In the battle of the sexes, women’s magazine editor Cynthia Good said this was a skirmish she had to fight.Across Atlanta they stood, orange signs with black letters that read “Men At Work” or “Men Working Ahead.” Sometimes, the signs stood next to women working alongside the men. Good demanded Atlanta officials remove the signs and last week, Atlanta Public Works Commissioner Joe Basista agreed. Score one for gender equality, Good said Wednesday.
“They get it,” Good said about the city in a telephone interview. Public Works officials are replacing 50 “Men Working” with signs that say “Workers Ahead.” It will cost $22 to cover over some of the old signs and $144 to buy new signs, said Public Works spokeswoman Valerie Bell-Smith said. Good, founding editor of Atlanta-based PINK Magazine, a publication that focuses on professional women, said she’s not stopping with Atlanta. “We’re calling on the rest of the nation to follow suit and make a statement that we will not accept these subtle forms of discrimination,” said Good, 48. Good pressed the issue after Atlanta police came to her office last month on a complaint that she spray painted “wo” onto a “Men At Work” sign. Did she do it? Good replied by complaining about the signs.
Phew! I am so glad that is resolved, it’s been bothering me for years.
“Men at work” – discriminatory? How? Ms. Good is bad for our nation and I am saddened that Atlanta buckled under her stupidity. Not surprised, just saddened.
You know, before long, someone is going to complain about how offensive the term ‘workers’ is and request that word be changed. Where will the PC stupidity end?
The STOP and SLOW sign holder is never a man… And I wouldn’t call that working even if it is 100 degrees out.
“women’s magazine editor Cynthia Good said this was a skirmish she had to fight.”
It must suck not having a life…
How about “Cunts At Work”?
Language does have subtle effects—its what our brains thinks with (most of the time).
I support the action. Everyone should be reasonable and allow the signs to be phased in so that unnecessary expense is not incurred, but doubt that will happen given we are so rich and all.
Imagine “Whites Only Water Fountain.” How long should those signs stay up?
What’s next? I can’t say, “I’m working abroad,” anymore?
Bobbo – What are you getting at? Yes, language has meaning, but in this case, the word ‘men’ implies humans, both male and female, in the vicinity, are at work. ‘Men,’ in other words, is just a generic term, like its use in the Constitution and other important documents.
Workers ahead or road crew ahead is fine with me on new signs as they are needed. If she wanted replacement she ought to have been asked to pay for it.
Nothing like seeing if somebody really is concerned or is just trying to make headlines and do they really have any support.
#7–Riker==that argument was lost 50 years ago. Under your interpretation, we could see women walking into “Mens Room” because they are gender neutral human beings?
Your reference to the term “men” in the Constitution is (pick your own word)===think about it for just a bit and post back if you don’t get it.
f’n ridiculous.
about the only reason this absurdity probably saw the light of day is because it’s an election year.
the other reason is the nutcase that’s making this an issue is the editor of a magazine..which makes for a great virtual megaphone.
there was a time when our differences were an almost sacred component in making us us individuals. -seems to me that the PC movement will not stop until we’ve all been metaphorically made into unics. (eunuchs?) –
i’m waiting for the day they call out for laws to be passed that we all be made into hermaphrodites that are colored a dull shade of grey, so as to finally erase any trace individuality left in us.
(that law, of course, will have the whole of the Bio-Tech lobby behind it)
absurd? -yes. -but no more than the whole idea of political correctness.
–
(my jaded side says the backers of major sign company(s) that do the bulk of the road signs in America had lunch with Good one day and cooked up a scheme in which they both benefited. -Good gets the PR she needs to further her career and magazine, and the signage people get a fat, country-wide contract.)
How long until NASA is forced to go back an edit Neil Armstrong’s words? And will we have to edit JFK’s inauguration speech?
Or are we just too stupid today to understand our own language?
Hey, great! Another excuse for dipshits to foam at the mouth and fall over backward!
OK, on to the next “outrage”! Can’t get enough!
I thought being from Atlanta she just might be a coont but I was wrong. She is just a regular cunt.
#12–Pedro==now you are a sexist pig on top of being a racist too? (smile!)
Good to have you on the opposite of the issue (at the start?).
I’ll just start and say “mankind” by construct and history is pretty clearly referring to both men and women. Not so when “Men” stands alone, it is ambiguous.
Analogize to flying the Confederate Battle Flag. I don’t think there is anything wrong with it because I think it looks kinda cool. Its only when people with a sense of history remind me of what the flag stands for that I understand a goodly proportion of people have grounds to get upset?
Same with male oriented language. If you had to wear high-heels, you might feel differently. Nothing wrong with reasonable accommodation, with the emphasis on “reasonable.”
Amusing how many flaming retards refuse to make the distinction between reasonable and unreasonable, lumping everything together as pc. Mankind would be better off if we didn’t do that.
The only one you really have to watch out for are the ones who insist on referring to themselves as womyn.
Pedro Said:
“But I guess this is more important than homelessness or hunger. I’m sure homeless women will be very thankful to Ms. Good.”
Man I agree with you. What’s up with peoples priorities today.
#17–Pedro==how come you sound more intelligent when contesting with Mustard?===well, ok, who wouldn’t?
Your points:
I can tell you one thing, there are a lot more pressing matters to look after than all of the sudden feeling like fixing this “wrong”. /// Of course. When discussing THIS subject, how is tht relevant?
Comparing this to segration signs in the 50’s and 60’s is trivializing the latter. /// Thats true but it doesn’t doesn’t trivialize the issue the feminists have and helps explicate it. Saying there is “no issue” trivializing the womens issue even more.
This is a warning sign, not information about who can work in a construction site or not. /// Not if you are an 8 year old girl.
In any case, making a subject out of this shows what a thin skin society is developing. /// Yep, those slaves in the fields didn’t know how good they had it. If you were “sensitive” to this issue, you would phrase it as how society is becoming more accepting and supportive of all.
But I guess this is more important than homelessness or hunger. /// I disagree. While I note the sarcasm, why repeat this argument from above. Its an irrelevant argument, and you make it twice. Weak.
I’m sure homeless women will be very thankful to Ms. Good. /// Oops, a third time for its not important and a second time for homeless. What does this have to do with shaping society attitudes thru the use of language?
What about writting ” ‘Men at Work”? /// Too vague. The band of the name was all guys. I wonder if they would have named it that with a female lead singer? Any dissonance at all?
Racial Segregation was more onerous, as is slavery today but framing issues in that way can be very insightful in showing what the issue is. Most things fall on a continuum. You got slavery on one end, doesn’t mean anything on the other end, and in the middle is insensitive sex discrimination. Thats why I said it was subtle.
So, is having men mean men as well as women, meaning not having to mention women at all, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, or something a tad above nothing?
All issues except one issue are less important. Society makes progress when it responds to those who care about less than the most important issues.
I’m off for a few hours. Will check back.
#19 – Bobo
>>I’m off for a few hours.
Thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord.
#19 – I’ll worry about the signs when I see women working on the road construction crews. NEVER in my life has that happened, so…
#19, people who are looking to be offended will always find something to be offended by. I really don’t see this as being any different than calling somebody a fireman or policeman, or even saying “hey guys” when referring to a group of people, regardless of its male/female composition.
Now, if they are going to change the signs, then fine. But I do also agree with your other post that they should at least replace them within the normal cycle instead of insisting the taxpayers foot the bill all up front outside of what was currently budgeted for.
Yes… I can see how wrong I was I accused this forum of being misogynistic.
#20 said, “Thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord.”
Thank you Tooth Fairy, Thank you Easter Bunny.
🙂
#5
The problem is, this complaint was not done by an intelligent woman but by a bitch ruling a feminist magazine.
In most of the US, “Men at Work” signs have been replaced by “Work Zone” or “Construction Zone.”
There now, that wasn’t too PC or linguistically awkward (like that awful word “chairperson”), was it?
Nice to see OFTLO joining the forum again.
I woke up thinking why have “Men at Work” signs anyway? Real Men don’t need pussy signs to protect them–they should be dodging cars to demonstrate their virility and individualism. If a few of them get hit every once in a while, that wouldn’t be the most important problem that would need addressing anyway. Neither are the potholes or leaking sewers they are working on either. Real Men in society drive over potholes and don’t give a shit about sewers. This is what happens when a society becomes pussified. Smooth roads and flushing sewers—girlymen!!!
Subtle? Fuck subtle. I’m happy and thats all that matters.
#32–Pedro==actually, no. Didn’t want to repeat myself or make small refinements, so I went for a parody of your main argument==that there are more important arguments on different issues, so this one means nothing.
You fix your approach, and I’ll ask for #29 to be deleted. In other words, my prior post are sufficient to show my position. After that, other can agree, disagree, keep it in mind for later, hope they don’t have daughters, etc.
Wasn’t there talk about changing the name of “manhole covers” to “personhole covers”? Somehow in that case, I think the image of covering personholes just didn’t sound right and it just died.
#32–Pedro==conversations are like chess matches. Got to try a new move now and then to see what works.
I’ll go back to serious if you will.
Are you being serious discussing any issue to point out that there are other more important issues, or have you left the discussion completely? Yes, I think being “relevant” is that important.
How about “Hot babes at work”. That would cause too many accidents.