Five for Friday, Edition #7

 1) Collective nouns: I do some public speaking in my work role and I am Midwestern. I have intentionally steered away from "you guys" as a collective for the entire group and have replaced it with "friends" and now I say things like "okay, friends, let's get started." But this is dishonest. They are not my friends. I used to say "dudes," but I'm not in my 20s anymore (*sigh*) so I think it makes me sound like a tryhard even though I do use the word dude with reckless abandon in my private life AND I worry that it's just as gendered as "you guys." 

What word do you use in this situation? My husband, for his part, avoids any sort of address and recently said to me that outside of "you," he can't remember ever using a pronoun at work and I...don't understand how that's possible. When he addresses a class, he simply says "let's get started." I think he has more authority than I do, though, because he's a white man with a beard who looks and speaks authoritatively. 

2) Reality television and culture: There was a clip going around of Paris Hilton testifying before a Congressional committee. She's testifying about the dangers of youth residential treatment facilities in her role as a child welfare advocate, but she starts by complimenting the Congressperson's outfit and then she switches her tone from light and playful, discussing fashion, to serious, professional woman talking about serious, important matters.

I think some people are shocked by this. But, what are they shocked by? Sure, Paris Hilton is a Hilton and came from a position of privilege. But, like, a lot of that family money is not going to come to her and she has been a successful entrepreneur making billions of dollars on perfume, clothing, and accessories. She also makes boatloads of money in personal appearances and did you know that when she was DJing, she made up to $1 million an appearance? Sure, she had the Hilton name and the very big advantage of knowing that if she ever failed, she had a great big safety net, but the lady has done the work. She's a successful person. 

And, honestly, the same defense can be made of Kim Kardashian. Everyone seems to roll their eyes at her, but that woman is a businesswoman. You can be dismissive of the products she sells, but she managed to parlay notoriety from a sex tape/friendship with Paris Hilton to become a billionaire. 

I think reality television has a lot to answer for. The 2024 Republican presidential nominee as one huge thing to be answered for. But I reluctantly give props to said presidential nominee and people like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian for figuring out a way to use their experiences on reality shows to create success in their lives outside of that milieu. I might have a lot of qualms with the things that they have done in both reality television and post-reality television (some of which is evil in one very specific case) and I can't deny that all of the examples I've given you had a leg up in terms of privilege, but they really have done the work.

I made this spirited defense, particularly talking about how since Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton made their money in "feminine" enterprises like fashion they are looked down on as if they aren't "true" businesspeople, to some of my colleagues. They stared at me like I was crazy and started talking about what a negative impact they've had on the *culture* and how they are terrible role models. And, as I was watching that above clip of Paris Hilton, I kept thinking about how they are just examples of human beings with many sides to them, nuanced and complicated. 

But then it felt like perhaps I was mounting a defense of Donald Trump and backed away.

What do you think?

3) Glamor: In the fifth series of Taskmaster (some of you still haven't watched this show - this is an excellent season and it's perfectly fine if you start with this one), there was a contestant named Nish Kumar. He is a well-known UK comedian now, but was a bit less established when this series aired. He was TERRIBLE at the tasks and created a lot of hilarious moments. I think of him as a goofball.  

But there was a task that was filmed at a beach and the way they filmed Nish as he was walking to the task made him look glamorous and hot. See below. (If you do not think Nish is glamorous or attractive in this photo, you and I have different tastes about everything.)

I bring this up because my co-worker and I were recently leaving the building where our offices are to go to the student union to set up for an event. As we were doing so, a man wearing sunglasses and a well-fitting suit was walking into the building. I was immediately transported to this moment of Nish on the beach and my co-worker said, "doesn't he look glamorous?" and that's when I realized that the man in the sunglasses and well-fitting suit was my husband. 

4) Summertime: Because I have been in Work Mode, I haven't fully appreciated that it's SUMMER. Like, I just walk outside in a sundress and it's gorgeous. Yes, I have complaints about the rain and the heat, but forget my complaining. Look at campus!

I feel so badly for the landscapers that they work so hard on making our campus look gorgeous during the summer and there's hardly anyone here to appreciate it. I watched six young men just walk by this without appreciating just how lovely it is.

5) Homework: If you haven't already filled out the form to ask Dr. BB questions for an upcoming, please do so. This is the last time I'll pester you about it! If you haven't voted for a CBBC book, please vote! I'll tally up the votes on Monday, so if you haven't voted by then, your voice will not be heard. 

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Are you excited for summer or are you already over it? Have you voted in the CBBC poll?