cebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg and the Girl Scouts of America have united to confront the issues that are really affecting females the world over. Step one: ban the word “bossy.” Sandberg’s organization, LeanIn.org, is aimed at helping women achieve their career goals and get recognition for it. Her new effort is aimed squarely at the English language because one word has a “negative stigma” attached to it. With the help of Beyonce, she launched a web site Monday at BanBossy, on which is proclaimed: When a little boy asserts himself, he’s called a “leader.” Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded “bossy.” Words like bossy send a message: don’t raise your hand or speak up. Besides rejecting the assumption that males are not called “bossy,” this campaign comes across as shallow and petty. Is the word really that offensive? I can think of a whole host of other words – some of them used by Beyonce’s husband Jay-Z – which are actually offensive. Can’t Sandberg tackle those first? How many words do we have to ban before everyone feels okay about themselves? This sends a message that we have to create a particular kind of environment before a certain group of people can succeed. Who’s to say that Sandberg didn’t achieve her success because she was called “bossy” at some point in her life? Collaborators for the project include First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Actress Jennifer Garner, and Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 13:22:15 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015