April 21, 2010

In 1952, the firs time this day was designated as Secretary's Day. This day is observed on the Wednesday of the last full week of April. It's purpose is to recognize the work secretaries do.

Today they are not called secretaries, they are called Administrative Professionals. I guess women's lib had something to do with this.

I never had a secretary but worked with many of them and was helped out many, many times. Some of them was excellent and was a pleasure to work with, some of them weren't worth anything.

I remember a lady I worked with. She was the personification of the ideal secretary. She was courteous, she was helpful, she was discreet and above all she knew shorthand.

We used to sit at meetings and she wrote down everything that was said without any effort in her shorthand. Those were totally unreadable symbols but she knew exactly what she wrote.

Years later I asked a younger woman who was secretary in our office if she knew shorthand. Her reply was what was that?

Is this progress? I don't understand what is demeaning about shorthand. And what is demeaning about being called a secretary?

It was very easy for the women lib-ers to complain about everything that separated women from men in life. But as long as we are not using the same rest rooms men and women will be different.

Here is another thing about double standards.

Nakedness is a cardinal sin in this country. The entire world is comfortable with the human body but here. Americans fight against showing body parts that are not supposed to be shown.

Topless and nude beaches are to be found in every country where people don't even raise an eyebrow. Families, friends sit together without any second thoughts. But here or American dominated resorts this is a taboo. Not to be touched with a ten foot pole.

So, here we are in Hungary in a day spa. We just came out of the pool, I went to take a shower and heading into the men's locker room. Being in the men's locker room I am walking in bare ass naked.

I am not alone, there are other men in there. Suddenly the front door opens and in comes this white haired lady. Nobody batted an eye but I instinctively grabbed my towel and covered up myself. Being the virtuous American that I am.

It turned out that she was not a sex crazed women looking for hot bodies but she was the cleaning lady who was not bothered by whatever she saw. Visiting that spa several times in the coming years I got used to this and it didn't bother me any longer.

Come to think of it, last year in the San Juan airport I went to the men's room and there was a young lady cleaning the facilities while we were using it.

Can anybody imagine something like this on the mainland? With our double standards this can never happen.

I am sure that some smart aleck woman with a masters degree in psychology would complain.