a reduced price. Many employees have no problem dropping what they are doing so that they can verify the item at the competitor and tie up a register while they change the price for you.

5. At the end of your shopping adventure remember: Lines are not important, you are! So when you see a line for checkout, feel free to jump in the front. Everyone else will understand, and if not, see Tip #2.

I Need to Learn to Fold AA - FML

So, this is a pretty common sight for me...sounds great right? No. Something that I've discovered while playing online poker is that AA is my bane. No matter what any other player has, it seems I will always lose with my pocket Aces...

Example:

Just recently, I was playing at a .05/.10 table with a $8.46 stack and was dealt A♦A♥, I was the big blind, and as it went around the table 5 players called...of course, once it came to me I raised $1.00; 2 folded and the other 3 called. Then the flop came, 9♥4♥A♠. I raised $2.50...1 folded, 2 called. Turn was 7♥, so I was feeling pretty good as one guy raised .50. I pushed all-in and was thrilled when the same guy called me. He had called me with 2♦5♠...the river was a 3♦. :-( And the sad part is, I get AA all the time and I ALWAYS lose with it. FML.

My Take on Retail: Part 2 - WTF

Retailers are facing increased verbal and physical abuse from shoppers who in many cases see no wrong in their behaviour towards staff, a new report suggests.

The study, commissioned by G4S Security Services, found one in 20 Brits believe it is acceptable to abuse a shop worker verbally if they are unhappy with the level of service.

Over the last five years, 1.6 million consumers have verbally abused retail staff for supposed poor service, the survey claims.

Shockingly, it also claims more than 150,000 Britons think physical abuse against retail workers is justifiable if they deem the service insufficient.

G4S sales and marketing director Douglas Greenwell said: "It is wholly unacceptable that retail employees should face the threat of verbal or physical assault.

"While shoppers are increasingly time pressured and expect high levels of service, this should not be allowed to translate into abuse towards store workers."

Shane Brennan, public affairs director at the Association of Convenience Stores, said: "Abuse of people working in stores is completely unacceptable. Communities and police must work together to help retailers. They have to make clear that violence is unacceptable."

John Hannett, general secretary of shopworkers' union Usdaw, said: "This survey confirms what Usdaw has been saying for a number of years. We will continue our work to protect shopworkers from abuse."

A survey by Independent Retail News last year found 26% of independent retailers had suffered verbal abuse, 13% physical assault and 11% had been threatened with a weapon.

The original story appears in Independent Retail News : Friday, 16 January 2009

Britain is certainly not alone when it comes to customers abusing employees. It is becoming more and more frequent for us to be threatened, demeaned, and cursed out. It saddens me how supposedly sane people think that it is okay to treat employees the way that they do...and the worse part is that corporate believes: "The customer is always right."

My Take on Retail: Part 1 - LOL

Want a job where you are disrespected and made to do menial tasks? Do you like thanking random jerks for making your day miserable? Retail may be just the job for you! Why?

I started working retail over six years ago and I love it! The customer service experience is great! Many of them treat me poorly and act like they too superior to even listen to me when I ask them if they need assistance. They litter the stores, ask stupid questions, mess up displays, moan about service, etc. Many of these customers need the staff to fawn over them, apologize for things that are not our fault, and expect a bright cheery smile and "Thank you!" for shopping at the store. It's very fulfilling to be so needed!

And what really makes any retail experience enjoyable is your co-workers. They are very helpful pointing out when I'm not being polite enough to customers or that my sales are inadequate. It's great to have constant reminders that I'm not doing my job well enough!

The money is excellent too! On a retail salary, I can not afford to pay for my bills, rent, or food alone. I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when I step into Wal-Mart and cash my .04 checks.

And talk about a future! Why would you want to be an office administrative assistant that makes more than a store manager? It's a sound investment to take the best years of your life to fully devote yourself to a company that will throw you away in a heartbeat.

Retail is the place to be! If you haven't already gotten yourself a dead-end job, I say go for it! It's everything I dreamed it would be...and more.

I'm Fat - FML

So my puppy, Ayla, is now closer to 50lbs than the 35lbs I claimed on our apartment applications...but she is in denial. She still believes she is a puppy and loves to cuddle and even sit on laps.

As Ayla was doing her normal rounds of begging for attention she came over to me and I called her onto my lap. She climbed up and proceeded to get comfortable, which I should note is not easy for her size.

After a few minutes [my-ex] called her over to him so that he could get some cuddle time with her. Ayla kept looking back up to me and trying to jump back in my lap, but eventually he just scooped her up and put her in his lap. Then he said "See puppy, it's just like laying on your mommy...only I'm not as fat." FML

Christian Helpline - FML

So, tonight I just got off of the phone with a Christian helpline I heard of off the radio. I'm not Christian...I was just really bored. So 3 hours later I have this guy on the other end questioning everything he believes and trying to defend things that are contradictory or unexplainable. When I hung up the first thing I thought was...I must have rolled really high on my diplomacy check. *sigh*

Pranks at Work - LOL

∆ Click the name of the post to go to the site. ∆

I stumbled across this website thanks to random facebook advertisements and thought I would share. It gave me a few laughs today when I needed them. I found this one in particular extremely funny:

Only 10...ish Minutes Late - FML

When I say 10ish, it's probably more like 30, but who's counting? Other than the time clock of course.

When things happen to me, it's not just an instance, it's a production. Today I was scheduled to be at work at 9:00 so last night I set my alarm on my phone to 7:30 to give myself PLENTY of time.

Of course, being the heavy sleeper I am, when fire engines and EMS vehicles began blaring their sirens on a nearby road at around 4:00, I found it slightly difficult to go back to sleep. Once I finally began to re-enter dreamland however, I awoke to a falling sensation. As I hit the floor and became extremely confused at my predicament, I realized that I had simply rolled too far...which is something I haven't done in quite some time.

Bruised and tired, I crawled back into bed and attempted to ignore the blatant snoring from my adorable, yet obnoxiously loud, puppy dog to no avail. After a few strong nudges, she changed her position and it was mostly quiet again, although by then it was after 5:30. Worried that I wouldn't be able to wake up to my alarm, I set an additional one at 7:20 and put my phone right beside me on the bed...the only issue being that when I laid it face down beside me I was unaware that it was still "on" and depleting my battery life significantly.

When I finally woke up again I went to check my phone to see what time it was and...of course, it was dead. After plugging it in to charge I saw that it was 8:35, so I began to scramble to get ready. I found my clothes for work relatively quickly...almost as quickly as it took the toothpaste to find them. So, while trying to find another shirt, Ayla began whining and I realized I still needed to take her out.

I found the leash, grabbed my keys, and went to the door. As I went to open the door, the doorknob came off in my hand...you'd think it would be easy to put a doorknob back on, but under the circumstances, I was having a difficult time. After attempting to pry the door open with my hands and having no success, I again went back to the task of trying to reattach the knob. I finally managed to open the door and out went Ayla...with no leash to restrain her.

As Ayla exited the apartment she saw something that obviously interested her and went full speed towards what appeared to be a barking rat. Luckily the other dog was close to the elevator so I was able to yell enough that Ayla decided it wasn't worth the chase. After having to coax her back the put the leash on we finally went downstairs.

After her bathroom trip we went to go back inside and I realized I had brought the wrong keys. I have two sets, so it was bound to happen someday...just WHY was that day today? And to top it off, I realized I had the wrong set as I removed my foot from a previous lawn visitor's deposit.

My pride was barely in tact as I walked up to the doors smelling like poop and pleading through the glass to the lady at the concierge counter let me in the lobby. Thankfully during my haste in taking Ayla outside, the door to the apartment hadn't closed entirely, so I WAS able to open it and get back inside. That was the highlight of my day. As I went to leave, the doorknob came off in my hand again. *sigh*

As I walked to where the car was parked, I kept scraping the bottom of my shoes hoping to get the bowel residue off...then I saw where it ACTUALLY was. It was on my pants...and scraping my shoes was just grinding it in further. I used some old coffee, that had been in the cup holder for days, to "wash" my pants of the odor. Turns out, a little more thought should be required before I'm allowed to operate a cup of old coffee.

On the drive to work there were two, yes, two accidents...and I seemed to hit every light on the way.

As I hobbled into work, still in pain from my prior endeavors with mother nature, I had no idea what I should say. "Sorry" just didn't seem adequate enough, yet, that was all I felt I could produce. No excuses. But, as I tried to log in, I found that I was still logged in from the prior day (when power went out), so I hoped that I could just dodge logging in alltogether and once they found the error they would just fix it...no such luck.

I saw the district manager and managers from other stores coming out of the break room. Turns out today was a visiting day. FML.

Staples Disco - LOL

Mother Nature and I have come to an agreement. When I step outside it rains. Well, I guess it's not really much of an agreement so much as an understanding on my part that I'm going to get rained on, but nonetheless, it's actually pretty humorous and tends to make for interesting stories.

Today at work, it was much of the same - torrential downpours from my chaperones in the sky...until Mother Nature upped her game and decided to throw me a power outage too. Now I'm not sure if this was a gift or a curse, but either way, it was fun. The lights (and everything else - except the phone lines) faded into silence and darkness, until a few minutes later we were bathed in flashing beams of hope. Turns out, there was JUST enough power left for the lights to cause seizures, but not for the air-conditioning or computers. So there we were. An impromptu party at Club Staples. And it was a genuine club experience too...flashing lights, awkward silences, long lines, impatient people, and uncomfortable heat. Who could ask for anything more?

LOL.