Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Monthly Reads: Women Lack Confidence, Keep Rhinos as Pets

I wrote on Women's Web about how I got my new job (and social media played a big role in this).

I loved this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.

I enjoyed reading this year-old obituary of Anna Merz, who started a sanctuary for black rhinos in Kenya. I especially loved reading about Samia:
Samia, an orphan rhino whom she raised from babyhood, even crawled into bed with Mrs. Merz — not entirely to her delight. Samia would follow her around like a dog, even after leaving Mrs. Merz’s immediate care and returning to the reserve, where she mated and had her own calf. If Mrs. Merz fell, Samia would extend her tail to help her up.         
Not realizing how big she had grown, Samia once tried to sneak back into the house where she had been nursed and became jammed in the dining room door. Mrs. Merz had to pour a gallon of cooking oil on her rough skin to ease her through.
I found this article in the Atlantic about women lacking confidence both interesting and frustrating. While I do agree that I see many more arrogant men than women, here are some of the things I found frustrating:
  1. The article seems to be set in a world where all men are self-assured or arrogant, and all women lack confidence. This is really annoying. I know some confident, even arrogant women (though I must admit I can't think of any quiet, self-effacing men I know).
  2. Many of the "differences between men and women" laid out in this article seem to me to be differences between extroverts and introverts. Introverts take notes and think before they speak. Extroverts are more comfortable speaking their thoughts. This isn't gendered.
  3. Thirdly, arrogant people are likeable? Really? Back at b-school (which was my last ground for observing a lot of peer-to-peer social behavior), everyone disliked, even mocked, the arrogant people, and respected those who knew their stuff. Maybe it's different in the US?
Anyway. I really liked this response to the article, though. Read this one.

Also, a couple of amusing tweets I agreed with, from personal experience: 

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