Further disabusing noble notions

Since I’ve already established myself as an insecure sexist, it’s time I banish my reputation as hard-working and committed.

Our chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE, pronounced “nez-bee”) held nominations for officer positions Tuesday evening. I’d already told our president that I wasn’t going up for my current position again, and that I may not even stay as a general member next year (although I most likely will).

So anyway, Ms. Prez is going through the positions and describing the duties, taking nominations after each description. I’m dozing during the descriptions and waking up in time to see the eager-beaver freshmen dish out nominations for themselves while present executive board members quietly accept any nominations for themselves or quietly decline. I remember those eager-beaver times. Ah, the halcyon days…

Then we come to my current position, and Ms. Prez describes the duties. No one gets nominated. She mentions that the only real requirement is that they be able to update a website. Crickets chirp, and I mention nothing about laying out the newsletter, since they won’t have the software I use, anyway. I smile at the ceiling, as I’m slouched back in my seat, the epitome of disrespectful inattention. Ms. Prez sounds annoyed. Someone nominates another woman in NSBE, and Ms. Prez quickly seconds. Then,

“I nominate Lissa.” Who this fool was, I don’t know.

“Seco—”

I don’t even raise my head. “Declined.”

That was the highlight of my week. There was a chorus of “day-um” and snickers at the speed to which I declined; I haven’t gotten myself in good with the freshmen in NSBE this year, so they just giggled as I continued to not-measure-up in my duties. Andrea (who was sitting right next to me) just about fell out of her chair laughing, particularly at the fact that I only raised my head when people started making noise.

Shaina said, “We’re never going to see you again, Lissa.”

I gave a smile and a shrug. I made my priorities very clear to Ms. Prez about a month ago—school, work, Thorn, sleep, and NSBE, in that order. That’ll hold into next year, and if my workload permits NSBE work, then I’ll certainly dive in and become active again. I like some of the things we’re doing under Ms. Prez, and I hope she hasn’t been discouraged by the lack of participation this year and ease up too much next year. But the incessant scheduling of events on Thursdays makes attendance near impossible given the above priorities, and excessively long (and repetitive and boring) meetings on Tuesdays don’t always seem like a productive use of my time, particular if project team members would like to meet then.

But NSBE is finally doing things—real community service, in particular—so I don’t want to just write them off as being unworthy of my time. I hate the people we’ve picked up this past year—they’re a bunch of rabble-rousing, punk-ass… nevermind—but I love the deeds. Unfortunately, the people make the organization, and Andrea is pretty much my only real tie to the social side of NSBE at this point.

On a completely irrelevant note, are Prime and I the only ones disturbed by the Darius Rucker Burger King commercial? I get chills every time I see it. The Boondocks that Prime shows in his post is too funny, though. “Maybe it was supposed to air only in Japan.” Indeed.