Who run the world? Incompetent men ๐
Good morning,
๐ฌ๐ง tragic, but not surprising news from the UK last week: Boris Johnson has taken over premiership from Theresa May. Yup, thatโs the guy who, during his time as Foreign Secretary, referred to Africa as "that country", compared the EU to Hitler and got stuck on a zipline, waving two tiny British flags. He has since been poignantly branded as "tinpot Trump" by various media outlets.
Now, with Donald Trump wrecking havoc on our entire planet, I have only one question: How can anyone, let alone a group of educated politicians, allow a miniature version of the orange buffoon to run their country (into the ground, quite likely)? I came across the only plausible answer on Medium: He's an incompetent man, and society LOVES incompetent men. Society loves incompetent men a lot more than competent women (or men).
Yes, why? Danny Wallace breaks it down: "We confuse overconfidence with knowledge and impulsiveness with decisiveness." We see someone loud and confident taking the stage and say "Here's a charismatic fellow! He's leadership material!". It also boils down to a learned belief that men are inherently more competent than women. Here's a quote from the category "depressing 'cause it's true":
"When a man says he can do the job, regardless of evidence, we believe him. We ask women to prove it, and then we she does, we donโt like her anymore."
โฐ I would like to propose one more reason why there are not more competent women in leadership positions: They don't have the time! In fact, at no point in history have women had the time to think, create and advance their careers the way men do. In this Guardian op-ed, Brigid Schulte looked deeper into this phenomenon:
"If what it takes to create are long stretches of uninterrupted, concentrated time, time you can choose to do with as you will, time that you can control, thatโs something women have never had the luxury to expect, at least not without getting slammed for unseemly selfishness."
Even Melissa Gates sees daily chores as killers of "the dreams of a lifetime". She talks about the feeling that you should only indulge in time off once you have cleared your To Do list โ a feeling I'm definitely familiar with. But in order to create and to chase our dreams, we all have to be a lot more selfish about the limited time we have been given.
๐ To bring the mood back up, here's an inspiring Huffington Post story: It introduces an all-women developer team who is building the very first apartment complex in Toronto designed around the needs of women. โIn the end, the design will appeal to both men and women,โ said Taya Cook, one of the developer partners. โBut when women are making the decisions, maybe weโll focus on different priorities.โ That means: Better lighting outside the building and spaces for strollers, for example.
โค๏ธ Finally, because it's still summer โ the season of "get up and go" โ I'd like to throw in this beautiful piece about visiting your long distance friends. Jessica Frances Kane points out that the first thing we drop when life happens is time with friends. And then, when we travel, we prioritize new places and experiences over checking in with old friends.
However, spending time with old friends is extraordinary. Whether it's three days in Cornwall, 24 hours in Munich or one night in Emsdetten โ it's always worth it. Jessica knows that, I know that, you know that. Or, to hammer it home with the words of Elizabeth Gilbert:
โThere are friendships so dear and foundational that sometimes you just have to change around your schedule and get on a plane and just go BE WITH EACH OTHER. Because it is whatโs needed.โ
๐ซ Now send a text to the friend you've been meaning to visit for the longest time and set a date. And then send me a picture from that trip, please.
Have a lovely week,
Anna