I had this thought today and it stroke me. Maybe it's as simple as making the best of what you have been given. You are ugly, people think you steal because you were born in a poor country, people misjudge you because of your natural unfriendly face expression.. you are fat.. or you are a female software developer.
Yesterday I approached a group of guys on a software conference meetup, I had no make up and no mood for anything else than just having a beer, I wanted to get a bit tipsy and switch my mind off. Maybe to listen to some people voices and interact with them occasionally. So there is this group looking like they are having a relaxed conversation, and I am approaching them. As soon as they noticed me - puff, magic, the backs straightened, the eyesight started to nervously wander from the speaker to me and back, next one of them got a talk attack about some bullshit, the other desperately tried to interrupt, and after 10 minutes of trying to follow whatever whoever it saying to me I realized that a) I can't follow the conversation b) the whole "relaxed" atmosphere went to hell, and the level of the conversation below it. And of course, finally, just to finish me up, came the awaited question: "so what are you actually doing here (at a software conference)? Oh really, you are a software developer??".
And at that point I could get pissed off, like I usually do, and then I thought: ok sometimes you have a bit slower machine, but does it mean you should give up learning to program, sometimes a bit worse startup in life, does it mean you should give up learning and going to university, maybe your parents did not buy you a car and a house, does it mean you are justified to live under the bridge. Does it mean that something is not fair? I think long time ago I decided there are no unfair things, things are as they are, and it is up to the person involved to do sth with it. I was born as a female, yes, and it is up to me to learn to use the advantages of that, and avoid the disadvantages, or, simply, not give a shit.
Yesterday I approached a group of guys on a software conference meetup, I had no make up and no mood for anything else than just having a beer, I wanted to get a bit tipsy and switch my mind off. Maybe to listen to some people voices and interact with them occasionally. So there is this group looking like they are having a relaxed conversation, and I am approaching them. As soon as they noticed me - puff, magic, the backs straightened, the eyesight started to nervously wander from the speaker to me and back, next one of them got a talk attack about some bullshit, the other desperately tried to interrupt, and after 10 minutes of trying to follow whatever whoever it saying to me I realized that a) I can't follow the conversation b) the whole "relaxed" atmosphere went to hell, and the level of the conversation below it. And of course, finally, just to finish me up, came the awaited question: "so what are you actually doing here (at a software conference)? Oh really, you are a software developer??".
And at that point I could get pissed off, like I usually do, and then I thought: ok sometimes you have a bit slower machine, but does it mean you should give up learning to program, sometimes a bit worse startup in life, does it mean you should give up learning and going to university, maybe your parents did not buy you a car and a house, does it mean you are justified to live under the bridge. Does it mean that something is not fair? I think long time ago I decided there are no unfair things, things are as they are, and it is up to the person involved to do sth with it. I was born as a female, yes, and it is up to me to learn to use the advantages of that, and avoid the disadvantages, or, simply, not give a shit.
