On Sexual Discrimination In My Workplace

I'm about to type a few paragraphs. And a few paragraphs, no matter how well-thought, are not enough space to explore the myriad nuances of sexual discrimination. However, sometimes a feeling just creeps up on you and it's worth jotting down even if it isn't fully evolved or functioning.

On the way to the project, riding in the back of the work truck, it's very common that some of the men to flip through pornographic magazines. I'm not talking about Maxim or Playboy. Those magazines are printed on thick, glossy pages and run on a big budget; they pretend to have a story to tell. The necessary money to run the magazines comes from revenues earned though advertisements for Puritanical things like deodorant, razors, and sneakers. The photo shoots are a little dirty but the overall feel, more or less, is squeaky clean. They are the magazines that inspire comments like, "People in Europe are so much more comfortable with nudity. I don't know why it can' t be like that here. Our country needs to relax." The magazines floating around the back of the pick-up (and  through the window to the cab) are much different. They're low-budget, factoid-free, lots-of-pictures-with-bad-lighting, and overtly explicit magazines. You couldn't pay Gillette to run a Mach III Turbo ad in one of these publications and as a result the paper is matte and tears easily and the photo shoots are dingy. The magazines are passed back and forth quietly (almost everyone listens to MP3s) with a few slight hand gestures and raised eyebrows.

Even thought I'm not a fan of porn (I know she's not comfortable. Those shoes are not in, why is she wearing them? Grown women have pubic hair, why is looking like a pre-pubescent girl a turn on?). I can honestly write that the magazines don't bother me.

Today I was one of about 40 people who received an e-mail from the Senior Chief who runs training. Of the forty names listed at the top I was one of two women. The e-mail opened as follows:

Brothers,

           I need your help on the monthly training attainment.  Currently we receive different format of reports, some we can use, some we can not.  Please do not send training rosters...

The greeting, "Brothers", bothered me. A lot.

It isn't logical that explicit and degrading photos of women aren't a problem but that a very innocent e-mail is (it's the second I've received from him that addresses me as a "Brother"). And I'm a big fan of logic so the counterintuitive nature of my feelings was nagging at me. I gave it some thought and what I realized was that for me it's a question of belonging. The magazines don't bother me because the  reason the men page through them in the truck is that I'm part of the group: I am a member of the Bridge Crew and as such am thought of primarily as a unit (four steel workers, two builders, one surveyor...) and somewhere after that I become a woman. The e-mail bothers me because it reminds me that I'm not a member of Senior Chief's group. I am other and I know from experience that other is rarely trusted. Like everyone else who received the e-mail I organize and document training and I'd like to think I do it well. However, I don't belong and for Senior that won't change any time soon. At least that's the feeling I get.

I think Woody Allen might have missed the mark when he said, "I'd never join a club that would allow a person like me to be a member." I only want to be a member of a club that would be happy to have me around.

Because He Can

It is natural that every time a person moves to a new position he searches for ways to make his mark; like a peacock fanning his feathers it's both an assertion of power and a proactive approach to the nagging concern of legacy. For the new Warrant Officer in training this means requiring all Training Petty Officers (that's me) to plan training days with an official Letter of Instruction (LOI) in SMEAC format. The added requirement was previously unnecessary, and is in my mind a waste of time, but the Warrant requires it because he can and because it serves as proof that he effectively controls his troops.

For the sake of documentation, and to illustrate the ridiculousness of the Warrant's request, I'm posting the LOI I am required to submit for each command training day (I'm e-mailing this in and I'm not sure how the formatting is going to come out on the other end). It is worth keeping in mind that our detachment is made up of 24 personnel who I work, eat, and live with every day. I have no problems verbally communicating expectations and schedules. It's also worth noting that I used Zulu time instead of local time because I think it's funny.

LETTER OF INSTRUCTION: UNIT TRAINING SATURDAY

1.      SITUATION. NMCB FIVE will execute Detail level Training Saturday #2 on 30 September 2006.
2.      MISSION. To train all hands of NMCB FIVE, DET CUBA on the following topics: Basic Nutrition, SCW First Aid, SCW Supply and Logistics, FY07 GMT Financial Management: Protecting Your Belongings With Insurance, Ergonomics, and DUI and Alcohol Awareness.

3.      EXECUTION.

a.      Commander’s Intent. My intent is to have all NMCB FIVE, DET CUBA personnel train each other in a classroom setting. The focus of the training session is to impart information that contributes to the personal and professional development of each Seabee and to contribute to the overall readiness of NMCB 5.

b.      Concept of Operations. Training Saturday #2 will occur on 30 September 2006 during normal working hours in building 2155 classroom 1 in the Seabee Compound of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

i.      30 0245Z September 2006 all personnel will muster on main grinder. Immediately following muster all hands will proceed to building 2155 training classroom #1.

ii.     30 0300Z September 2006 training will commence in the training classroom. First course of instruction shall be DUI and Alcohol Awareness.

iii.30 0400Z September 2006 there shall be a fifteen-minute break in training.
iv.30 0415Z September 2006 second course of instruction, Ergonomics, shall commence.
v.      30 0500Z September 2006 there shall be a fifteen-minute break in training.
vi.30 0515Z September 2006 third course of instruction, SCW First Aid, shall commence. Breaks can be granted as needed during instruction at the instructor’s discretion.

vii.30 0730Z September 2006 all personnel will be transported in government vehicles to Leeward Pont Galley for noon meal.

viii.30 0830Z September 2006 all personnel will return to classroom #1 and fourth course of instruction, Basic Nutrition, will commence.

ix.     30 0915Z September 2006 there shall be a fifteen-minute break in training.
x.      30 0930Z September 2006 fifth course of instruction, SCW Supply and Logistics, will commence.
xi.     30 1045Z September 2006 there shall be a fifteen-minute break in training.
xii.30 1100Z September 2006 sixth course of instruction, FY07 Personal Financial Management: Protecting Your   Belongings with Insurance, will commence.

xiii.30 1230Z September 2006 SCW tests will be administered to all prepared personnel.
xiv.30 1330Z September 2006 end of workday.

c.      Tasks

i.      Detail Safety Officer will develop and deliver course of instruction for ergonomics.
ii.     Detail A3 will deliver instruction for FY07 Financial Management: Protecting Your Belongings With Insurance
iii.Detail ACFL will develop and deliver course of instruction for Basic Nutrition.
iv.Detail Supply Officer will deliver course of instruction for SCW Supply and Logistics.
v.      Detail Combat Lifesaver will deliver course of instruction for SCW First Aid.
vi.Detail DAPA will develop and deliver course of instruction for DUI and Alcohol Awareness.

4.      ADMINISTRATION AND LOGISTICS.

a.      NMCB FIVE, DET CUBA Training Petty Officer will choose instructors for each topic and provide training materials to include audiovisual equipment for Power Point presentations.

b.      Noon meal will take place at the  Leeward Point Galley at 11:30. Transportation will be provided by the command.

c.      Uniform for Training Saturday #2 will be CUU and hardhat.
d.      Training records and rosters will be maintained by the NMCB FIVE, DET CUBA Training Petty Officer.
e.      Personnel in a duty status will be responsible for the clean up of the training classroom.

5.      COMMAND AND SIGNAL.

a.      N/A

A Coffee Dilemma

Now that the lion's share of the surveying is complete the office is an unavoidable part of my life, which means it's time to nest. I need to make this space my own so I can be comfortable and calmly proficient. The first order of business was to carve out a place for myself in the engineering office; it's supposed to be my personal den of tidy organization  (except for the messy drawer, which acts as a necessary balance to the order) but in my absence it was taken over by the savages. After a little work, it's mine again. Next was the coffee station, which I've decided is mine to manage by several rights:

no one else has taken ownership of it
I have hundreds of slammed brunch shifts under my belt and therefore have the most experience brewing coffee
I have the most developed palate (a combination of working in several Chicago restaurants and dating an affluent Berkeley foodie)

My self-appointed reign as coffee queen has not been met with overwhelming support.

Them: You make the coffee too strong.

Me: Then water it down.

Them: The coffee tastes burnt.

Me: The coffee isn't on a burner. It's not burnt. It tastes bitter. Try a little sugar.

Them: You don't need to use that many grounds.

Me: The package says two tablespoon per cup. I'm using half of that.

And they call themselves men? Big strong Seabees at that? They should be ashamed.

But they're not ashamed and they're persistent, too, so I have a new strategy: I brew the coffee my way and instead of telling everyone the coffee is ready I pour their first cups and water it down.

So far so good. I haven't had one complaint today.

Completely Unnecessary

BU1: ...holds a bottle of water, shakes it in front of my face, and walks off... I'm about to do something that's going to piss you off.

EA2: ...following him down the hall...  What?

BU1: I'm going to run more water through the old grounds in the coffee pot.

EA2: You're a miser!

BU1: laughs as he fills the reservoir with water

I mean really, of all the things not to waste. He's playing recklessly with my quality of life.

FYI

An informal poll taken in the back of the crew truck revealed that each member of the bridge crew, if they had to pick, would choose a woman with a shapely ass over one with big tits (that includes the white zin swilling and show tune listening steel worker, but that should come as no surprise).

After all the guys had given sufficient thought to the matter and voiced their opinions I was strongly encouraged to be the last participant in the poll. And because the only big boobs I could think of on the fly were my sister-in-law's (they are so monstrous that I'm a little afraid to get in the same car with them) I agreed with the guys.

Is it Possible?

Is it possible that the steel worker who lives next door to me, a man who I witnessed buying a bottle of white zinfandel and who listens to Shirley Temple recordings, could possibly be straight?