That sounds wonderful! Unfortunately, the only businesses I know with a similar description were very small consulting outfits with less than five people. Most large women-owned businesses I’ve encountered were qualified as WBEs, but 49% owned and 100% managed by men. The staffing reflected that, too.
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So many places this could go…
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I love when he says, “if you can’t tell the difference between body humor and flirtation, and sexual harassment, you’re probably a creep!”
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Never enough Laurie Penny.
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JFC. This linked article is a perfect illustration of the “required coddling of white male emotions” that Laurie Penny talks about in the above-linked article:
After an exchange of emails she discovered the trolley was in fact upset about a problem with his healthcare. Beard then stepped in to lend assistance to him.
She said: "It took two minutes on Google to discover the reciprocal healthcare agreement, so I sent it to him.
So this guy spent his time driving trollies her instead of solving his own problem, then she solved it for him and he turned nice. Not criticizing Beard’s actions at all here, we all find a way to work through these things, but gd I get tired of these infantilized men getting treated with kid gloves. No, it’s not even that. I get sick of it in the context of the rampant misogyny. I don’t want the men to be treated poorly, I just wish we all could be treated so supportively.
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Including right up to the former President…
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Joss Whedon is a POS and object lesson that talent isn’t character.
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Him too?
Ugh.
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I freely admit, it blindsided me too because of the self-empowered female characters he wrote. I knew about his inappropriate relationships with actresses and his public apology, but even with that I didn’t foresee his outright abusive behavior.
That’s part of what I mean about talent ≠ character. I foolishly mistook his art for him as a person.
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I have just watched Buffy (last year) with my 12 year old daughter and I have to say it is no surprise. There is all manner of creepiness. We loved it but I had to watch it with her so she could stop it and we could talk. I would be relieved looking at the credits to see Jennifer Espenson writing an episode as I knew we could just enjoy it without my daughter going “what? Isn’t that creepy/toxic/jerk behaviour?”
This was borne out by his subsequent work which brought the objectification of ever skinnier women more to the fore. Charisma was also absolutely, and obviously shafted on Angel. My daughter loves her character.
Plus. There are rumours. As well as what his wife has said.
On the plus side the comic reboot is less creepy.
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Interesting. I saw it at around the turn of the millennium when it first aired and I was, quite frankly, a lot less tuned into cultural subtext. Can you suggest a particular episode or few that stood out? I’d be interested to see if I pick up on things I didn’t notice when I was younger.
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I’ll ask her! Xander in general though. Lots of creepy jokes from him. He’s not likeable at all.
I did make excuses for the show having Willow be straight in the early seasons, she found it offensive. I said that they wouldn’t have been allowed have gay characters up front in a kids show back then and the show changed when it moved to a more grown up slot. Killing off the lesbian love seemed… unfortunate at the time. It looks like a total dick move now. Annnnnnnd uncoincidentally Amber Benson replied to Charisma Carpenter’s tweet to say that the atmosphere was totally toxic.
Sarah Michelle Gellar’s haste to get out of, and hatred of working, the show by the end says a lot in my opinion.
ETA
There’s an early episode about stalking and Gaslighting online featuring Willow that is just absolutely bang on, right up to date, and admirable still. Pretty sure it was one of Jane Espenson’s first.
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I’ve never watched Buffy so I only know his work from Firefly and the movies he’s done.
Still it’s sadly not surprising how many men with privilege and power abuse it, when we live in a society that willfully permits and actively encourages such abuse.
*sighs
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I thought Firefly was a fundamentally better show, but I’m less inclined to put creative successes down to show runners and head writers than I might once have been. They really depend on so many others, and especially actors, to create successful characters. Joss Whedon and so many others wouldn’t be where or what they are without the workers they screwed over.
Part of me feels like this should be the fuck around and find out generation.
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Amber Benson, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Sarah Michelle Gellar have all released statements backing Charisma Carpenter:
(Info from io9’s article.)
And there’s Kai Cole’s statement after their divorce to consider.
I was once a huge fan of Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and Dr. Horrible. I feel almost guilty about it now. I’ll always appreciate them as works that were the sum of many talents, not just Joss. (Maybe that’s cognitive dissonance talking, but it works for me.) But I don’t want anything to do with future Whedon works… if he has a career after this. (I’m hoping he doesn’t.)
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Thank you. 
Sounds like you’re doing parenting right. If she’s inclined to offer any to us, I’d be genuinely interested in your daughter’s recommendations.
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