Stop acting pitiful, guys, be ambitious
As an angry woman shakes her head and lectures her junior, her spit is spattering all over his face. The subtitle says, “Spattering away and giving a lecture, are you washing a car?”
In the first half of this year, an advertisement campaign for an employment Web site was a great success.
The seven-part series uses stereotypes of employees and executives, and one of the bosses is the angry, spattering woman. Men are described as incompetent and irresponsible, but portrayals of them are not nearly so insulting. It reminds me of prejudice that older women bosses are hysterical.
The hysterical female boss is the extension of “Mrs. Kim” and “Miss XX.” “Mrs. Kim” is synonymous with a middle-aged woman who is not good at driving and causes absurd traffic accidents. Young women who cause a scene are labeled “Miss XX.” A myth is created that women are aggressive at work, inferior on the road and lacking in common sense on the street.
There has been no data showing that women in the workplace are more flawed in character than men. Maybe women are more noticeable because of their high-pitched voices. Maybe there are fewer women in many workplaces and they just stand out more.
According to a report by SBS, men cause three times more traffic accidents due to failure to follow regulations than female drivers. Personally, I have seen more rude men on the subway than women.
The derogation of femininity started in the 2000s, just as female power began to emerge. I searched the Internet and found “Miss XX” labeling began around the time of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. The “Mrs. Kim” label surfaces in early 2006.
The essence of masculinity may be chivalry and energy, but machos today are cowardly and worthless. When a female coworker is loading a new bottle of water for the dispenser, men avoid her. Vigor, honesty and drive have long disappeared. Many high-achieving alpha girls say they would like marry but cannot find the right man.
Women’s ride in society is an irreversible trend. Grumbling in the back only makes men less confident. While the overall gender perception is changing, the ground is still not level and men certainly have an advantage. Stop acting pitiful and have your own dreams. “Boys, be ambitious” is the mantra to survive in an age of gender equality.
* The author is an editorial writer of the JoongAng Ilbo.
by Kwon Suk-chun
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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