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Original poster

Help me school this prat at work

334 replies

WobbleHead · 08/03/2018 20:19

IWD today, obvs, so one guy on our team work messaging chat (about 20 people on there) shared this pic. What banter eh.

I replied saying ‘sorry I don’t get it Confused - can you explain the joke’, and he’s said that he will explain to me tomorrow at work, the delight that he is.

Cue others on the chat offering to book a meeting room, film it, send a company wide invite etc so we can all witness his explanation.

I feel like just watching him squirm in front of the whole team won’t be enough, so I wanted to plan a line of questioning or whatnot that would maximise the enjoyment for all involved, except for him, and not make me look like a humourless fun sponge in the process.

Ideas?

Help me school this prat at work
OP posts:
gillybeanz · 08/03/2018 23:22

That was quite funny, we all laughed in work, but were mainly women with the occasional man thrown in Grin
Right or wrong you'd have eyes rolling at your comment of not understanding at my work, they'd think you were a bit thick tbh.
Say you don't like it, you don't have to, but you'd have to be pretty daft not to understand it.
A primary school kid would understand it.

LeighaJ · 08/03/2018 23:24

Surprised at some comments. Making the joke among friends and family is one thing, making it with work colleagues is inappropriate and unprofessional. Confused

ShamelesslyPlacemarking · 08/03/2018 23:25

I think it’s hilarious! He’s poking fun at the irony :-) of himself saying that, at the men who used to expect all the domestic stuff done for them after working all day. To get defensive about it is to be afraid that you’re inferior somehow. The defensiveness comes from insecurity I think.

I don't think so, I think some of us have just grown bored of the schtick that allows people to make racist/sexist/crass jokes under the guise that everyone understands that they're being ironic. Of COURSE, the joker doesn't really mean the sexist/racist/offensive crap coming out of their mouth, they're just taking the piss out of the people who say this stuff and actually do mean it. How edgy. Hmm

AssassinatedBeauty · 08/03/2018 23:26

She understood it. She didn't understand why it was meant to be funny, because it isn't. It's not ironic. It's not clever.

What is funny is the idea that women struggle to be taken seriously by (some) men because of their responses to things like this. These men don't take them seriously because they're sexist and never will take women seriously no matter what they do.

Squishysquirmy · 08/03/2018 23:28

Ah, but don't you know that when a man makes a joke to a group, the ONLY acceptable response is to titter in a ladylike fashion? Very rude to do anything else - we women must reassure those clever men of how funny they are! Even when the joke is shit! Never ever attempt anything resembling banter yourself!

The same etiquette applies whether the joke is made in person or over email.

The very last thing you want is for your colleagues to think you are one of those terrible, humourless feminists!

Eveforever · 08/03/2018 23:32

Make fun of his limitations at work. Then remind him that behind every successful man is a good woman and that, as his mum made such a good job of ironing his clothes and dressing him this morning, maybe she could give him a hand at work too.

AssassinatedBeauty · 08/03/2018 23:32

If you're a humourless woman then it's obvious that men will treat you badly, other women will berate you for not pleasing men enough because now they'll treat us all even worse.

Eveforever · 08/03/2018 23:35

Then, if says he expected more, say that, as he's only a man, you thought it was only fair to keep things short and simple like him.

Squishysquirmy · 08/03/2018 23:36

Yah could say, he's putting the "iron" in "irony" I suppose.
Maybe it's one of those jokes that is sooooooo ironic that it flies right over the heads of most people. The best way to poke fun at sexists is to be sexist yourself, as everyone knows.
Or maybe hes not being ironic at all.
I guess Op is in the best place to judge, seeing as she knows the guy better than us.

isawahatonce · 08/03/2018 23:44

Unpopular opinion but I wouldn't criticize his grammar - it kind of makes you look like you haven't got a real argument so you're looking for something to pick on and, as irritating as that is to look at, having bad grammar doesn't make him a bad person, but sexist jokes kinda do.

Nearlyadad · 08/03/2018 23:46

I’m a bloke and I think it’s pathetic.

Others have put it very well just why this shit isn’t on.

Anyone thick enough to share this kind of stuff through a work forum deserves to get the book thrown at them IMO.

gillybeanz · 09/03/2018 00:06

Surprised at some comments. Making the joke among friends and family is one thing, making it with work colleagues is inappropriate and unprofessional

Thank God we don't all work where you do then Grin
We're not all stuffy corporates, or professionals.
Some of us have a laugh at work and don't take it all too bloody seriously.

SteamyBeignets · 09/03/2018 00:10

If there's an equivalent joke directed at men, the stuffy PPs would support it. People need to get a life, seriously!

AssassinatedBeauty · 09/03/2018 00:13

Sexism is hilarious after all, thank goodness people here are clarifying that we should all have a good old chuckle about how (some) men think that all women iron, and that it's more important than IWD. Goodness knows we shouldn't take anything seriously for fear of being seen as a humourless feminist, the horror!

And we must all "get lives" because all we do is sit humourlessly, waiting to telling men off for daring to be ironically hilarious at work with terribly clever sharing of FB "memes".

SteamyBeignets · 09/03/2018 00:20

Oh please, I have seen many women harrass men verbally and sexually on night outs and oh that's just a bit of fun. but if men do it that's sexist. Some women are such hypocrites and clearly have double standards it's embarassing!

blueyacht · 09/03/2018 00:23

Would it be funnier if a woman had made the joke? Cos it's the kind of thing I'd think say and have a little giggle about

Caulk · 09/03/2018 00:30

I wonder how many of the women on here who are saying it’s funny also used the #metoo hashtag?

blueyacht · 09/03/2018 00:33

@caulk I think it's funny and I've never used the #metoo hashtag. Why would there be any correlation?

AssassinatedBeauty · 09/03/2018 00:33

It's deeply deeply silly to suggest that people posting here harass men and sexually assault them on nights out, and so are hypocrites when they also object to stupid sexist "jokes".

kubex · 09/03/2018 00:40

I've seen this before, it made me laugh.

People are so offended by everything these days!

It really pisses me off that nobody has a sense of humour anymore.

AssassinatedBeauty · 09/03/2018 00:41

Do you usually assume that people who don't find one thing funny have no sense of humour at all? Do you expect people to find exactly the same things funny that you do? How odd.

Bettyfood · 09/03/2018 03:37

I thought it was quite funny, but it depends on the context. If he's generally a sexist idiot then it's not so funny.

In any event, I'd have immediately corrected the grammar "Could of have been funny" and sent it back.

Tattybogle89 · 09/03/2018 03:50

Lighten up that’s quite funny
The majority will be eye rolling at the fuss you make if you go to far

Neves7 · 09/03/2018 04:00

Tell him: Thank you very for offering to iron the banner. Can you please have it back before 7am.

MakeUpMyRoom · 09/03/2018 04:00

I think it's pretty funny.

"holds women back"? Ha ha.

Surely the explanation's quite simple and no need for him to squirm. I'd love to answer it.

'It was a play on traditional gender roles. A comment on society and how women would have been expected, in the past, to be responsible for housework such as ironing. Now, which one of you girls is going to make a pot of tea?'

What do you think HR's going to do?

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