Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg wants to ban the word Bossy.

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Master_Live

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#1 Master_Live
Member since 2004 • 20510 Posts

Sheryl Sandberg’s Word Police: Have You Banned Bossy Yet?

The New Yorker: Don’t Ban “Bossy”

From the banbossy.com site:

When a little boy asserts himself, he's called a “leader.” Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded “bossy.” Words like bossy send a message: don't raise your hand or speak up. By middle school, girls are less interested in leading than boys—a trend that continues into adulthood. Together we can encourage girls to lead.

Pledge to Ban Bossy.

http://banbossy.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------

Agree, I will add it to the list. #banbossy

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themajormayor

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#2 themajormayor
Member since 2011 • 25729 Posts

We don't want to risk getting female CEOs as they have been proven to be objectively worse at it. Better not ban bossy unless we want the whole economy going down the drain.

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lamprey263

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#3 lamprey263  Online
Member since 2006 • 44548 Posts

If anything being more socially conscious of the word might give it more power.

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Master_Live

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#4 Master_Live
Member since 2004 • 20510 Posts

@lamprey263 said:

If anything being more socially conscious of the word might give it more power.

That is too nuanced.

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deeliman

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#5  Edited By deeliman
Member since 2013 • 4027 Posts

How the hell are you going to ban a word?

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Audacitron

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#6 Audacitron
Member since 2012 • 991 Posts

@themajormayor said:

We don't want to risk getting female CEOs as they have been proven to be objectively worse at it. Better not ban bossy unless we want the whole economy going down the drain.

source?

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Praisedasun

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#7  Edited By Praisedasun
Member since 2013 • 504 Posts

Fine. From now on, we use the word bitch.

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ferrari2001

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#8  Edited By ferrari2001
Member since 2008 • 17772 Posts

Bossy is a word, you can't ban words. People should be able to say whatever the hell they want to say. Sounds to me like Sheryl Sandberg is being a little.... Bossy.

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Master_Live

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#9 Master_Live
Member since 2004 • 20510 Posts

@ferrari2001 said:

Bossy is a word, you can't ban words. People should be able to say whatever the hell they want to say. Sounds to me like Sheryl Sandberg is being a little.... Bossy.

Woah, woah. Sexist.

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JML897

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#10  Edited By JML897
Member since 2004 • 33134 Posts

I think her whole argument is flawed because I've heard little boys be called "bossy" before too.

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Masculus

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#11 Masculus
Member since 2009 • 2878 Posts

Fucking capitalists opressing the poor working class.

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GazaAli

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#12 GazaAli
Member since 2007 • 25216 Posts

Hilarious, thoroughly amused.

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ferrari2001

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#13  Edited By ferrari2001
Member since 2008 • 17772 Posts

@Master_Live said:

@ferrari2001 said:

Bossy is a word, you can't ban words. People should be able to say whatever the hell they want to say. Sounds to me like Sheryl Sandberg is being a little.... Bossy.

Woah, woah. Sexist.

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themajormayor

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#14  Edited By themajormayor
Member since 2011 • 25729 Posts

@Audacitron said:

@themajormayor said:

We don't want to risk getting female CEOs as they have been proven to be objectively worse at it. Better not ban bossy unless we want the whole economy going down the drain.

source?

http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2054&artikel=5804631

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deactivated-5acfa3a8bc51d

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#15 deactivated-5acfa3a8bc51d
Member since 2005 • 7914 Posts

But Kelis is bossy, try taking her facebook away from her

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EPICCOMMANDER

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#16  Edited By EPICCOMMANDER
Member since 2013 • 1110 Posts

Ughhhhhh...

This site has the looks of a "Mom's Demand Action" site:

I see no sources or documentation for any of their research on the effects of the word "bossy".

All they say is that they are twice as likely to be this or whatever.

It just seems like more fallacy of composition bull****.

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limpbizkit818

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#17 limpbizkit818
Member since 2004 • 15044 Posts

I just finished "Lean In" last week. While I enjoyed it, Ms. Sandberg's advice is colored by her life experiences (duh). She came from a very well off family, went to Harvard, and is currently worth around $1B. Most of her advice is aimed at help the MBA class of 2014, not the average women/man. I think that's why her latest "ban bossy" campaign has come off as a bad joke to many on this site and others.

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indzman

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#18 indzman
Member since 2006 • 27736 Posts

@themajormayor said:

We don't want to risk getting female CEOs as they have been proven to be objectively worse at it. Better not ban bossy unless we want the whole economy going down the drain.

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deactivated-6127ced9bcba0

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#19 deactivated-6127ced9bcba0
Member since 2006 • 31700 Posts

I think feminists are just being stupid about this one. I've heard the word bossy used when referring to a boy bossing someone around when he shouldn't have.

This whole campaign is pretty stupid. I can't wait til I never hear about it ever again.

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foxhound_fox

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#20 foxhound_fox
Member since 2005 • 98532 Posts

Or, we could support free speech and tell bossy cunts like Sheryl here to shut the **** up?

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AmazonTreeBoa

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#21  Edited By AmazonTreeBoa
Member since 2011 • 16745 Posts

I am now going to start using bossy a lot more and hereby label all women as bossy. :P

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Nengo_Flow

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#22 Nengo_Flow
Member since 2011 • 10644 Posts

that bitch better calm her bossy ass tits down fucking feminist supremacist dusty vagina lookin' granny

(watching me get moderated for posting my expressive opinion, just becuz TC is a mod and he is in favor of it)

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mattbbpl

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#23 mattbbpl
Member since 2006 • 23024 Posts

@JML897 said:

I think her whole argument is flawed because I've heard little boys be called "bossy" before too.

Bingo. I think this whole thing is the biggest non-issue I've seen in a long time, and that's really saying something.

Beyond the fact that it's used for both boys and girls, "Bossy' is not synonymous with "leading". If you lead by being bossy then you are a terrible leader.

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deactivated-5b797108c254e

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#24 deactivated-5b797108c254e
Member since 2013 • 11245 Posts

@Nengo_Flow said:

that bitch better calm her bossy ass tits down fucking feminist supremacist dusty vagina lookin' granny

(watching me get moderated for posting my expressive opinion, just becuz TC is a mod and he is in favor of it)

How about not posting stuff aimed at getting mod attention and try contributing to the conversation instead?
Also, I won't delete your comment since I doubt Sheryl Sanberg is a GS user, but if she is and you ever tell her that I'll have to delete the comment XD

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deactivated-5b797108c254e

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#26 deactivated-5b797108c254e
Member since 2013 • 11245 Posts

@thegerg: The rules state that you're not allowed to insult other users. I, myself, would not insult someone who wasn't there to defend themselves except maybe in really stressful situations, but while I don't agree with it, I don't see it as cause for moderation, otherwise 80% of GS users would be banned by now. Moderators aren't supposed to act as your conscience, you'll have to do that yourself.

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lostrib

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#27  Edited By lostrib
Member since 2009 • 49999 Posts

SJW's at work. This seems like their dumbest campaign so far

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deactivated-5b797108c254e

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#29 deactivated-5b797108c254e
Member since 2013 • 11245 Posts

@thegerg: I'm with you on this one but you can't be everyone's father...I've tried it, doesn't work =/

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platinumking320

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#30 platinumking320
Member since 2003 • 668 Posts

@Master_Live: Look at it from a more George Carlin perspective. It's one word now but peoples needs are different. Sure its an effort trying to get rid of subtextual discrimination, so that all offices are upheld and respected no matter whos in the chair. but where old shackles are loosened, new ones are attached somewhere. Replacing the 'man suffix in fire police, chair, actor, now thats obvious change that needed to happen.

but soft language replacement can have its repercussions too. You can only chase the mal-intent of a person's words so far through public banning until your own language is softened and robotized.

" I think changing a manhole cover to a person-hole cover is going a little bit too far. So now is a ladies-man is a person's person? That would make a he-man an it-person, little kids would be afraid of the bogeyperson, guys would say come back and fight like a person and that's the kind of thing you'd hear on late night with David Letterperson "

Really I think its the tone behind a word and contextual environment where its dropped. You know, you see it all the time.

It also reminds me of his '7 words you can't say on television' if you had to ask for a list from everyone you know of words they neeever ever wanted to hear you say. How long would that list be? Would it change constantly over time?

It won't get Miranda Lawson any more future life-saves from annoyed gamers in Mass Effect 2....It's like get your own Normandy ship, and then you can start barking off capts orders eh?

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Nibroc420

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#31 Nibroc420
Member since 2007 • 13571 Posts

Ahh.
More feminists creating controversy where there is none.

Difference between being bossy, and being a leader is how much you micromanage;
Instead of letting people know what needs doing, and having them complete their tasks, you're "bossing" everyone around and instructing everyone on how to do everything.

You can be a leader, without micromanaging everyone to the point where they feel like tools. If you're telling everyone what to do, and how to do it, you're being bossy.

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SpartanMSU

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#32  Edited By SpartanMSU
Member since 2009 • 3440 Posts

Sure, as long we stop raising girls to think that they're "princesses".

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GazaAli

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#33 GazaAli
Member since 2007 • 25216 Posts

We should ban Facebook. We'd do the world a favor.

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BluRayHiDef

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#34  Edited By BluRayHiDef
Member since 2009 • 10839 Posts

This country is becoming too politically correct. Humans are naturally patriarchal, so this is not surprising.

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deeliman

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#35  Edited By deeliman
Member since 2013 • 4027 Posts

We should ban stupid people

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Nibroc420

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#36 Nibroc420
Member since 2007 • 13571 Posts

I think the New Yorker Article TC posted explains it perfectly.

@Master_Live said:

The New Yorker: Don’t Ban “Bossy”

Bossy and Leadership are not synonyms as Sheryl Sandburg is suggesting.

Bossy and Officious are synonyms.

of·fi·cious

adjective \ə-ˈfi-shəs\

—used to describe an annoying person who tries to tell other people what to do in a way that is not wanted or needed

A leader guides/leads a group of people in a direction.
A bossy person tells them exactly how to do it, to such a degree where the group gets annoyed.

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Postosuchus

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#37  Edited By Postosuchus
Member since 2005 • 907 Posts

@lostrib said:

SJW's at work. This seems like their dumbest campaign so far

That's why I like it so much. The general public is getting exposure to just how petty and authoritarian these people are. I mean, banning a gender neutral word because it might be used to hurt some little girl's feelings? SJW's are a blight on the progressive movement.

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nomsayin

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#38 nomsayin
Member since 2013 • 1346 Posts

Like your average stereotypical feminist, she seems to be ignoring the real issues that millions of women go through in this country. IIRC, about 1 in 4 women are victims of some sort of abuse in their lifetime. Instead, she wants to try and start a campaign against a stupid word.

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HipHopBeats

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#39 HipHopBeats
Member since 2011 • 2850 Posts

Sounds like some more feminist bullshit. Who even uses that word?

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Flubbbs

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#40 Flubbbs
Member since 2010 • 4968 Posts

why dont feminazis ever focus on real problems like how Iraq just passed a law legitimizing spousal rape.

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Celldrax

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#42 Celldrax
Member since 2005 • 15053 Posts

More ******** hilarity.

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chaoscougar1

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#43 chaoscougar1
Member since 2005 • 37603 Posts

Thus to remove the negative stigma associated with being called bossy
We shall ban the word entirely
THAT'LL WORK

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indzman

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#44 indzman
Member since 2006 • 27736 Posts

next they will try to ban the word pu**y

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JangoWuzHere

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#45  Edited By JangoWuzHere
Member since 2007 • 19032 Posts

Obviously you can't legally ban a word. Anyone who actually believes that's what the campaign is about is well...a moron. I think encouraging people to use potentially offensive words less is a noble goal. It happended with "retarded", so why can't it happen here?

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wis3boi

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#46 wis3boi
Member since 2005 • 32507 Posts

she's being bossy

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XilePrincess

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#47 XilePrincess
Member since 2008 • 13130 Posts

Obviously the woman isn't trying to remove the word from the dictionary, but she's trying to change how and when the word is used.

I'm in no way a "********" as the internet likes to dub people, but I agree with the sentiment, because I think "bossy" is a word that has been misused in such a way that it has come to mean something it doesn't, like "gay" and "stupid" have become synonymous, when it's used to describe women and girls. That's not to say it's never used towards men, but the primary use seems to be towards girls.

For example, the word means "fond of giving orders", but the context of the word almost always uses "she" when using it in a sentence, and in a negative way. Both examples that come up when you google the definition of bossy are directed at girls: "we're hiding from his bossy sister", "she was headlong, bossy, scared of nobody, and full of vinegar".

If you look at the synonyms for "bossy", you'll find words like assertive, authoritarian, high-handed, etc. Most example sentences using those and other words that insinuate power, control or the like in a positive manner use "he".

The word "boss" is a term that means power, being the head of something, the best. Everybody strives to be the boss. "Bossy", in the culture we live in, gives the impression that a person is annoying or unwarranted in their assertiveness, in a way that implies that their ideas are invalid and they're bothersome for sharing them. This would be fine if the word was spread evenly between genders, but since it's primarily used towards girls as an insult or put-down to tell them that their thoughts aren't wanted and their assertion is seen as annoying, it's become an issue.

It's the same thing as what being called a "***" or a "pansy" for expressing emotion is for boys. Implying that you're unworthy or less masculine because you have feelings or fear or like to do or wear certain things. It's unacceptable to emasculate a boy or young man by calling him these things because of what one is implying when they say them, and I think the same is true for the word bossy and girls. It's implying that a girl is unworthy to express her opinion or speak up, for fear of being deemed 'bossy'.

It has a horribly detrimental impact on the self esteem of people it's used on when they know they're being told they're annoying and their thoughts aren't valid, just like calling a little boy a sissy if he cries will be detrimental to his self esteem.

I wonder how many guys here and everywhere grew up with dads or male figureheads that told them not to be nancy boys, to walk it off. Or who didn't tolerate crying or the showing of any strong emotion other than anger. "Man up" was probably a phrase heard a lot in your house. I wonder also, how many of these guys now feel some amount of shame when they feel emotion or cry? How many feel less masculine for their choice of everything from beverages (martinis are for women, beer is for men) to clothing. Things deemed 'feminine' are dirty and you should feel ashamed for dabbling in them if you're a 'real man', etc? I see that as the same thing. Not okay.

It's really just not a word that means something pleasant in its' use today, and its' use is meant to hurt or put down the person it's directed at. The meaning of the word needs to change, or people need to stop using it towards kids all together.

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comp_atkins

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#48 comp_atkins
Member since 2005 • 38674 Posts

......aaaaand we've officially run out of real problems

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girlshavefuntoo

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#49  Edited By girlshavefuntoo
Member since 2013 • 125 Posts

It's hilarious how retarted some people can be. I'm against this in every way. Using the word bossy can have a negative impact on someone, but so can every other word. It's not the word that's the problem, it's the context behind it that matters. This will hopefully die out quickly.

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platinumking320

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#50  Edited By platinumking320
Member since 2003 • 668 Posts

@XilePrincess: but see that's the thing though. Self-esteem movements can only go so far, to aid in a person's feeling of accomplishment. Eventually its a person's own accomplishment, mental stability and the support they do receive. That's the ground that enforces their confidence.

People still manage to find means of creating subtextual discrimination, and others get offended by seeing exclusion or lack of respect in situations that are nothing like it, or where they're not being targeted.

We are at our very core, still a species that loves drama and conflict on some level, and sees red when media amplifies victim sensibilities.

I'll let George explain the rest. Check it from 5:27 to the end.

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