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Phoebe Showed How Sexist an Office Could Be

posted 10 years ago by PretoriaDZ
15 replies | jump to latest

It was clearly outlined in the movie that Kate's character was the true brains behind Gig Young's character's career rise. This kind of stuff still goes on but not as much. Women have to speak up for themselves or they will find themselves being second-classed. I always believed in giving credit to anyone that has helped me accomplish something at work. I have never had another woman try to take credit for what I accomplish but at least 3 times, men in my office have tried to take credit for my work. I noticed and spoke up each time. I hate to have to do that but I won't be taken advantage of by credit grabbers.

[–] AprilValen 10 years ago

Who the heck is Phoebe? Do you mean Bunny, the character played by Katherine Heburn?

It's like Mad Men -- that's the way things were in the late 50s/early 60s. Things have improved since then.

[–] dfisli 9 years ago

 Phoebe Ephron was one of the writers of the screenplay. 

Semper Absurdus 

[–] AprilValen 9 years ago

Thank you.

[–] mel2000 9 years ago

It was clearly outlined in the movie that Kate's character was the true brains behind Gig Young's character's career rise. This kind of stuff still goes on but not as much. Women have to speak up for themselves or they will find themselves being second-classed.

If you're going to make the case for women not getting credit for their accomplishments in the workplace, it would be better to provide a non-fiction example as proof. Everybody has their own anecdotes of unfair office politics but I suspect it goes both ways.

[–] louiseculmer 9 years ago

Bunny appears to work in a different deprtment to Gig Young's character. I don't see how on earth this film can be considered sexist, considering everyone in the reference department is a woman, with a female boss who is a brainbox. It is a film about happy working women who love their jobs and are very supportive of each other.How much less sexist can you get?

[–] aciolino 8 years ago

We all know that all women were miserable in the workplace before the great enlightenment of the 60's. If they acted happy it was because they were either lying, or trying to impress the men, or were fooling themselves, deluded into believing the lie of male primacy. No woman was accomplished or happy. Ever. Until today.

[–] northsouth1 8 years ago

Any other view is a micro-aggression by the patriarchy.

[–] archangel-23354 8 years ago

Mike Cutler was Bunny's boss. She ran the department. That was clearly stated when Sumner was talking with the CEO.

[–] northsouth1 8 years ago

She ran the reference department, which was part of his area of responsibility, but not all of it.

[–] cookiela2001 8 years ago

It is a film about happy working women who love their jobs and are very supportive of each other. How much less sexist can you get?

Except Bunny's clearly f#$%ed her way to the top.

Clearly.

.

[–] louiseculmer 8 years ago

nonsense. She's obvilously brilliant at her job, has a fanastic memory and is extremely knowledgeable.

[–] cookiela2001 8 years ago

She has the scrunched-up little whore-face of a dominatrix.

Don't trust gingers!

.

[–] HarlowMGM 8 years ago

While I believe you are wrong in saying Kate's Bunny is the "true brains" behind Gig Young - we never get to see what Young's character does but surely it is independent of offering trivia (which is basically what Kate and the library women do even if they are highly intelligent and know a tremendous amount on various subjects). Bunny has nothing to do with Gig's success in any way. How is she supposed to be supplying him with "brains" when the movie notes he is frequently sent out of town to work on various projects?

But the movie does indeed have a sexist edge (and alas apparently a realistic one for the era) though you apparently missed it. The "girls" are in research, basically in the standard "female" job of librarians while the movie notes the accounting department is "all men". And in the end when Spencer Tracy tells them not only have they not lost their jobs but the research department is being expanded and they are bringing in "more girls", apparently even with an expanded department they are not going to ask men to do 'women's work'.)

[–] missrhea 8 years ago

Kate's Bunny does Gig Young's characters reports for which he takes credit. That's how.

[–] liscarkat (16543) 3 years ago

In my profession I did a lot of research and wrote a lot of lengthy technical reports, but rarely got any credit or attention. I was the brains but my supervisors and bosses, some of whom were women, got the credit and bigger money. I just happen to be a straight, white male but unfortunately my Patriarchy membership card didn't get me anywhere. This sort of crap happens to everybody, not just women. I wouldn't say I was second-classed, it was more like third-classed.