13 Comments
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Queen D's avatar

Wow, this is crazy. I’ve been struggling this week with passive-aggressive coworkers (literally just because I’m an architect-urbanist and have two other degrees, while they don’t, yet we have similar jobs).

Your words resonated all the way to me—thank you for putting them out there. ✨

Xoxo from a French girl who totally gets it. 🇫🇷💋

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Shallon Lester's avatar

We’re all in this together, I promise you our experiences are more common than you think!

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Sham's avatar

Same situation, except with me it's my professors. I studied 2 different things simultaneously at the time (not common to do in my country) and boy these men were fuming.

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Mostly Truth's avatar

That's so nuts. I wanted something good to read and I RANDOMLY checked your blog after what has been years and you posted. How interesting.

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Shallon Lester's avatar

Even weirder: when I wrote this I was like "I feel like this will scratch a reading itch for someone out there" and here we are!

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Mostly Truth's avatar

Well I am glad you heard my call. I will be up in Montana visiting my sister in a few days for spring break. She is all the way up in Great Falls though. I am sorry you are not digging the small town and people are being haters. What sucks about small towns, too, is that when you put yourself out there and do your part to make friends there comes a point where you eventually meet the entire town. Then what? I am rooting for your success in friendships and love. <3

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Liv Ratcliffe's avatar

Seeing this notification made my day, Shallon 🩷

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Shallon Lester's avatar

It feels good to be back!

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Laura's avatar

I have witnessed a similar dynamic in small-town Ontario where the locals can act a fool and all is forgiven, but heaven forbid an outsider (gasp!) crosses the line. The double standard is real.

You're an eagle, Shallon, and you always land on your feet. If you leave Montana, your Shalligators will follow you anywhere <3

One more thing: pH --> measurement of acid/base level

PhD --> doctoral degree

(No shade, just me being the neurotic proofreader who works in a writing centre at a university)

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Sham's avatar

Wish I read it earlier. My professors, PEOPLE WITH PHDS, are passive aggressive with me. I've got the "you think you're better than everyone else" from a professor. All because I skipped his classes for a diploma I did on the side initially, and for a family health emergency later on. He knew this, but the vitriol came on to that one moment. He yelled at me in the most horrendous way. The other times I've got this specific sentence thrown at me, somehow it was always a male professor. I suspect they're jealous of my independence as I have different career options I can still take & how I refuse to kiss ass - something needed to do in my country to get ahead in academia, more by men than women as they're the primary breadwinners. Too bad.

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Cameron's avatar

Thrilled to have you back!! Adored this piece- such a gifted writer… cannot wait for that book!!

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Bruna's avatar

Welcome back! 🤍🤍

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Shallon Lester's avatar

Thank you!! I'm excited to dive back in I miss writing so much!

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