To ask if this woman was reasonable to make a complaint of sexism against a train station worker?

[CounsellorTroi]

www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/train-station-worker-said-door-20427510?fbclid=IwAR1f04ip9QSaRaqT_uAw5d_areNmeBte49_fcmaw3hi58UuHm8T2Vw24ufA

She was having trouble opening a train door and he helped her, saying "it needed a man's touch"

@Quincie

I think some of the comments here such as "your the man of the office, you need to lift al those files to the new shelf" are a bit tricky - if we deny that men are usually stronger and bigger built than women why shouldn't transgender women play sport with women. We don't want sexism but there are some differences generally across the board between men and women.

Well yes. It is a fact that men are stronger than women. Why is it sexist to acknowledge this?

@apooagnuandyou

I always think these ridiculous people are the most antifeminists of all. Why else would you try to embarrass women so much otherwise? No one could make such a complaint with a straight face and taking it seriously!

What’s the most feminist of all?

Articles like this just remind me how crazy the world has gone!

Be better if everyone kept their mouths closed heads down and ignored each other.

What’s the most feminist of all?

a genuine advocate of women, who do you think?

@apooagnuandyou

What’s the most feminist of all?

a genuine advocate of women, who do you think?

You'd actually wonder what some people think 😂 Scary.

I am more curious why some women are actually trying to bring us down and embarrass us, and themselves.

What's the point of that?

@apooagnuandyou

What’s the most feminist of all?

a genuine advocate of women, who do you think?

Give me an example. She called out a sexist comment and there’s a solid chance she’s stopped him saying it to another woman. I’d say that’s pretty feminist.

I'd have thought "ugh, knob" to myself but I wouldn't make a complaint. This shit happens all the time.

Pre-covid we had a joiner over doing a lot of work and while he was there, he offered to help DH carry a very heavy box upstairs. I overheard him saying "just as well I'm here today, saves her a hard job". When he came back downstairs I pointed out that I'd be the one building the flatpack he'd just carried up, like I'd built every other piece of furniture in the house.

When talking to one of the maintenance guys at my work about the same renovation, he recommended a local shop for paint. He said, "it's in XYZ, your husband can phone ahead and drive over at the weekend to pick it up". His mind was blown when I told him DH can't drive and the car is mine. "Oh, YOU drive?" was his response

Could be worst I suppose, she could have made a complaint against the sexist train company designing doors that women can't work out .

Only I question of time probably...

@apooagnuandyou

Could be worst I suppose, she could have made a complaint against the sexist train company designing doors that women can't work out .

Only I question of time probably...

🤣😂🤣😂🤔

It's everyday casual sexism that after a long time wears you down. She'd probably just had enough.

"...it's really part of a continuum of violence against women"

Millennials. Couldn't eat a whole one though. 🍴😋

The other day, as a tube train pulled into the station, a male on the tannoy shouted at me to "mind the gap". The sexist pig was obviously completely ignorant to the fact that women are perfectly capable of stepping over a small gap to board the train. I shall report the incident to TfL.

On a mainline train, I was the only passenger in the carriage when the male ticket inspector walked in and shouted "all tickets, passes and railcards please". I shall report him for rudeness in assuming I was old enough to have a senior railcard. When the train was approaching my station, the same man came on the tannoy and warned me to "remember to take all my personal belongings with me". Is this also sexist or is it because I am blonde?

@GreyhoundG1rl

Oh for crying out loud 🙄. Some people need an actual real life problem to occupy their minds. Poor thing, making an arse of herself going to the papers!

This!

jcyclops

I am shocked, horrified, fuming and shaking with rage on your behalf!

It's 2021!

Well, obviously her woman's touch couldn't manage it, ffs.
Some people need something to complain about, or to get a life.
Plenty of woman can manage train doors without help, he wasn't saying they all needed his help, just this one.

@lljkk

He could have said "It needed the touch of a person who is competent at opening doors" which we all suspect would have been extremely truthful and also truly offensive.

Actual comment was Not worthy of formal complaint regardless of what was needed to get the door open - for social lubrication reasons someone above said.

I can't tell from the story if the door needed a stronger person to make it open; given men are physically stronger, that would make the comment sensible. I would feel same if younger/taller person was involved and strength/height were required to open the door & someone commented on it.

No, it would have been a power door requiring a button-press, Transport for Wales got rid of their last manual doors at the start of the pandemic. She either pressed the "Close" button by mistake (a surprising number of people don't look at which one they're pressing) or pressed it before it had lit up. Better comments would have been "you'll find that the open button yields better results than the close one" or "needed the magic touch".

The boyfriend (if he was the one who heard it) should have said something at the time but it's far too trivial for a formal complaint and running to the papers over.

Ffs I very often have to go and fix a self scan machine in work, I usually say it needed the magic touch. Does this make me a muggleist or something. Best get the ducking stool out 🧙‍♀️

@PiccalilliChilli

I work in public transport and do encounter everyday sexism a fair bit from colleagues and contractors. The industry is still mostly run by men. I mean, most rail companies cannot provide PPE for women, so they have to wear ill-fitting PPE designed for men, which can be dangerous in certain settings.

That aside, a lit if men presume because I'm female I cannot do the very job I'm trained for, such as fixing points or removing injured or sick people from trains, and instantly push me aside and take over. So many times a male colleague has said "Let me do that" and I've had to tell him to f* off. I've also had contractors ask to see the station manager and when told it's me, they look at me in disbelief and say, "Oh" like they were expecting a man. It's bulls**t.

So unfortunately I totally understand where this woman is coming from. If I were her though, I wouldn't have complained to TfW but just called the guard out on tbe spot and moved on. Sometimes that's enough to make men think. I wouldn't want them to lise their job for being stupid.

A manager at one firm was at a careers event for GCSE-aged children. A couple of teenage girls came up and asked if women could drive trains. It was so disheartening to see that they'd assumed that the career was not available to women by default. We should be bringing up our daughters with an instilled sense of "nothing is off-limits".

In reality, anyone from Ops Standards can tell you that women statistically make better train drivers than men, where safety is concerned.

How many posters have wrongly accused the woman involved of "running to the papers" without reading the article?

The article makes it quite clear that it was based around comments on social media. ie the newspaper took it off social media. It was unclear where it had been taken from as the newspaper did not specify its source. Although considering Transport For Wales were quoted, it seems entirely possible that it was their social media page.

All the woman did was, quite rightly, write to Transport for Wales with her suggestions.

The comment was also made to her boyfriend, who relayed it to her as she was standing nearby. I suspect the nuance of how it was said has to be appreciated, but it seems that the boyfriend didn't appreciate the sexist remark either or was at least surprised enough by it to repeat it to his girlfriend.

Does anyone under about 40 actually use these type of phrases any more anyway? And the equally irritating "a woman's intuition", etc..

@Devlesko

Well, obviously her woman's touch couldn't manage it, ffs. Some people need something to complain about, or to get a life. Plenty of woman can manage train doors without help, he wasn't saying they all needed his help, just this one.

Except neither could the manly-touch of her boyfriend. So it’s actually the guards’ touches that were needed ie nothing to do with the sex of the person operating it, just the repetitive nature of learning the knack to it.

@sweeneytoddsrazor

Ffs I very often have to go and fix a self scan machine in work, I usually say it needed the magic touch. Does this make me a muggleist or something. Best get the ducking stool out 🧙‍♀️

Well, would you say ‘this needs a non-disabled person’s touch’? Or ‘this needs a white person’s touch’? Probably not.

Well, would you say ‘this needs a non-disabled person’s touch’? Or ‘this needs a white person’s touch’? Probably not

We have a live one here. FFS stop getting offended life isn't that long.

@Againstmachine

Well, would you say ‘this needs a non-disabled person’s touch’? Or ‘this needs a white person’s touch’? Probably not

We have a live one here. FFS stop getting offended life isn't that long.

Don’t be offended at my simple question - I’m guessing you wouldn’t say that. So we do draw lines in the sand.

I too am beyond sick of this BS on a more or less daily basis but no, I would not have reported someone for trying to help me (talk about no good deed goes unpunished!)