Occasionally women embarrass me by doing things that seem to play into stereotypes about us. The gold digger, the gossip, the busybody, etc.

Typically I expect better of women than men, especially ones that have been around for six decades or more. They should know what truly matters in life by our age. They should be using their outgoing personalities and superior verbal skills to bring people together, rather than bickering about nonsense.

In my role as an Executive Team member of my church (thankfully ending soon!), I have been unwillingly cc’d on waaaay too many emails this year.

One recent exchange:

Woman 1:

“overkill”

Woman 2:

“rude” “rash” “confrontational” “provocative”

Woman 1:

“Rants” “put downs” “micromanager”

Result:

Awkwardness for the EIGHT people cc’d on the conversation

Relationship effectively ended between the two women

Good GAWD ladies!

This is not how email should be used!

And if I told you what they were arguing about, you would die about how stupid and minor it is.

Honestly, it reminds me of my role as Mrs. Squires in my high school’s production of The Music Man. Here’s a professional version of our big number when all the self-important hens in the town get together to gossip and complain (aka “pick a little, talk a little”):

And just for fun, here’s me on stage in my high school’s 1983 production of The Music Man:

Pick-a-little, Talk-a-little

CHEEP

🐓